Tröegs Scratch 18

Formerly brewed at Tröegs Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Hershey, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

In short: An amber IPA with tropical fruits and grassy hops. Good beer
How: Bottle 12oz. Consumed when too old, generous rating because the bottle wasn’t fresh enough. Bottle from a BA buddy, thanks a lot Heath
The look: Opaque amber body topped by a small white head leaving good lacings
In long: Nose blends tropical fruits and dry grassy hops. The fruity aroma seemed to be a combination of both yeast fruity esters and fruity hops. Taste proposes a soft but thick layer of biscuity cereals, a nice bowl of tropical fruits, fruit salad, also a decent amount of dry grass. Finish is half-dry, half-bitter. This beer was surprisingly in good shape for an IPA that wasn’t all that fresh. Quite enjoyable actually, more so than fresher Troegs Scratch IPAs I’ve had. One of the many Troegs Scratch beers I drank and rated in my hotel room all by myself, probably because I’m a pathetic beer geek. To know if you’re a pathetic beer geek you need to ask yourself one simple question: do I have a ratebeer account?

12 oz bottle-thanks jtclockwork for sharing-pours a fizzy white head that dissipates and yellow/gold color. Aroma is sweet grain/light malt, grass/spicey. Taste is sweet grain/light malt-honey, grassy/spicy hops.

A: The beer pours a lightly hazed orange color with a thin white head. S: Orange and rye are very prominent. Grass and pine hop notes are also big players. A bit of bread and caramel malts give this one sweetness. There’s just a light floral note to it, too. T: Rather pronounced pine and grass hop flavors which provide a substantial bitterness. Plenty of rye flavor and a nice citrusy character to it, too. Mostly grapefruit peel in terms of the citrus. M: Medium in body with a medium to high carbonation. O: Good, but the bitterness and rye flavors are sort of harsh.

12 oz bottle shared at jcwattsruggers. Poured an ugly murky brown with a small foamy off white head. Aroma is rather sweet caramel, toffee, hint of rye, old grassy hops, and honeycombs. Initial flavor has a touch of rye along with grains and bread along with bitterness and a medium touch of sweetness. Medium full body with perfect carbonation, lingering aftertaste that borders bitter and sweet perfectly. This one is really nice and I just wonder how awesome it would have been fresh.

Reviewed from notes. Pours a nice light orange color with a white head and a decent amount of lacing on the way down. The nose brings some zesty rye as well as orange, grapefruit, and other citrus. Some good hop notes and a touch of sweetness. The taste brings some more grapefruit and tangerine along with a bit of spice and sweetness. Nice body with good carbonation. A fairly unique beer. Seems like Troegs just does not fail with these Scratch beers. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 10-24-2010

UPDATED: APR 7, 2011 Bottle shared at John’s tasting. Pours clear gold. White head. Nose of rye, caramel malt and buttery muted hops. Taste of grassy spicy muted hops, rye bread and caramel malt. Drinkable.

Pours copper with nose of tangerine, piney hops, earthy malt. Tastes earthy, with a solid caramel malt backbone and a rich palate, and the hops being resiny and tropical fruity, yet earthy.

12 oz bottle shared at Shenandoah throwdown 2009. Pours a hazy orange copper, with a thin white head. Aroma is slightly old and earthy with some light mango, citrus, tropical notes hints of pineapple and grass with a light toasty caramel malt backbone. Flavor is toast, biscuit, somewhat harsh metallic old dusty musty hops, still grassy and citrus comes through with hints of mango- orange zest, and a mostly clean bitterness in the end- perhaps too well refined or filtered?