Racer 5 IPA

Style:American IPA
Alc %:7
Brewery:Bear Republic
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:650ml bottle
Where/When:Home, Sept 2012
Cost:$13
Rating:8

Nice slightly off white head that disappears.
Pours fairly pale and clear- not a lot of bubbles.
Nose is a lovely hint of tangerine.
I can't quite pick the up front fruit- it's an amalgam of citrus, lychee and a little pineapple followed by a blending of malts and hops- the malt is assertive without been overpowering and the hops too are assertive and lingering but not overbearing.
Not aggressive (hop wise) but likely something that would be considered divisive by non hopheads.

Damn this is nice- it's not over the top in fruit or hops but it's very drinkable.
It's well worthy of 8/10.

It's two year since I've had this beer and I wanted to sit down and really have a crack at it. I like it quite a lot and now that it's becoming more readily available will continue to buy from time to time.
Kudos to Phoenix Beers for distributing this and others.
I will aim to get the Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye soon for review (again!)

Dundee India Pale Ale

Style:American IPA
Alc %:6.3
Brewery:Genesee Beer
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:bottle,
Where/When:Home, August 2012
Cost:$4
Rating:5/10


Not a bad white head, pours a nice copper colour.
A bit of herb on the nose but not alot.....
It's crisp and sharp tasting, just a little orange but mostly herbal and a little dank- not so pleasant. Not much malt and not really alot of hops either, tho there is a peppery note towards the end.
I don't consider this true to style in that the fruit, hops and malt are not prominent features and the herbalness of this is not overtly enticing or interesting. I give it 5/10.

Beer Porn

Bought this lot on 15/8/12 for around about $110!!
How long will it last for? The Growler leaked when I lay it down in the fridge so that's fucked.
Went to three different spots: Young Henrys, Dan Murphy's in Alexandria for Pintail Pail Ale, 4 Pines Pale Ale and the Sierra Nevada Stout ($12 for those 3), went to Camperdown Cellars for Racer 5, Two Birds 6 pack, Stone & Wood 'Amasia' & Sierra Nevada Hoptimum (approx $60)!!!!!!

Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale 2012

Style:American IPA
Alc %:6.7
Brewery:Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 710ml
Where/When:
Cost:$10
Rating:7

Nice fluffy white head.
Pine on the nose.
Nice fresh mouth full of juicy hops and malt- bit of orange and grapefruit, moreish, fairly light and finishing with a bitterness that is solid but not overpowering.
Very drinkable IPA that was hard for me to walk past and I will be hoping it's still in stock next time I go to the bottle-o!

Phoenix Beers in Perth are importing this and more.

Big Eye IPA

Style:American IPA
Alc %:6.8
Brewery:Ballast Point Brewing Company
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 355ml
Where/When:Home, July 2012
Cost:$17 a 6 pack
Rating:8

Nice reddy orange copper colour, slightly off white head that sticks around.
Bit of pine and apricot on the nose.
Fruity and a little tangy, as it warms the malt becomes more noticeable, but the sweet juicy bitterness makes this a very enjoyable drop. Well balanced between the fruit, malt and hops- nothing overpowers or dominates.

Tower 10 IPA

Style:American IPA
Alc %:6.5
Brewery:Karl Strauss Brewing Co.
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 355ml
Where/When:Home, July 2012
Cost:$17 a 6 pack
Rating:7

Pours an orange copper colour with a clean white head of 1cm that disappears to very little.
Sweet nose- pineapple and a hint of honey.
Starts off with a light fruity and sweet maltyness that becomes more intense - then the bitterness kicks in and lingers. Malt definitely plays a big role in this one, it's not a West Coast Hop Bomb but a sweet and easy drinking IPA IMHO.

Vale IPA

Style:American IPA
Alc %:5.5
Brewery:McLaren Vale Beer Company
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 330ml
Where/When:Home, July 2012
Cost:approx $14 for 4
Rating:7

As the label says, a lovely scent of passionfruit on the nose.
Orange, light copper body with a white head that decreases.
I get a nice passionfruit and mango taste followed by a spicey hit and finishing with a fairly mild bitterness and a reappearance of the passionfruit.
I do like this fruity drop and also appreciate that it's widely available (in bottle stores rather than bars) - I wish my local pub would have it on tap but in many ways that says more about how poor the selection is at my local than how much I like this beer- and I do like it- i'd just prefer it to be my fall back choice rather than the best of a bad bunch at any given pub in Sydney.
If I had this next to a Feral Hop Hog it would lose out but next to a James Squire IPA it would come out on top.
It could be suggested this has more in common with a decent fruity APA rather than a overtly hoppy IPA.

Sly Fox Route 113 IPA

Went to a restaurant (Bloodwood in Newtown) last nite and had this beer:

Avg Rating: 3.43

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Your Rating: 4

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• Route 113 IPA
• Brewery: Sly Fox Brewing Company
• Style: American IPA
• ABV: 7.2%
• First Had: Jun 3rd 2012

I had a can and it set me back $16!! Still, never had it before and although I did like it and would gladly have it again, I couldn't help think this was an American take of a English style IPA.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (2011)

Style:American IPA
Alc %:6.8
Brewery:Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
Country:USA
Tap/Bottle?:bottle, 375ml
Where/When:Home, March 2012
Cost:$10
Rating:8/10

Nice off white fluffy head of approx 1 inch.
A nice vibrant orange colour.
I'm getting nothing on the nose- nothing. OK, not nothing but very little that I can put my finger on & say what i'm smelling.
A marmalade rich flavour followed with a lovely malt backbone and a nice hoppy finish- this is a very nice drop, quite balanced really as nothing seems particularly over the top.
It's not as amazing as BeerAdvocate.com would have you believe but I'm dead keen to get my hands on some more of these.
8

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Style:US IPA
Alc %:7.2
Brewery:Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
Country:USA
Tap/Bottle?:bottle,
Where/When:Home, March 2012
Cost:approx. $10
Rating:7/10

A nice just off white fluffy head of half an inch that dissapates. A nice copper orange body.

A rich sweet citrus (dried apricot) nose with a hint of caremel malts. Not bad.

The maltyness is really quite prevalent upon tasting- it's creamy, and juicy and spicy (pepper) also. The hops give off both the spicey hotness then followed with a citrus (grapefruit and orange rind) hit lastly followed by the melding of the malts and hops together that linger notably. This last sensation from this brew is not sitting with me well-  I don't know if the malt is roasted or not but it's just a little raw for me.

I've put off this review 'cos I was having trouble putting my finger on just what was putting me off this beer which has other characteristics that I really like but it's the raw malt finish that turns me off from loving this ale.
All the same I'm giving it 7/10. It's easy to drink but for me finishes in a way that spoils what comes before the last note.

Feral Hop Hog

Style:American IPA
Alc %:5.8
Brewery:Feral Brewing Co
Country:Australia
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:Home, March 2012
Cost:$10
Rating:7/10

Pours a lovely orange colour with soft bubbly white foam (approx 1cm)
Real nice fruity nose too:pineapple/fruit salad.
Soft on first sip, then a bit of passionfruit. The malt and orange flavours come thru and the hops pretty balanced, certainly not over the top.
This coats the mouth nicely- carbonation is mild- the bitterness hangs around for a bit but doesn't outstay it's welcome.
This is the first time I've had this from the bottle- from memory the tap version, which I totally loved! is more cloying and boisterous in it's flavours and hoppiness, so in many ways this is kinda dissapointing yet a fine drop all the same.
7/10

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Style:American IPA
Alc %:8
Brewery:Bear Republic Brewery
Country:USA
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:Home, March 2011
Cost:$12 approx.
Rating:8/10

Fairly dark on pouring. Nice off white head that all but dissapears.
Fantastic oily resiney nose.
It's nicely balanced too with lovely sweet malts.
The bitterness coats my tongue- it's super.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

Style:US IPA
Alc %:6
Brewery:Dogfish Head Brewery
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:Home, Dec 2010
Cost:approx $7
Rating:5.5

Nothing outstanding about this- no outstanding fruit or hoopiness.
Just an ok drop that is barely worth a mention in the scheme of all things IPA.
I would go so far as to say that it didn't seem like an IPA but an average lager.
This was a Grey Import.

Stone IPA

Style:India IPA
Alc %:6.9
Brewery:Stone Brewery
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:Bottle
Where/When:Home, Nov. 2010
Cost:$5.50
Rating:6.5

Light orange copper colour with a little white head.
Nose:Lovely sweet pine.
A little herbal up front followed with a mild bitterness that lingers nicely. Not alot of fruit.
I get a slight mineral taste. Well balanced.
This also felt creamy with food and had more body to it, however i think I'm going to give it 6.5/10.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

Style:American IPA
Alc %:7.2
Brewery:Sierra Nevada
Country:USA
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:Home Nov. 2010
Cost:$5.50
Rating:6

Lovely white fluffy head, nice orange body.
Sharp perfume on the nose, not as citrus as i expected. A little bit of pine and sweet pineapple.
Bitter much. Citrus rind and a bit of pepper along with a solid bit of toasted malts.
Not as sweet and fruity as i expected - and in that sense it is a little different for it's style-
the bitterness really lingers which is true to style.
I want to have this again 'cos this didn't quite hit the spot.
6/10

Nogne O IPA

Style:American IPA
Alc %:7.5
Brewery:Nogne O
Country:Norway
Tap/Bottle?:Tap
Where/When:Darlo Taphouse
Cost:$11.60 for 330ml
Rating:6.5

Finally get to try this infamous brew!
Lovely citrus nose- aromatic not overpowering.
Quite sharp- and kinda thin- not as big as I thought it would be- the burden of expectation!
Quite well balanced- no outstanding ingredient that dominates.
So what do I taste? A light bit of citrus, toasted malts and mild hops- not a big lingering finish on this IPA.
I would say the malt is a little strong giving the sense of burnt citrus that turns me off a little.
a little bit of apple at the end too. Quite strong abv - 7,5.

Mikkeller Amarillo Single Hop IPA

Style:Single Hop IPA
Alc %:6.9
Brewery:Mikkeller
Country:Denmark
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:Home. Oct 2010
Cost:$10 approx
Rating:8

More in common with US IPA's- fruity/juicy and drinkable. Hop finish lingers nicely.

Mikkeller Nelson Sauvin Single Hop IPA

Style:Single Hop IPA
Alc %:6.9
Brewery:Mikkeller
Country:Denmark
Tap/Bottle?:bottle
Where/When:Home, Oct 2010
Cost:$10 approx
Rating:7.5

Unique, intense, assertive powerful.
Lasting hop bitterness soaks the tongue and lingers.
Like nothing else really even tho it's a IPA- very full-on.
I will have to have this again.

Bear Republic Racer 5

Bear Republic Racer 5
Quite pale in colour for a IPA....and that's my notes...
musta got busy!
Will rate it a 7/10 all the same.
Cost: US$ 4.29

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
Pours a dark orange/ copper. Lovely tart fruit - it's very
Moreish- and a lovely balanced finish.
7.5/10
Cost: US$4.29