Cluster's Last Stand
Smuttynose Brewing Company in Hampton, New Hampshire, United States 🇺🇸
Collab with: Stone BrewingIPA Regular
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Score
7.19
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Post- Prohibition Ballantine IPA recipe recreation using period-correct hops varieties. Brewed in collaboration with Stone Brewing Co.
Old, new? It’s all the same, really. Cluster’s Last Stand defies the commonly accepted notion that strong, hoppy beers are recent arrivals on the US beer landscape. Smuttynose has teamed up with Stone Brewing Company to recreate the original, post-Prohibition Ballantine IPA recipe. That’s right; strong, 60 IBU beer was brewed in the 30’s. How do we know? We read it in Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele’s excellent and well-researched book, “IPA, Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale.” The only difference between this beer and more contemporary IPAs are the hop varieties: Cluster, Brewers Gold, Bullion and East Kent Goldings. None of these are trendy and we were a little surprised to find out that all four were readily available. The result is a rich, copper-colored ale with a strong, refined hop profile of spiciness with a hint of grapefruit.
Old, new? It’s all the same, really. Cluster’s Last Stand defies the commonly accepted notion that strong, hoppy beers are recent arrivals on the US beer landscape. Smuttynose has teamed up with Stone Brewing Company to recreate the original, post-Prohibition Ballantine IPA recipe. That’s right; strong, 60 IBU beer was brewed in the 30’s. How do we know? We read it in Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele’s excellent and well-researched book, “IPA, Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale.” The only difference between this beer and more contemporary IPAs are the hop varieties: Cluster, Brewers Gold, Bullion and East Kent Goldings. None of these are trendy and we were a little surprised to find out that all four were readily available. The result is a rich, copper-colored ale with a strong, refined hop profile of spiciness with a hint of grapefruit.
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7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle shared in London - picked up at Cotteridge Wines. Pours totally clear gold with a lasting, foamy white head. The nose has some perfume, citrus, orange, light pine. Medium sweet flavor with some oily pine, floral hops, pale bread, orange rind. Medium to full bodied with fine to average carbonation. Finishes with jammy citrus, bitter pine needles, slight grass, bread. Quite solid on the whole.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 May 2015
at 14:23
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle thanks to Leighton. It pours hazy orange-amber with a decent white head. The nose is sweet, oily, juicy, musty, toasty grass, big oily orange and marmalade. The taste is crisp, bitter orange, minerals, some booze, light caramel, touch of spice, toasty, wood, oily action and marmalade with a dry finish. Medium+ body and moderate carbonation. Nor bad.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 May 2015
at 14:19
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle@yesper - fuzzy golden pour with white head. Aroma and taste is tropical and citrus fruity, lots of grapefruit, satsuma, pine needles, would not have guessed such a high abv, went down very well. Lovely.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Apr 2015
at 07:03
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
22 fl oz bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with a small off white head. Aroma is pine and light grapefruity hoppy. Mild soapy, pine and grapefruity. Solid dry and bitter. Light fruity. Crisp bitter and fruity finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Apr 2015
at 06:58
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Bomber from Bine & Vine. Pours translucent copper with a creamy beige head. Aroma is fruity/earthy. Med body at least. Flavor is fruit and earth. A little citrus. Tasty with a clean hoppy finish that is decently bitter.
Tried
on 30 Mar 2015
at 14:39
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Pretty nice, but the Elysian space dust I just had was a little better. Still good citrus and integrated, well hidden booze. Pours amber with good head and lacing. Medium bitter finish. Some grapefruit peel. Tap at Black Squirrel.
Tried
from Draft
on 09 Mar 2015
at 18:40
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Botella. @Casa Laure, 01/03/2015. Color cobrizo turbio, Aromas afrutados, Sabore resinoso y dulce. Carbonatacion baja.
Tried
on 02 Mar 2015
at 09:32
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Tap. Sheffield Tap. Poured into a Steen Brugge glass for some reason. (That’s the Sheffield Tap for you). Anyhow, it’s hazy, orangey amber, with a thin, sticky, lasting, white head. Aroma is fusty, orange hop. Unripe banana. Some tropical fruit. It’s a little underwhelming, really. Taste has bubblegum sweetness, followed up by a rich, chewy bitterness. Palate has some chew, too. It’s smooth, and full bodied. Finishes long, moderate bitter, with a bit of chewy sweetness thrown in. Pretty good, barring the aroma, but the inappropriate glassware might have something to do with that.
Tried
from Draft
on 27 Feb 2015
at 12:23
7.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Leicht trübes orangegelbes Bier mit einer ordentlichen leicht beigen Schaumkrone. Geruch sehr malzig, Aprikose und Pfirsisch, hopfig bitter, leicht harzig. Geschmack sehr malzig, ordentlich gehopft, harzig, sehr fruchtig, bitter.
Tried
on 14 Feb 2015
at 15:15
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7
Tap at Clove Hitch, one-third pint. Filmy layer over a hazy amber coloured body. Ripe citrus on the nose. Taste of red orange and bread with pine needles towards the ending. Well bodied. Solid stuff (Liverpool 02.02.2015).
Tried
from Draft
on 12 Feb 2015
at 14:12