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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8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 3/5/2015. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy bright orange color with a 1-2 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, herbal, floral, grass, light pine, light caramel, toasted biscuit, and floral/grassy earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/floral hops and moderate dark/bready malt notes; with good strength. Taste of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon zest, orange peel, herbal, floral, grass, light pine, light caramel, toasted biscuit, and floral/grassy earthiness. Fair amount of herbal/grassy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon/orange zest, herbal, light caramel, toasted biscuit, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice complexity and robustness of citrus/floral hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth and fairly creamy/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is a damn nice historical IPA recreation. All around great complexity and balance of citrus/floral hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Dec 2014
at 19:12
6.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 4
Overall 6
Slightly hazy copper coloured body with orange and bronzed highlights and a nice, single centiemtre tall, slightly creamy tan head. Aroma of dry new zealand hops with a bit of a citrus, pine and curacao smell with some malt and alcohol noticeable in the nose as well. Medium-bodied; Assertive grassy and perfumey hops with the distinct new zealand character of dry grass and hay with a light citrus note. Aftertaste shows a alcohol and malt, with a good balance, but a very one-dimensional beer for sure. Overall, a decent IPA, but nothing more and perhaps a little bit less, since this was a one-note song with nothing real special about it. I’m sure there will be a lot of reputation ratings for both breweries attached to this one, but it simply wasn’t that good, especially for the price - worth passing. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Whole Foods in Washington (P Street - Logan Circle), DC on 02-October-2014 for US$10,99 sampled at home in Washington on 26-November-2014.
Tried
from Bottle
on 26 Nov 2014
at 22:54
7.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Pour is a hazy orange with a large white head. Aroma is a really nice mix of caramel malts and juicyfruit hops. Flavor is again a very fruity hop with a heavier than usual malt bill. After the swallow the fruity hops give way to the sweetness from the malt. This has pretty much everything you are looking for in an IPA. Big fruity hops with some chewy malts giving it a nice backbone.
Tried
on 22 Nov 2014
at 12:08
8/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
22 oz bottle, shared all by myself. Poured a clear golden orange color with a fluffy medium sized white head. Aroma was nice resiny citrus, floral hop flower notes. Flavor was nice juicy grapefruit notes, tropical fruit, pine. Juicy. Very enjoyable. Alcohol only slightly present. Delicious.
Tried
from Bottle
on 19 Nov 2014
at 14:05
7.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Location: 22 oz bottle from Sparrow-Uptown, 10/30/14
Aroma: The nose is fruity hops, some floral notes, a bit of resin, and some caramel notes
Appearance: It pours a murky orange color, with a small head that leaves drippy lace on the glass
Flavor: This is a sweeter example of the IPA, fruity, with a milder bitterness than I expected
Palate: Medium body, it has a smooth, creamy feel, with a soft carbonation, and a clean finish
Overall Impression: The typical IPA components are mostly here, but it doesn't necessarily give you exactly the expected flavor/feel. You don't get that Stone profile that runs through their own portfolio of beers, much more Smutty than Stone for me. It's pretty light on the hop bitterness for an IPA as well, especially one where Greg Koch is prominently involved. There's nothing wrong with this beer, but it's not a world beater either.
Aroma: The nose is fruity hops, some floral notes, a bit of resin, and some caramel notes
Appearance: It pours a murky orange color, with a small head that leaves drippy lace on the glass
Flavor: This is a sweeter example of the IPA, fruity, with a milder bitterness than I expected
Palate: Medium body, it has a smooth, creamy feel, with a soft carbonation, and a clean finish
Overall Impression: The typical IPA components are mostly here, but it doesn't necessarily give you exactly the expected flavor/feel. You don't get that Stone profile that runs through their own portfolio of beers, much more Smutty than Stone for me. It's pretty light on the hop bitterness for an IPA as well, especially one where Greg Koch is prominently involved. There's nothing wrong with this beer, but it's not a world beater either.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Oct 2014
at 14:17
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
22 oz bottle poured into a Spiegelau tulip. 8.8% ABV, best by 3/2015. Clear golden orange with just over two fingers of off-white head. Aromas of citrus, floral notes, hop oils. Tastes of grapefruit citrus, a bit of tropical fruit, pine, floral notes, some stone fruit. Medium body with a semi-dry finish. Juicy mouthfeel, medium carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 11 Oct 2014
at 23:33