Thumper American IPA

Purchased as Boatswain American IPA. Gold color and tall white head. Mild hop aroma and hop flavor with a light malt base. This really is an’t bad at all, and I don’t understand the low scores.

Slightly copper coloured light amber body with a thick, two centimetre tall off-white head. Aroma of light grassy and herbal hops with a bit of malt and not much else. Light-bodied; Sharp metallic and earthy hop notes with some malt and a bitter metallic flavour tucked in. Aftertaste is quite bitter with a lot of grass and herbal notes and a bit of cardboardie funkiness as well. Overall, not such a great beer and not an IPA worth searching out for. I sampled this 65 cL bottle at what I thought was a deal at US$3.00 from Ridgeview Liqours in Green Bay, Wisconsin on 29-July-2012 sampled later in the day from my hotel room in Green Bay.

On tap at SPSBF. Pours a clear golden orange with a tan head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has a good amount of grassy hops with a bit of citrus and an earthy bread backing. Flavor is a bit thin with some light grassy hops with a light grain backing.

Bomber from Trader Joe’s Glen Allen, VA. Boatswain American IPA label. Pours a clear copper color with a medium sized off-white head. Decent head retention. Aroma of caramel malts and citrus hops. The taste is citrus hops and pale malts. Harsh and astringent. Thin-medium bodied with high carbonation.

bottle - Pours lightly hazy orange and has a mild citrus hop aroma. It’s moderately bitter at most with a touch of citrus. The malt character is subdued and not that good somehow. There’s just not much to it. It’s okay for the price but this beer is an underwhelming IPA.

Pours clear medium orange with a white head. Slight citrus hop aroma. Pretty well balanced malt/ flavor but a bit weak for an IPA. More a mild Pale ale, but needs more malt and more hops to run with the IPA crowd.

Bomber from Fresh & Easy in Vacaville, CA. Pours clear copper with a creamy off-white head. Decent citrus/floral aroma over some caramel. Med body. Flavor is instantly malty with bitter. It relaxes to a hint of treacle with bitter. I’m gonna stick with citrus/floral for hop. It finishes bitter, but there is still something that makes me think of treacle.

22 oz bomber purcahsed at the Trader Joe’s in Kansas City, Missouri. Purchased as "Boatswain American IPA" Brewed by Rhinelander, Monroe, WI. 6.7% abv. The pour is a clearish golden copper with a foamy 2 inch off white head. Head falls with splotchy lacing. The aroma is husky grainy malt, bitter resin, and a hint of mineral. The taste is resin hop oils up front, a bit chemically, followed by grainy malt, finishing with a faint vegetal mineral earthiness. The palate is medium to light bodied, lowish carb, flattens out a bit in the back. Overall, not bad for a $1.99 bomber (= $6.51 six pack), though nothing real interesting. This wasn’t terrible, just dull. I would take the Mission Street IPA (or Pale Ale) at TJ’s over this every day of the week. Seemed more like a Pale Ale than an IPA, though that may be freshness - not sure what the code on the bottom of the bottle meant - 1278 01EO233.

22 oz. bomber sold as Rhinelander Boatswain American IPA, $1.99 at Trader Joe’s. Okay, i can respect a beer from Minhas. I took a picture of the bottle with a full glass, and over the past few minutes have been taking in a smell of resiny, almost green hops. Poured a brownish-amber body under a dense white head. Up close, the hop smell lessens, and there’s a bit more malt. Taste is a little better than I’d expect. A lot of pinprick carbonation helps deliver the hops in the form of pine and a bit grass. Nicely managed hops, and just a little bit more than the squeamish would want to try. A great beer for the price. Considering I’ll reuse the bomber if I can ever get homebrewing again, that’s extra value.