Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
on tap-pours a light tan head and dark amber color. Aroma is citrus/earthy hops, medium malt. Taste is citrus/earthy/metallic hops-some bitter, medium malt.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
Bottle: Reddish copper pour with a small sandy head. Tastes rich of malts and bread, a little bit of rye. Some citrus and floral tones. Aroma is more sweet and citrus hoppy, a little caramel, and some hints of florals. Lingering floral bitters. Very drinkable ale.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Rateing #700 Bottle 750ml Pours out a nice amber topped with a cream off white head. Light hop and a very nice sweet caramel on this one. A nice bitter end on this IPA. Not as much hop as I was looking for.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Bottle pours a hazy light amber with a large frothy sandy colored head. Lots of sweet caramel and brown sugar in the aroma, more like a BW than an IPA. Flavor was bitter and malty. Earthy malt flavors and a strong carmel and leather notes late. Moderate bitternes but very littel in the way of citrusy crisp hops. Like it was a year old or something. Had high hope for my #1300 but oh well. Tanks Buckeyeboy for sharing this one though.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
I’m not sure what the big deal is with this beer. Very light hop aroma, and a bitter hop flavor combined with sweet malt for balance. On the heavy side, but one dimensional. A solid beer.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draft at the Bistro’s IPA Fest; Called PP Swamis IPA (Solana Beach); Nose of piney hops; hazy yellow-orange with a small off-white head; flavor of hop bitterness with a little maltiness added.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 7
Bottle courtesy of Sammy: Poured a deep amber color ale with a small foamy head with little retention and no lacing. Aroma of deep bitter hops is dominating. Taste is also dominated by some deep bitter hops with some citrus notes and a standard caramel malt taste which is kind of deceiving. Body is full with some medium carbonation. Maybe my expectation was too high based on the brewer reputation but I thought this was pretty standard.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Cask pint at Solana Beach on 3/23/2007
Another fine-looking cask creation from Pizza Port, with a deep golden-blonde body, slight haziness and a small, but mostly well-retained white head. Moderate lacing as well.
The original San Diego pale ale, eh? I’ll buy it. The nose is a blend of fruity and citric hops, with strong bitterness. Juiciness is well-extracted from the dry, grapefruit-like acids and pale malt stays mostly out of the way, as intended. No sweet caramel or crystal malts here, of course and a very clean yeast and fresh hops. They’ve got a damn good thing going at the Pizza Ports. All of the beers taste fresh, have a strong texture, arent overcarbonated and none of them were watery/thin of flavor. Match that to quality brewing techniques and it’s hard to produce a bad beer. The turnover seemed quick, which was also a decided plus. Not trying to add filler to my review, but I guess I’m just highlighting that though this IPA wasnt a complete standout (ie. nothing overly unique jumping out) it was flawlessly executed all around. Dry, zesty fruit notes from the hops lend continued aroma on the finish. Just a smidgeon of tropical nuances without any excess of pine/resin. Strikingly clean, no alcohol.
Nicely dry and attenuated in flavor, but with more than enough malt to add a soft texture and balancing backbone. No skimping of hops here. Full-on bitterness is matched only by the full-on flavoring hops. Oranges, grapefruits, mangoes, peaches, tangerines and very moderate pine, it definitely honors the tradition of this "style". Clean, pale sugars and just a touch of grainy/barley notes on the finish. Low ester production, no alcohol apparent. Slightly too much bitterness/acidity for my palate, but I can’t handle much. To the normal hophead, I’m sure it seems deliciously balanced.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Draught @ Port Brewing, San Marcos. Pours a dark amber color with a tan head. Has a malty aroma with some hoppy hints. Very malty dry flavor with hoppy bitter hints. Long malty finish with a bitter aftertaste.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle a gift from Odeed, Thanks Jake! Nose of caramel malt, spices, and dark fruit; deep berry red color with a small beige head; flavor of caramel, some fruitiness, cloves and nutmeg, and a major hop presence. which lasts into the finish!