Plasma
Element Brewing Company

PlasmaPlasma
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From:
Element Brewing Company
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
9.3%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.82 | pDev: 11.78%
Reviews:
13
Ratings:
69
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 13, 2017
Added:
Apr 27, 2013
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  10
Plasma is a Sake-I.P.A.™ style beer brewed with pure water, brown rice, malted millet, and generous amounts of Aramis hops. This gluten free beer has everything you want from an I.P.A and a Genmaishu Namazake Sake.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DavidBart:
Photo of DavidBart
Reviewed by DavidBart from New York

4.1/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had this on tap at The Bodega BK. it's their strongest selection today, as well as a rare find. Glad to have been able to try this today.

A: light copper tone. Looks beautiful in this August sun. Virtually no head. Could be due to the fill or the nature of this DIPA beast. Probably a little bit of both.

S: Pleasantly malty and hoppy. Along the lines of most DIPAs. Doesn't offend yet doesnt surprise either. Average.

T: Now here's where we run into a little bit of trouble. Still nice, because it's a big DIPA, but a bit unbalanced. There is definitely a heavy malt presence, some hoppieness, but an unwelcome alcohol afterburn. Nothing crazy, but just not super pleasent. It's what separates it from a lot of other DIPAs, just not in a good way.

M: Full, low carb, not bad.

I love this ganre, so it's still an ok beer, but far from the best. I regret missing Double Trouble that Bodega had on tap last week.
Aug 14, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of fitzy84
Reviewed by fitzy84 from Massachusetts

3.56/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Had this on tap at Judies Restaurant in Amherst. The beer had a copper appearance with a decent sized head and lacing. The aromas definitely had a good hint of booze near the end of each sniff, but it was mostly wrapped in this herby smell. The taste was pretty bitter up front with a mostly earthy malt flavor. Decent body. Overall, it was ok.
Nov 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4.39 by brookline from Massachusetts

Apr 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by oriolesfan4 from Maryland

Feb 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3.6 by NHhomebrewguy from New Hampshire

Feb 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3.69 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Feb 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.1 by halfshell from Massachusetts

Feb 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by LoudRed from Massachusetts

Aug 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by Stephan16 from Connecticut

Aug 04, 2016
Photo of threeviews
Reviewed by threeviews from Florida

4.29/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Gluten-free and bottled conditioned DIPA...yes, please!
Poured from a 750ml bottle (BOD: April 6, 2016) into a Catamount Glassware IPA glass.

A - Pours an attractive, clear sunset orange color which screams DIPA. A conservative pour yielded a full, one finger's worth of a frothy white head. The lack of retention is due to the lack of gluten-rich malts and elevated ABV. (4.5)

S - Not overwhelming, but very pleasant and well balanced. Orange flesh, floral (honeysuckle), mild peach, woody (cedar)/earthy and grassy. The 9+% ABV is nowhere to be found. (3.75)

T - All of the aromas play out in the flavor with a piney finish which grows as it warms. Being rather familiar with Elements beers, the earthiness found in the nose and flavor is most likely contributed to their proprietary yeast stain. Assuming this is a single-hop (Aramis) beer, the bittering is clean and dances playfully atop the very, very unique grain bill (Brown Rice, Malted Millet & Malted Buckwheat). Like the nose, the booze goes undetectable. The more I drink it, the more that woody/earthy characteristic grows to the point that it gives the impression that wood was involved in the conditioning process. Being a fan of Oak-Aged IPAs (Burton Baton, Hop Crisis, Burton IPA/Ale), this is hitting all the marks for me. (4.75)

M - Medium bodied and finishes with an woody/earthy dryness. Absolutely clean, refreshing and highly quaffable. (4.5)

O - Not only does Plasma stand on its own as a well-constructed DIPA, I dare anyone to find a better example of a gluten-free beer...and an Imperial one at that! Although I wish the aroma was more pungent (especially with regard to citrus and stone fruit), this is a really delicious, unique, well-crafted and boundary-breaking beer that I will get whenever available...and no, I am not gluten intolerant. The only other slight knock is its price...at ~$12/750ml bottle, it is not an offering that would constitute an everyday drinker (4.5)

Postscript: I lost track and found another bottle of Plasma lurking in my inventory with a BOD of Sept. 1, 2015! Yikes, 9+ months does not look promising for an IPA. However, I am supremely excited to announce that this tasted as good aged as it did fresh. All of the aroma and flavor remains intact (per my initial review) without any signs of oxidation...no doubt courtesy from the bottle conditioning. For a beer I anticipated to be a drain pour (as most IPA's are after 4-6 months), Plasma reigns supreme and remains a favorite of mine...fresh or "aged" (as IPA's go).
May 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.94 by Supergenou from Canada (QC)

Dec 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.85 by Nomis from Massachusetts

Nov 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.39 by joshuaswilcox from Massachusetts

Oct 03, 2015
 
Rated: 3.83 by Houley from Massachusetts

Sep 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by Jason from Massachusetts

Jul 09, 2015
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From BeerAdvocate Magazine #91 (Aug 2014):

Savory, Musty, Grainy, Yeast

This is where extreme brewing can go, naturally gluten free from a grain base of brown rice, malted millet, and malted buckwheat. All of that and its a sake-hybrid. A bit of funk and a whole lot of unique grainy complexities that are thrown up against a massive Double IPA strength hop character. As interesting as it is amazing.

STYLE: Sake IPA | ABV: 9.33% | AVAILABILITY: Rotating
Jul 08, 2015
Photo of buschbeer
Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

3.56/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
1 pint, 9 fluid oz. bottle
Served in a tulip glass

It pours hazy with an orange hue and golden highlights. It is topped with two inches of off-white head that leaves little lacing.

I get hints of citrus. It is not a real aromatic beer.

The taste is mostly bitter. I pick up some citrus in the aftertaste.

Highly effervescent

This beer is one of those IPA's that are just bitter for bitter's sake in taste. I wish more citrus would have come through for me. Now it did pair nicely with my sushi. The carbonation cleansed my palate leaving me eager and ready for another bite of food.
Jul 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by 80x2HopHead from Vermont

Jun 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Masters from Massachusetts

Jun 03, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Petegrieco from Massachusetts

Jun 01, 2015
Plasma from Element Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 69 ratings