Stowaway I.P.A.
Baxter Brewing Co.

Stowaway I.P.A.Stowaway I.P.A.
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From:
Baxter Brewing Co.
 
Maine, United States
Style:
American IPA
Ranked #2,448
ABV:
6.9%
Score:
86
Ranked #18,751
Avg:
3.83 | pDev: 12.27%
Reviews:
227
Ratings:
1,112
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 22, 2024
Added:
Feb 01, 2011
Wants:
  43
Gots:
  326
Bold, complex flavors with a solid malt backbone and assertive hop profile, along with cold conditioning, give this beer its crisp, clean, hoppy finish. Deep amber-to-orangish in color, Stowaway pours with a nice, creamy head; a huge hop aroma of citrus, pine and grapefruit notes; and a big, complex, and intense hop flavor from the 5 different hop varieties and double-dry-hopping procedure used in making this beer. The malt flavor up-front turns dry and crisp; Stowaway is full-bodied but with a dry finish and pleasant, long-lasting, hop aftertaste. This I.P.A. definitely leaves you wanting more.

69 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jondeelee:
Photo of jondeelee
Reviewed by jondeelee from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Stowaway I.P.A. opens with a full, hop-driven grapefruit aroma, being a mixture of both pink grapefruit flesh and white grapefruit rind. Pine resin adds a secondary layer of bitterness here, being almost as potent as the grapefruit. Touches of lemon, mint, anise, and dandelion stem round out the hop aromas, altogether speaking of a nicely balanced hop profile that plays to multiple layers and strengths. Malts are somewhat more difficult to locate here due to the strength of the hop aromas, but some hints of cracker and toast crust are still present, as are brown sugar, and a good orange and apricot fruit ester counter. As a whole, the nose is very nice, making it immediately apparent that the beer has been brewed lovingly and with quality ingredients. A touch more sugars would have been nice, but there’s still enough in here to please.

On the tongue, the beer starts off with an expected hop slam, but here the hops are almost entirely bitter and plant-like, with grapefruit rind, pine resin, and dandelion stem fighting for dominance, and touches of lemon, eucalyptus, and mint lingering only slightly below the surface. The beer only has 69 IBUs, but it feels like more, so potent is this hop-based bitterness. Malts are, again, more difficult to locate against the hop blast, but toast crust and cracker do come through, as do brown sugar and some orange, fig, and apricot notes. Towards the end of the mouthful, as the sugars die off, the bitter rind, resin, and plant stem hop notes take over a larger and larger portion of the flavor profile, until by the aftertaste, they are virtually all that is left, and linger on the tongue for a long time, joined by a slight alcohol vapor. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is a solid IPA, definitely showcasing the bitter side of the hop experience, but nicely so. Again, a few more sugars in the main body would have helped a bit, especially a stronger orange and apricot presence. But this is still a beer to please hopheads.
Jun 07, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.81 by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

Feb 22, 2024
Photo of FreePal88
Reviewed by FreePal88

4.25/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Oldschool NEIPA that's more on the bitter, floral/herbal side of things than the fruity side of things. Very clean, very balanced, nice strong malt foundation. Extremely crisp and refreshing for an IPA. I feel like this is kinda slept on, for how good it is.
Nov 07, 2023
Photo of Greymane
Reviewed by Greymane from France

4.11/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Excellent WC IPA brewed in Lewiston, Maine. Very crisp and bitter for a refreshing beer. We used to always stop by the tasting room if it was open on our way south.
Oct 30, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Noelito76 from New York

May 29, 2023
Photo of LagerMan_US
Reviewed by LagerMan_US from Maine

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Finally - An IPA paired with a truly rich malt base. Outstanding; essentially a perfect 50/50 balance of hops and malt, with both totally discernible. Like . . a dark stout mixed with an IPA. Tho'. 7 percent ABV , you barely notice the alcohol. Quite the recipe.
It's an unusual offering - in the IPA dept.
Feb 09, 2023
 
Rated: 3.55 by lakewy17 from New Hampshire

Jan 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by florisj135 from Virginia

Aug 20, 2022
 
Rated: 3.63 by MJSFS from Florida

Jun 10, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by Jeez from Massachusetts

Jan 30, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by Dalkri from Massachusetts

Aug 15, 2021
 
Photo of Tantonys
Reviewed by Tantonys from Maine

5/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I love this stuff! What can I say? This is so good! Perfect blast of aroma, delicious hop bittering, and smooth malts make this A PURE PLEASURE TO ENJOY ANYTIME.
May 14, 2021
Photo of dturk29
Rated by dturk29 from Maine

4.89/5  rDev +27.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
This beer is amazing! That is all.
Jan 14, 2021
 
Rated: 3.85 by T66tah from Pennsylvania

Nov 10, 2020
Photo of JohnniEMc
Reviewed by JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Two 12 oz. cans poured into a clear glass liter mug reveals a liquid of beautiful color. The look is reddish copper with a bountiful off-white head and ample glass lacing. Its smell is mild, with a little malt, a little yeast and a little pininess. More to the malty side of a standard IPA, with a pleasant hop bitterness to finish. That finish is just a bit harsher than the superb IPAs
Sep 03, 2020
Photo of LeRose
Reviewed by LeRose from Massachusetts

3.62/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
It pours a clear, deep reddish gold color with a dense, white head. Doesn't last long, but clings like crazy.

The smell is not very intense. Pine resin dominates, there is a faint suggestion of a bread malt base. Some citrus in the grapefruit peel oil form, but hardly noticeable.

The taste is pretty much just what it should be for an American IPA. I will say that the bitter drops in Iike a hammer at the end. Citrus seems to accumulate and gets a bit numbing as it builds, more of a citrus oil taste and feel that fruity. Seems slightly out of balance to me, passable and adequate to the style, but it seems a bit unpolished.

Feel is astringent on the finish, citrus lingers and definite tingle from the hops. Bitter carries over and the citrus oil flavor lingers and coats the tongue a bit.

Straightforward IPA that more or less ticks all the boxes for the style. I can say I tried it, but I would not seek it out.
Aug 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by chicagoish from Pennsylvania

Aug 21, 2020
Photo of FishyBeer3
Rated by FishyBeer3 from Massachusetts

3.57/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.75
Grew on me. Great summer sipper. Strong IPA. Flavor hits on tip of tongue and back of tongue/throat. Skips middle.
Aug 15, 2020
Photo of TheBigBoy
Rated by TheBigBoy from Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Way past the old west coast flavors for me.
Aug 02, 2020
Stowaway I.P.A. from Baxter Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 1112 ratings