Yonder Cities
DC Brau Brewing Co.

Yonder CitiesYonder Cities
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From:
DC Brau Brewing Co.
 
District of Columbia, United States
Style:
Belgian IPA
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.21 | pDev: 9.5%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
87
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 05, 2019
Added:
Mar 16, 2013
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by stakem:
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Big thanks to BA Kegatron for splitting this growler with me. Poured into a snifter, it appears a clouded yellow color with a white head that fades leaving spotty lacing on the glass.

The aroma includes a yeasty note of bubblegum with a contrasting herbal citrus hop aspect that gets a little rindy to grassy. As it warms up, more of the focus changes back to that preciously mentioned yeasty spice feel.

The flavor is a bit rindy from the hops. The flavor gets somewhat similar to breakfast fruits/pulp and earth to grassy bitterness. There is a soft amount of grain presence but for the most part, the focus of this brew is on the hops and yeast spice.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. The alcohol was integrated well in this. Belgian IPA's are somewhat finicky. I think the yeast profile often clashes with any moderate hopping rate. In this case it wasnt bad and quite frankly I would probably try this again if the opportunity presented itself.
Jun 18, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.92 by sisterofba from Maryland

Oct 05, 2019
Photo of MrOH
Reviewed by MrOH from Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Hazy gold, thin white head, retention and lace a bit lacking
Dank. Overripe pineapple, mango, orange. A touch of honey
Flavor follows aroma. Honey a bit more pronounced.
Nice mouthfeel. Has the flavor of the NEIPA, but without the heaviness on the palate
I dig it.
Sep 24, 2019
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I was over to visit Jeff Lebo at his Brew Mountain Eco-Inn in York Haven, PA a couple of weeks ago & he had this CAN sitting out for sharesies. I told him that it was one that I had not previously reviewed & rated for The CANQuest (tm) so he assented to allowing me to take it away. He will get it back, albeit empty & rinsed, for his massive CANlection.

From the CAN: "DC Brau & Union Craft Brewing"; "Farmhouse India Pale Ale"; "Art by Matt Leunig/scrapedknee,com"

I knew nothing about this one, so the Crack! of the vent was followed with a slow, gentle Glug into the awaiting glass. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was pouring clear, so I stopped about 3/4 of the way in & gave it a vigorous in-glass swirl. This resulted in just under two fingers of fizzy, foamy, bone-white head that quickly reduced to wisps, leaving decent lacing behand. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a light funkiness, but I was not getting much in the way of hops. A check of the site's Style Guide shows that this is acceptable. Mouthfeel was medium. Man, it was definitely funky in terms of its taste. I thought that the verbiage of the label suggested Saison yeast, but it tasted powerful enough to perhaps have been Brett. Wow! The flavor had an odd cheesiness along with a mildewed newspaper quality, like old newspapers stored in the attic. Bizarre. Still, the style guidelines suggest that as an emerging style, it is wide open. Also, I want to clarify that I did not dislike it. It was simply very odd & unexpected. Since people often say that about me, I would be wrong to say it about a beer. Finish was dry, clearly yeast-driven and very funky. It was a one & done for me, but YMMV.
Jul 10, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by BabaBeer from California

Jul 06, 2017
 
Rated: 4.42 by kbrown from Ohio

Jul 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4.24 by JOldewurtel from Maryland

May 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by wander4 from New Jersey

Apr 29, 2017
Photo of Dragginballs76
Reviewed by Dragginballs76 from South Carolina

4.21/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - Pours clear yellow color with decent white head that quickly dissipates. Not much lacing.

Aroma - Lots of orange, grapefruit and lemon. some grassy hints as well.

Taste - Nice balance between the funk and the IPA flavors. Orange, grapefruit a touch of hops some pine. The funk is there along with some lemon and straw.

Feel - Medium body, prickly carbonation and a pretty dry finish.

Overall - A really well done beer, flavors are well balanced.
Apr 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by mflamar from New York

Apr 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.44 by petewheeler from Maryland

Apr 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.93 by Big_V from Maryland

Apr 19, 2017
Photo of Tsar_Riga
Reviewed by Tsar_Riga from Minnesota

4.19/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A - Bright, slightly hazy orange body, white head, thin and wispy, lots of lacing.

S - Pepper and dank, spicy hops. A line of pith.

T - Open with fruit, mango, grapefruit, a hint of mint and licorice, pepper and spiciness, a bit of sweetness, then moderate bitterness in the close.

M - Brisk carbonation, prickly drying, and a bit of chewy resin.

O - This is a nice, bold, drinkable IPA built from a combination of typical modern IPA notes (tropical and citrus notes, muscular bitterness without being punishing) and elements I'd link to the Belgian aspect (spice and peppery hits). It works, it's good, and it's unique.
Apr 18, 2017
Photo of BJB13
Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland

4.31/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz. can poured into a nonic style pint glass.

About one finger of white foamy head sits atop a slightly cloudy golden orange pour. The head dissipates fairly quick. The nose was juicy and inviting though the fruity notes, citrus, pineapple and tropical, were more pronounced from the tap at the brewery than the cans I took to go. The taste is a bit pungent and citrusy with moderate hop bitterness that lasts through the semi dry finish. There is just enough of a malt presence for me to call it balanced. Light bodied and easy drinking I found these going down pretty quick. There was some tongue bite from the carbonation at first but this smoothed out.

Recommended. I would definitely drink more of these.
Apr 17, 2017
Photo of Mongrel
Reviewed by Mongrel from Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Smells fruity and a little spicy. Tastes much the same, plus some dank, sticky hops. Slightly medicinal Belgian yeast notes that remind me of Raging Bitch. Bubblegum and a little booze - drinks a little bigger than 6.5%. Pretty tasty but not quite spectacular.
Apr 17, 2017
Photo of cjgiant
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

4.27/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Can with no date review combined with rating done of beer on tap at brewery:

Pours fairly clear, but a haze blurs items behind the beer a bit. Head is average after settling, a little rush with each tip fades fast.

There is a Belgian yeast note in the can version that wasn't as obvious at the brewery. It adds a mustiness to the fruity notes, shrouding them a bit more than I'd like (again, the fruit was more forward off the tap). Pear and pine cone out a bit with a deep whiff.

Taste does have a Belgian yeast not with a nice clean but noted malt profile. The musty note doesn't hurt the taste, which is a tad less vibrant in the can. Peach and a tart citrus, a light pepper countering that a tad. Dries out a tad on a lighter body than I recall at the brewery.

A nice beer that I enjoyed a tad more at the brewery. The can has no date, but I'm guessing is from their anniversary a month ago. The Belgian IPA meets a bit of juicy hops is how I'd describe it in general.
Apr 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.06 by Cpmitchno1 from Virginia

Apr 15, 2017
Photo of fmccormi
Reviewed by fmccormi from California

4.45/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Straight pour from a 12oz can to an oversized wineglass (Jester King stem). No freshness or packaging date present, from what I can tell, but this was canned very recently and hit the shelf at DC Brau less than a week ago. Refrigerated over 24hrs prior to consumption.

Appearance (3.75): This pours out a solid finger of bone white, crackly foam capping a very slightly hazy, 24ct golden colored body. The head doesn’t stick around super long, but it leaves nice sudsy spots on the sides of the glass along with a thin, residual film at the surface. Lacing would be underwhelming for an American IPA, but the yeast’s heritage cuts into those expectations a bit. Definitely looks more like an above average saison.

Smell (5.0): Oh, this nose . . . vibrant peach and apricot, guava and passionfruit, fresh cut grass and dried straw, a nice, somewhat musty funk, green grape skins, underripe bosc pear, floury baking soda biscuits and common crackers, a touch of almost cheesy funk, and more herbal, grassy tones round out the aroma. The passionfruit’s musky side, mixed with the musty, slightly funky part of the nose, really come together beautifully, and the mixture of macerated grape skins and hay absolutely click.

Taste (4.25): It leads for a split second with a musky papaya flavor, followed by some mellow, melon-y notes offset by tart citrus zest and very grassy, herbal flavors that hook up a set of phenolic tones produced by the yeast. Rather than tasting particularly medicinal, they come off with more of an herbal and “barnyard” type of vibe, allowing it to meld a bit more organically with the pale, crackery, dry, biscuity malt body. I really like the juxtaposition of funky, musky fruit flavors and herbal, musty, and crackery yeast and malt flavors. The finish trails off with a mostly grassy, herbal bitterness that subsides quietly. No booze present on the palate.

Mouthfeel (4.25): It enters with a moderately dry, medium-weight body with a peppery, very fine-pointed carbonation that spreads out evenly, foams up modestly, and resolves into an herbal-tinged, lean, crackery dryness. It’s very drinkable stuff.

Overall (4.5): Okay, so I have some thoughts on this beer. First, I think it’s very good to excellent from the can; second, I think it’s phenomenal on draft. If you see it on tap, ORDER IT IMMEDIATELY. Third, this is the best all-around “Belgian IPA” I’ve had in a long time, and has for years been one of my favorites, up there with Duvel Tripel Hop and Houblon Chouffe. That said, it’s different from both of those beers: the former is a super hoppy, crisp, and dry as a bone; the latter is yeastier, chewier, still dry and super hoppy, but more rustic in nature. This beer is kind of like a smaller version of the latter’s approach to Belgian IPAs, but leaning a little more saison than Belgian Pale. The bottom line is that this beer is excellent, and I love the crap out of it. I’d love to see this in regular rotation at DC Brau! Highly recommended.
Apr 12, 2017
 
Rated: 2.95 by DCgolfpro from Maryland

Apr 11, 2017
 
Rated: 4.23 by polopaul20 from Maryland

Apr 10, 2017
Yonder Cities from DC Brau Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 87 ratings