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India Pale Ale (Dry Hopped / Bottleworks)
La Conner Brewing Company
- From:
- La Conner Brewing Company
- Washington, United States
- Style:
- American IPA
- ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 96
- Avg:
- 4.48 | pDev: 7.14%
- Reviews:
- 35
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 07, 2008
- Added:
- Oct 10, 2003
- Wants:
- 5
- Gots:
- 0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by beerceller99:
Reviewed by beerceller99 from Louisiana
4.27/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.27/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz. bottle has " DH " hand written on the green cap. Amber colored with a huge head that took several minutes to settle. Massive smell of grapefruit and pine tree resins. Has a malt sweetness which mingles nicely with the huge hop flavor. Chewing on the hops will kill your taste buds. My guess is cellaring this beer for twenty years won't diminish the hop flavor.
Oct 11, 2004More User Ratings:
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania
4.65/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.65/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks to weeare138 for sharing this one off my want list!
When opened, there was a slight gush of white head with hops pouring over the opening (I wouldn't classify it as a gusher though). Poured a medium and hazy golden color with a small sized white head. Lots of hop leaves floating (I've never seen anything like it). Aromas and tastes of guess what, fresh hops (floral and grapefruit). I wouldn't call this overly hoppy - actually perfect in the aroma category. Medium bitter. Best part is picking out the hop leaves between your teeth.
Notes from and tasted on 9/30/05
Nov 07, 2008When opened, there was a slight gush of white head with hops pouring over the opening (I wouldn't classify it as a gusher though). Poured a medium and hazy golden color with a small sized white head. Lots of hop leaves floating (I've never seen anything like it). Aromas and tastes of guess what, fresh hops (floral and grapefruit). I wouldn't call this overly hoppy - actually perfect in the aroma category. Medium bitter. Best part is picking out the hop leaves between your teeth.
Notes from and tasted on 9/30/05
Reviewed by FtownThrowDown from Ohio
4.37/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.37/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is a crazy bottle. Noted with a 'DH' on the bottle cap. I'm guessing Dry Hopped. There is an entire hop cone in the bottle! The bottle gushed upon opening, but I salvaged what I could. This is an insanely hopped beer. The concept is pretty simple, with the entire hop cone in the bottle. But it seems nobody has thought or done this since. This bottle has aged a bit in the fridge and stll is as hoppy as hell. Absolutely amazing. I'm still stunned at the flavor and the concept.
Oct 28, 2008Reviewed by Gaisgeil from Michigan
3.89/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.89/5 rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Egad man! This is a volatile bottle of beer! Not only did the bottles gush on me, but they require straining! There is a whole hop cone in here! Nontheless it poured a deep orange in color with a fluffy white head that went the full rounds. Nose in unmistakably hoppy, northwestern US, clearly. Very piney and floral, pungant. Taste is naturally quite bitter, but also very complex really. Dandelions, grass, rose petals, sticky pine cones, May flowers. The first bottle I consumed fresh the brew was quite dry and puckering, but this year old bottle is tamed down a bit. Things have melded together more, quite nice really. Mouthfeel is unpleasently oily however, and just a tad flat, this brew is probably better consumed fresh as far as I can tell.
Quite nice to style and definiately hop lovers dream, but a bit over the top for me, bonus points for going full bore though, respectable effort all around.
Slàinte!
Apr 15, 2006Quite nice to style and definiately hop lovers dream, but a bit over the top for me, bonus points for going full bore though, respectable effort all around.
Slàinte!
Reviewed by Crosling from Colorado
4.69/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
4.69/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Deep Orange. Hop Leafs floating freely in the liquid. Incredible, vibrant and fresh aroma, possibly the best smelling beer I have ever smelled, ever. Total hop explosion with grapefruit, pine, resin and more pine. Id like it to be a perfume for women. Taste follows with even more fresh and vibrant hops. Great hop flavor, solid malt body and an incredible lingering bitterness. A great India Pale Ale that definately benefited with the in bottle dry hop.
Mar 13, 2006Reviewed by numenor1 from North Carolina
4.7/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.7/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
This one gushed a bit on me on opening, but after getting past that and straining out the hops, this is amazing to look at. Produces an enormous billowing off-white head that clumps more than anything i've ever seen. Pours a very hazy caramel color. Terrific to look at. This is easily the most prodigious hop aroma i've ever encountered. I can smell it across the room. Quite citrusy, leafy and vinous sappy. Some slight sweet malts are in the background. Upfront this tastes of sweet maltiness, yet immediately integrated with hop flavor that becomes more and more pronounced, yet somehow supremely balanced. Loads of hop flavor and it never overwhelms the malts. Drying a bit in the finish with an ever so slight lingering bitterness. Altogether a unique hop profile, more similar to dreadnaught then anything else, though with far more earthiness. Additionally as it warms a nice spiciness develops throughout, perhaps hops, alcohol or both, it's terrific. Mouthfeel is just about perfect, medium with medium low carbonation, creamy and chewy. It drinks well. Easily at least the second best IPA i've had, i'd have to compare it to two hearted.
Thanks Skyhand for making this a part of my secret santa. I'd been wanting to try this.
Dec 19, 2005Thanks Skyhand for making this a part of my secret santa. I'd been wanting to try this.
Reviewed by Px2GrafX from Virginia
4.74/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.74/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
presentation: 12oz. bottle with a black label with a large oval in the center. "laconner brewing company" encircles the oval with a tractor pulling an ale barrel in the center. "independent family brewer" and "finest grains". "dry-hopped", "d.h." and another "d.h." are written on the label and crown with a black sharpie. there is actually a couple of dried hop leaves stuck to the outside of the bottle. no abv or freshness date displayed.
appearance: i've been warned about opening this beer and even after carefully popping the cap, this beer overflowed. after cleaning up my mess, i poured a 3 to 1 fluffy head through a strainer. whole hop flowers in the strainer. hazy dark orange with bright orange highlights. despite straining, there are still hop leaf particles floating in the brew. head retention and lacing are excellent.
smell: enormous hop aroma. citrusy, piney and grassy. lightly sweet bready malt aroma is there if you really search for it.
taste: delicious hop flavors hit you first. bitter with grapefruit, lemons and orange. countered by a nice caramelly sweet bready malt flavor in the middle of the sip. bitter and lightly salty with some yeast in the finish. aftertaste is almost entirely lip smacking bitter hops.
mouthfeel: nice creamy medium body. acidic tingle all over your tongue with each sip. carbonation, even after overflowing, is still good down to the last sip. rolls around a swallows well.
drinkability: i love the hops so this one's quite drinkable for me. alcohol is well masked and the aftertaste begs for more.
overall: wonderful. other than the overflow forcing me to enjoy only about 9.5oz instead of 12, this is a near perfect ipa. i wish i could get a case of this, but it's not available to me here. i'll see what i can do, though. thanks a bunch to skyhand for sending me this brew in the WTF BIF ASAP. if you can get it, this is a must try for ipa lovers or hop heads in general.
Nov 09, 2005appearance: i've been warned about opening this beer and even after carefully popping the cap, this beer overflowed. after cleaning up my mess, i poured a 3 to 1 fluffy head through a strainer. whole hop flowers in the strainer. hazy dark orange with bright orange highlights. despite straining, there are still hop leaf particles floating in the brew. head retention and lacing are excellent.
smell: enormous hop aroma. citrusy, piney and grassy. lightly sweet bready malt aroma is there if you really search for it.
taste: delicious hop flavors hit you first. bitter with grapefruit, lemons and orange. countered by a nice caramelly sweet bready malt flavor in the middle of the sip. bitter and lightly salty with some yeast in the finish. aftertaste is almost entirely lip smacking bitter hops.
mouthfeel: nice creamy medium body. acidic tingle all over your tongue with each sip. carbonation, even after overflowing, is still good down to the last sip. rolls around a swallows well.
drinkability: i love the hops so this one's quite drinkable for me. alcohol is well masked and the aftertaste begs for more.
overall: wonderful. other than the overflow forcing me to enjoy only about 9.5oz instead of 12, this is a near perfect ipa. i wish i could get a case of this, but it's not available to me here. i'll see what i can do, though. thanks a bunch to skyhand for sending me this brew in the WTF BIF ASAP. if you can get it, this is a must try for ipa lovers or hop heads in general.
Reviewed by egajdzis from Pennsylvania
4.45/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.45/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
The contents of my bottle rushed up and out as soon as the cap was popped. Thus making my hands and shirt smell like amazing hop juice. When poured it was a deep amber color with green hop leaves and lots of other sediment in the glass with nice lacing. Amazing floral, and citrus hop aroma. Hops, hops and more hops, very hoppy, with little malt. Very bitter, citrus, hop taste. A little more malt would have made this perfect, though as it is, it was still very nice. An hour later, even after washing my hands, I can still smell the hops. I used some form of the word hop 9 times in this review.
Aug 09, 2005Reviewed by cretemixer from Indiana
4.54/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.54/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This one traveled many miles to end up in my ever-growing belly. Thanks to beer traders, shipping agents & BA for making that all possible!
Hops & foam erupted from the neck of the bottle upon opening. There's something about seeing whole hops dripping down the side of the bottle that just make us beer lovers weak in the knees.
Cloudy golden orange in color with a thick eggshelled colored head that leaves a nice lace. Lots of hops floating around in the glass, even after what ended up on the coaster after opening.
Fruity hops are most present in the aroma. Piney, but there is also a malt sweetness in the nose, almost like raw sugar cane.
Well balanced IPA. There's that nice, mouth-filling bitterness, but it is cut with a generous sweetness to keep it from becoming overbearing. Finishes round & full with a nice peppery punch.
Smooth & drinkable. I like the hops floating around in there, but that is definitely something for us die-hards.
Jul 30, 2005Hops & foam erupted from the neck of the bottle upon opening. There's something about seeing whole hops dripping down the side of the bottle that just make us beer lovers weak in the knees.
Cloudy golden orange in color with a thick eggshelled colored head that leaves a nice lace. Lots of hops floating around in the glass, even after what ended up on the coaster after opening.
Fruity hops are most present in the aroma. Piney, but there is also a malt sweetness in the nose, almost like raw sugar cane.
Well balanced IPA. There's that nice, mouth-filling bitterness, but it is cut with a generous sweetness to keep it from becoming overbearing. Finishes round & full with a nice peppery punch.
Smooth & drinkable. I like the hops floating around in there, but that is definitely something for us die-hards.
Reviewed by kmpitz2 from Tennessee
4.82/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.82/5 rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Opening hte bottle almost produced a mess gusher. I saved it into the glass before any was lost. Poured a dirty orange color with a a 3 finger head that fell to a light coating over top. The nose was awesome. Big citrusy hop arome sits over a caramel malt. The aroma is so fresh, clean and crisp. I absolutely loved it. The flavor was equally as awesome. Very flavorful hop. Citrusy, crisp, sweet, but not overpoweringly bitter. A caramel malt holds it all together. Such good balance. The feel was moderate with a moderate carbonation. The leaf hops in there giveit a different texture than other brews. I liked chewing on them after each sip. Probably the best IPA I have ever had. The hop profile was divine. Sweet and tasty. Incredibly drinkable. I will definately try to find this beer again. A+
Jul 29, 2005Reviewed by clvand0 from Kentucky
4.5/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.5/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a cloudy light amber color with a tall head that has good retention and leaves some lacing on the glass. There are hop chunks all over the place. The aroma is all about the US hops. Huge citrus aromas. Nice. There are lots of hop flavors as well - big on the US citrus hops. But there is a really strong caramel malt presence, making it balance very well. Finish is a little bitter. The body is a little thick, but not too thick and the drinkability is very good. This is a really good IPA.
Jul 28, 2005Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania
4.49/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.49/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Much thanks to skyhand for this!
Appears a hazy gold with a nice fluffy white head that refuses to yield. Now, look at that! Tons of full hop leaves floating at the top of the glass. Some decent sticky lacing holds tight to the glass.
Smell is outstanding. Sticky oranges, grapefruit, and piney hops abound. This is truly a hop heads delight.
Taste is excellent. Beautiful hop flavors along the palate followed with a sugary sweet balance.
Mouthfeel is great again with the citrusy bitterness and creamy vanilla notes making this a smooth beer with no hop burn.
Drinkability is great but points have to be taken off for the annoyingness of having to pull the hops off the lips after each sip. I ended up spooning them out but a few smaller pieces seem to still clog up in the back of the throat. I wish they could just dry hop the heck out of this at the brewery, filter out the big hop leaves, then bottle it to make it taste this way. Still
Finger licking good and then some.
Jun 21, 2005Appears a hazy gold with a nice fluffy white head that refuses to yield. Now, look at that! Tons of full hop leaves floating at the top of the glass. Some decent sticky lacing holds tight to the glass.
Smell is outstanding. Sticky oranges, grapefruit, and piney hops abound. This is truly a hop heads delight.
Taste is excellent. Beautiful hop flavors along the palate followed with a sugary sweet balance.
Mouthfeel is great again with the citrusy bitterness and creamy vanilla notes making this a smooth beer with no hop burn.
Drinkability is great but points have to be taken off for the annoyingness of having to pull the hops off the lips after each sip. I ended up spooning them out but a few smaller pieces seem to still clog up in the back of the throat. I wish they could just dry hop the heck out of this at the brewery, filter out the big hop leaves, then bottle it to make it taste this way. Still
Finger licking good and then some.
Reviewed by orbitalr0x from Illinois
4.68/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.68/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours into my Sierra Nevada tulip a great deep amber orange color with a fluffy two finger head. A sea of hop flowers floats by as I peer into my glass with a bunch hanging out on top of the creamy head as well. This is a beautiful sight to a hophead like myself. Glorious and truly a sight to behold. Awesome head retention that leaves globs of lace as it slowly recedes. First smell brings a rich, fragrant boquet of hoppy goodness. Big grapefruity, tropical, citric oil aroma invades my nostrils and brings a smile to my face. A bit floral as well with a sweet caramelly undercurrent. Fresh and greener hop aroma than most I've sampled before....simply a joy to sit and smell over and over again.
First sip is a rush of citric, grapefruity hoppiness with a nice malty body with notes of caramel. The floral comes through on the way down along with a lovely mellow bitterness that lingers on. I'm nearly getting hops stuck in my teeth with each sip and it brings a smile to my face. A wonderful IPA that definetly brings the hops while still maintaining balance. The green hop flavor is vibrant and alive with resiny oils...simply great...the dry hopping in the bottle just pushes this over the edge. More brewers need to do this as it adds a whole new dimension to the brew.
Mouthfeel is creamy and medium bodied with smooth carbonation. Goes down smooth (as long as you don't mind a few hop leaves here and there!) If I had easier access to this brew I would drink it all the time...one of my new favorite IPA's. If you love hops..you truly must try this one. My hats off to LaConner and my utmost thanks to skyhand for the opportunity to sample this one...you rock!
May 13, 2005First sip is a rush of citric, grapefruity hoppiness with a nice malty body with notes of caramel. The floral comes through on the way down along with a lovely mellow bitterness that lingers on. I'm nearly getting hops stuck in my teeth with each sip and it brings a smile to my face. A wonderful IPA that definetly brings the hops while still maintaining balance. The green hop flavor is vibrant and alive with resiny oils...simply great...the dry hopping in the bottle just pushes this over the edge. More brewers need to do this as it adds a whole new dimension to the brew.
Mouthfeel is creamy and medium bodied with smooth carbonation. Goes down smooth (as long as you don't mind a few hop leaves here and there!) If I had easier access to this brew I would drink it all the time...one of my new favorite IPA's. If you love hops..you truly must try this one. My hats off to LaConner and my utmost thanks to skyhand for the opportunity to sample this one...you rock!
Reviewed by troutmask96 from Washington
4.73/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.73/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Wow - what a beer.
After trying and not liking LaConner's regular IPA version, I sprung for a sixer of their much-lauded dry-hopped version ("DH" is hand-written on the bottle caps). After popping the cap, I was immediately taken by the scent of butterscotch and pine, and a heavy hop aroma sprung forth as well. As I poured my first glass, I was entertained as whole hop flowers went plunging into my pint.
And the taste! This is the smoothest IPA around, with no lingering bitterness and plenty of sweet floral undertones.
This special brew is absolutely not to be missed...
Feb 19, 2005After trying and not liking LaConner's regular IPA version, I sprung for a sixer of their much-lauded dry-hopped version ("DH" is hand-written on the bottle caps). After popping the cap, I was immediately taken by the scent of butterscotch and pine, and a heavy hop aroma sprung forth as well. As I poured my first glass, I was entertained as whole hop flowers went plunging into my pint.
And the taste! This is the smoothest IPA around, with no lingering bitterness and plenty of sweet floral undertones.
This special brew is absolutely not to be missed...
Reviewed by LuckySevens82 from Florida
4.32/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.32/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle courtesy of Skyhand..thanks Kim.
Pours a hazy orange with no head whatsoever. No head, no lacing...although I imagine that had I made a bit harder of a pour, I would have been pleased.
Smell is floral hops, massive pineyness, hoppy hoppy hoppy.
Taste is just a tad biscuity with a malty sweetness and of course a huge amount of hop flavor. I wouldn't say that is is really bitter (well in the sense that Stone's Ruination is bitter), but there is a definite bite to this one.
Mouthfeel is very nice, coating hop flavor good carbonation, very well done.
Overall, I would say that this is definitely an above average IPA. Certainly something that I would enjoy on a regular basis if it were available in my area. The idea of putting hops in the bottle just makes me all warm inside, it should be done more often and I think that this is a better beer because of it.
Feb 06, 2005Pours a hazy orange with no head whatsoever. No head, no lacing...although I imagine that had I made a bit harder of a pour, I would have been pleased.
Smell is floral hops, massive pineyness, hoppy hoppy hoppy.
Taste is just a tad biscuity with a malty sweetness and of course a huge amount of hop flavor. I wouldn't say that is is really bitter (well in the sense that Stone's Ruination is bitter), but there is a definite bite to this one.
Mouthfeel is very nice, coating hop flavor good carbonation, very well done.
Overall, I would say that this is definitely an above average IPA. Certainly something that I would enjoy on a regular basis if it were available in my area. The idea of putting hops in the bottle just makes me all warm inside, it should be done more often and I think that this is a better beer because of it.
Reviewed by aracauna from Georgia
3.47/5 rDev -22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.47/5 rDev -22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a cloudy amber with a lively white head. The bottle is a slow foamer, but it could still catch you off guard if you werent expecting it. The hop petals start off mixed in with the beer, but start floating to the very top of the foam making this look like a bowl full of some sort of mutant rice crispies. The aroma is nicely hoppy, lots of fresh cut grass in with the piney hops. The flavor has a nice kick of slightly toasty malt to balance out the lingering hop bitterness that follows. I dont think it deserves the hype its gotten, but its not bad either. I was actually a little turned off by the texture of the hop particles in my mouth, but not enough to make me not want to finish the glass.
Jan 04, 2005Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa
4.75/5 rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
4.75/5 rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Murky, particulate-laden butterscotch with ripe lemon highlights, crowned by an expansive, creamydense head of rich ecru foam that contains flecks of hop leaf. How cool is that? At first I wondered what those dark specks affixed to the glass were. A quick swipe and smell brought HOPS! to my brain in an up close and personal way. The head is falling slowly and unevenly, leaving a craggy mountain range of dense foam and thick, meaty hunks of lace.
I've already alluded to the aroma. It is, in a word... fabulous. Pure, unadulterated hoppy goodness explodes from the glass: pink grapefruit, sweet orange, passionfruit, pineapple; all of my favorites are present and accounted for. There isn't much in the way of pine sap, but I've always preferred evergreen to keep a relatively low profile anyway.
Wonderful flavor, as expected. It simply isn't possible for a beer to smell this amazing and not taste amazing as well. There's a sufficient malt load on hand, as evidenced by the medium-full body and an underlying sticky sweetness. With such solid support, the hops are free to soar... and soar they most certainly do. All the fruits noted above are present, with grapefruit and pineapple making the largest splash. This is bracingly bitter and intensely flavorful beer in which the malt rounds off the edges just enough to make it scarily consumable.
The mouthfeel is lush with a mouth coating, interminable finish that allows one to taste hops for as long as the bottle lasts, whether there's any actual beer in the mouth or not. For some reason, I just held my glass up and looked at the underside of the still present head. A half dozen flecks of hop leaf are waiting patiently to find their way into my mouth (they won't be waiting long). All IPAs should be this hoppy, and they would be if I was king of the world.
[As a side note: I finished this review before pouring the final two fingers of beer. Imagine my surprise when a lump of whole hop leaves and a few whole hop cones splashed into the glass. It looks like I'd better keep my teeth close together as I drink the remainder. Needless to say, the beer is now as opaque as a stout, is littered with leaves and is even more bitter and hoppy. Over the top? Nah, just right].
LaConner Dry Hopped IPA is wonderful beer and is a classic example of why IPAs are my favorite style. Few brewers seem to be able to pull it off, but the recipe is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Firm malt backbone (with little flavor contribution), correct choice of hops (my favorites), use an insane amount of them. Okay, maybe it's harder than it sounds, but when that recipe is followed by skillful brewers, as it has been here, the result is something truly special.
Dec 19, 2004I've already alluded to the aroma. It is, in a word... fabulous. Pure, unadulterated hoppy goodness explodes from the glass: pink grapefruit, sweet orange, passionfruit, pineapple; all of my favorites are present and accounted for. There isn't much in the way of pine sap, but I've always preferred evergreen to keep a relatively low profile anyway.
Wonderful flavor, as expected. It simply isn't possible for a beer to smell this amazing and not taste amazing as well. There's a sufficient malt load on hand, as evidenced by the medium-full body and an underlying sticky sweetness. With such solid support, the hops are free to soar... and soar they most certainly do. All the fruits noted above are present, with grapefruit and pineapple making the largest splash. This is bracingly bitter and intensely flavorful beer in which the malt rounds off the edges just enough to make it scarily consumable.
The mouthfeel is lush with a mouth coating, interminable finish that allows one to taste hops for as long as the bottle lasts, whether there's any actual beer in the mouth or not. For some reason, I just held my glass up and looked at the underside of the still present head. A half dozen flecks of hop leaf are waiting patiently to find their way into my mouth (they won't be waiting long). All IPAs should be this hoppy, and they would be if I was king of the world.
[As a side note: I finished this review before pouring the final two fingers of beer. Imagine my surprise when a lump of whole hop leaves and a few whole hop cones splashed into the glass. It looks like I'd better keep my teeth close together as I drink the remainder. Needless to say, the beer is now as opaque as a stout, is littered with leaves and is even more bitter and hoppy. Over the top? Nah, just right].
LaConner Dry Hopped IPA is wonderful beer and is a classic example of why IPAs are my favorite style. Few brewers seem to be able to pull it off, but the recipe is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Firm malt backbone (with little flavor contribution), correct choice of hops (my favorites), use an insane amount of them. Okay, maybe it's harder than it sounds, but when that recipe is followed by skillful brewers, as it has been here, the result is something truly special.
Reviewed by meathookjones from Virginia
4.85/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
4.85/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Pours nearly opaque amber with little bits of hop leaves floating about. Head is about a half-inch of light tan foam that left good rings of clumpy lace around the glass. Holy crap the aroma is just as packed full as you can get with floral and citric hoppy goodness. You can almost immediately smell these from the second you crack open the bottle, very nice indeed. The taste starts off with a grapefruity bitter smack to the palette that doesnt relent. There are some earthy tones going on as well and a slight maltiness was there too. This stuff just sits there on your tongue coating in bitter hops goodness that lingers on for a while. Mouthfeel is a little heavier than medium with a prickly bitterness and its a bit oily. With me being a hophead and all the drinkability cant get much better I imagine. Too bad this is another great brew that I cant get regularly. The hop in the bottle is a nice treat to eat at the end too. Thanks to garthwaite for this awesome brew.
Nov 10, 2004Reviewed by Rastacouere from Canada (QC)
3.85/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.85/5 rDev -14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz: Orange-amber body. Smallish off-white head, several hop cones in the glass. Pretty straightforward and pleasant dry-hopping nose. Catchy plasticy or rubbery citrus peel, bitter orange, tree leaves and bark. Extremely dry palate, huge dry-hopping character, almost no sweetness. Hard to pick up malt profile., just straight citrusy hops, greenish and orangey. Bitterness is less harsh than I anticipated although this sits on a few months. Rather leafy, woody and astringent finish, not nearly as aggressive as I thought, though it fits the hop juice category, clean hop flavours, just not much else. Light-medium body, politely slightly creamy, low carbonation. Thanks herftydrf.
Nov 09, 2004Reviewed by freed from Oregon
4.72/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
4.72/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
The forks came out, but we'll have none of that. Straining? no thanks.
This typical LaConner Bottle doesn't reveal its secret until you hold it to the light. Once illuminated, you wonder if the brewer simply bottled the unstrained wort. You could attempt to strain the major cone bits out, or you could stomach it. The gloppy pour leaves a very turbid pour with visible petals floating about in suspension. Its almost a hot & sour soup concoction.
A bright white head does very little to trap the aroma, which bounds forth with all its brilliant and taste bud caressing love. Strong waves of freshly picked hops storm at you, and you can't turn away from the pleasant citrus and grass smells. Oh - to have such a wonderful hop aroma from bottled beer!
The abundantly fresh hop flavor is welcomed by the (mine, anyway) mouth like a long lost child. The great lemon tartness is well complimented by sufficient sweet malts which are often missing from IPAs. Not here, there's plenty of thick malt body to balance the rich hop sweet and sour.
It may be difficult to drink - lips pursed as a primary, and clenched teeth as a secondary filter, but each taste is worth it. Brilliant!
Oct 06, 2004This typical LaConner Bottle doesn't reveal its secret until you hold it to the light. Once illuminated, you wonder if the brewer simply bottled the unstrained wort. You could attempt to strain the major cone bits out, or you could stomach it. The gloppy pour leaves a very turbid pour with visible petals floating about in suspension. Its almost a hot & sour soup concoction.
A bright white head does very little to trap the aroma, which bounds forth with all its brilliant and taste bud caressing love. Strong waves of freshly picked hops storm at you, and you can't turn away from the pleasant citrus and grass smells. Oh - to have such a wonderful hop aroma from bottled beer!
The abundantly fresh hop flavor is welcomed by the (mine, anyway) mouth like a long lost child. The great lemon tartness is well complimented by sufficient sweet malts which are often missing from IPAs. Not here, there's plenty of thick malt body to balance the rich hop sweet and sour.
It may be difficult to drink - lips pursed as a primary, and clenched teeth as a secondary filter, but each taste is worth it. Brilliant!
India Pale Ale (Dry Hopped / Bottleworks) from La Conner Brewing Company
Beer rating:
96 out of
100 with
35 ratings
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