Holy Cow IPA
The Alchemist Pub & Brewery

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From:
The Alchemist Pub & Brewery
 
Vermont, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
5.16%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.38 | pDev: 6.62%
Reviews:
36
Ratings:
46
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 02, 2012
Added:
Dec 23, 2003
Wants:
  16
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by FrankLloydMike:
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Rated by FrankLloydMike from Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +14.2%

Dec 08, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by helmdog525 from Massachusetts

Nov 02, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by GuidedByBill from Massachusetts

May 13, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by phingdong from New Hampshire

Feb 01, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by Beerdster from Alaska

Dec 31, 2011
 
Rated: 4.75 by tylerprince from Colorado

Nov 28, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by nmann08 from Virginia

Nov 25, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by Pamola from Vermont

Nov 22, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by ElGallo from New Hampshire

Nov 19, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by shufon from New York

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of brewdan
Reviewed by brewdan from Michigan

4.32/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Holy Cow pours a dark golden color (from memory)

Fresh hoppy aroma.

Bright clean taste. Bitter finish. Just enough malt backbone to be balanced but not get in the way of the hops.

Smooth mouthfeel with ample carbonation.

Overall: excellent, especially once you consider the abv is only 5.2%. So much flavor for 5.2%.

Well-crafted indeed!!
Aug 27, 2011
Photo of BigCheese
Reviewed by BigCheese from Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
On Tap at Brewpub.

Served in a trendy, stemless snifter. Quite dark in color, relatively clear, nice thin plush head that sticks around until the end, and leaves lacing.

Smell was very citrus/sweet hops, some light bready/malty notes too.

Taste: WOW. I cant believe how much flavor this packs for the abv, its really incredible. So complex/rich in flavor. Tons of hop presence on par with an DIPA. Maltys are rich almost porter like in flavor initially, a hint of chocolate and caramel. Then the hops, citrus, grapefruit, tropical, sunshine, summer and glory.

Incredibly sessionable for the flavor profile. Very well made.

Best beer under 6% abv I've ever had.
Aug 10, 2011
Photo of VelvetExtract
Reviewed by VelvetExtract from Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A-Looks a lot like Rapture. Pretty darker color. Great head. I'm surprised at how dark the color is. I dig it. Lacing everywhere. Great presentation in the glass too.

S-The Alchemist does not play around with the hops. They mean business. This one is incredibly hoppy too. Tropical hoppiness. Decent balance too. Aromatic and fragrant.

T-Flavor for days. Hoppy and fresh, but still a delectable malt backbone. There is a bunch of fresh cut grass in the flavor. Herbal and delicious. Quite like Rapture. I can tell by one glass how incredibly sessionable this flavor is. Simply delicious and cut out of the Alchemist's mold.

M-Still pretty big for a %5.2 brew. How did they pack this much flavor into this? A bunch of bubbles and a dry aftertaste. Good, lasting bitterness.

O/D-Don't let the bigger brews fool you. This one is an absolute ace on its own. Would kill to have this regularly. Tropical and grassy hops blow me away. Cannot say enough about this brewery and their amazing IPA. And once again, cheap for a glass.
Jul 24, 2011
Photo of ChrisPro
Reviewed by ChrisPro from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Tap at The Alchemist

A - hazy golden yellow, bug white head.

S - lots of orange and grapefruit along with some peach/apricot.

T - little honey and then a perfect light bitterness. Tons of hop flavor without overpowering bitter finish.

M - medium, but feels super light. Nice carb.

O - I may like this better than heady. Not as complex, but I could drink this all day every day. Tons of flavor for 5%
Jul 24, 2011
Photo of ggilman
Reviewed by ggilman from Maine

4.2/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz. pour at The Alchemist in a tapered pint glass.

Somewhat clear copper color beer poured almost to the top with one finger of tight bubbly head. Very nice lacing. Clean nose with a hit of fresh hop. Straight ahead grapefruit bitterness without much malt. Not a ton of fresh hop flavor, granted I did just have a Heady Topper. In comparison this is crisp, clean and fresh with nice bitter finish. Very refreshing and clean. Not a lot of complexity, but not a lot to complain about. A solid IPA.
Jul 18, 2011
Photo of Damian
Reviewed by Damian from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Drank on-tap at The Alchemist Pub & Brewery, Waterbury, VT
Served in a rounded, stemless glass

Beautiful appearance. Deep crimson-amber and quite hazy, with a one-plus finger tall head of off-white, meringue-like froth. The head slowly dissipated, leaving thick rings of lacing along the glass.

The nose was quite hoppy yet balanced. Candied orange peel was most noticeable. Grapefruit notes were apparent as well. The hoppiness was well matched by a mix of both biscuit and caramel-like malts. Some tropical fruits were also detectible.

Lots of fruity hop notes also came through in the flavor profile. The taste was initially much like the nose. Candy dipped orange peel and rich malts dominated the front end. As the beer moved along the palate however, strong, pithy, bitter grapefruit notes took over. The beer finished ultra dry and resiny with lingering notes of pine sap.

The mouthfeel was a bit weak for the style. It was lighter bodied with a finely bubbled yet semi-aggressive effervescence. The liquid felt a bit airy on my palate.

I love hoppy IPAs but the finish on this was quite harsh and really took away from many of the beer's better characteristics.
Jul 16, 2011
Photo of Satchboogie
Reviewed by Satchboogie from Belgium

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the source

A: Pours bright orange, very hazy, with nearly 2 fingers of slightly off-white head (foamy). Leaves a lot of lacing covering most of the glass.

S: Holy Cow! Citrus and tropical fruits are bursting out of the glass: tangerine, mango, grapefruit, etc. Really "orange" and bright smelling with a touch of floral and herbal qualities. It's like opening a fresh bag of really citrus-forwards hops.

T: Does the nose follow over? Yep! Just short of an all out hop assault: tons of that great citrus with good balance (floral and herbal notes) and enough pine resin to give a good wallop of bitterness. The malt base is lightly toasted with a decent amount of crystal malt. The hop flavors last long through the finish without really budging. Fairly dry and bitter finish with an awesome hoppy aftertaste.

M: Medium body, slightly high carbonation, very resinous. Has a fairly crisp finish, but does have a bit more sweetness than a really dry IPA. A little balance.

O: I've heard a lot about these big, citrus-forward killer IPAs, but they for the most part have been fairly elusive. This really fits the mold for my perfect IPA. Stone IPA I find too herbal, Alesmith wasn't intense/bitter/citrus enough, etc etc. This was one the spot. The most amazing thing to me is that ABV. I could drink this baby all day if I had easier access.
Jul 02, 2011
Photo of spinrsx
Reviewed by spinrsx from Canada (ON)

4.22/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On-Tap

Appearance - hazy copper colour with an average size frothy white coloured head. There is a low amount of carbonation showing and there is some good lacing. The head lasted for around 4 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, oranges, pine

Taste & Mouth - There is a slightly below average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, caramel and a decent amount of hops. There is also quite a bit of a citrus fruit juiciness - oranges and grapefruits and a touch of pine. The beer finishes with a fruity sweet aftertaste with lingering dry hop bitterness.

Overall - A better than average IPA that i would be happy to have again any time. It reminded me a little bit of a better tasting Dale's Pale Ale. Worth seeking out.
Jun 13, 2011
Photo of Reagan1984
Reviewed by Reagan1984 from Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is the first pint I enjoyed at “The Alchemist” before switching to Mortal Sin (a superior beer) Don’t get me wrong, this is a fine IPA and one I would gladly enjoy again, but if Mortal Sin is on the next tap.. the choice is clear.

The pint came with a creamy bright white head that stood about 2 fingers tall. Nice retention and quite a bit of thick lace. The beer was a hazy dull amber color with a orange sunset quality to it.

Aroma was fresh, light grassy and very herbal.

Flavor was interesting. Lots of components with a bready base at it’s core. Also notes of grape, grapefruit pith with lots of grassy & herbal notes.

Medium bodied, a light spritz of carbonation. Almost oily. Nice.

A good IPA.
Jun 07, 2011
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Reviewed by musicforairports from New York

4.42/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the brewpub.

Cloudy amber in color. A fluffy 1-inch head on top leaves some lacing down the glass.

Smell is all hops. Lots of tropical fruit aromas and some pine.

Taste is very hoppy but not very bitter. Mango, papaya, grapefruit flavors dominate. I'd say this is a Simcoe/Amarillo mix, perhaps some Citra. No really malt flavors to speak of besides a mild sweetness in the background that never really comes out much. Finishes dry.

Lightly creamy on the mouth with the right level of carbonation.

This is a fantastically drinkable IPA, and given the ABV I could drink a lot of them. The Alchemist does hoppy beers very well.
May 02, 2011
Holy Cow IPA from The Alchemist Pub & Brewery
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 46 ratings