Crystal Springs IPA
Klamath Basin Brewing Co. - The Creamery Brew Pub And Grill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22oz bottle poured into a white wine glass.

Appearance- Cloudy cooper. Off white head. Lots of lacing. 4/5

Smell-Sweet citrus hop aroma. Some breadiness in the background. 4/5

Taste- Again with the sweet citrus hops. Malt flavor in the end. There is a interesting earthy bitterness in the middle. 3/5

Mouthfeel- Medium mothfeel. 3/5

Overall- I don't know how old this is due to no bottle date. The hop aroma is good. The bitterness is interesting. Gets better as it warms. Took me a while to drink it. 3/5

One of two craft offerings on-tap at the Lake of the Woods Lodge in southern Oregon.

Pours clear and amber-colored, with a thin cream-colored head. Really nice lacing.

Smell is pretty weak. Mostly resiny hops with a strong caramel malt backing. Not super-sweet, but balanced. Just not enough of it, though.

Taste has a nice balance. About 2/3 hops, 1/3 malt in the flavor profile. Hops are mostly resiny (not much citrus) with a potent bitterness that's not overpowering and is balanced well by the richness and sweetness of the malts.

Medium-bodied with good carbonation. Slightly sticky but not heavy.

A fairly malty IPA with strong resiny hops. My kind of IPA. Solid hop presence but nice balance.

Guest tap at NW Lucky Lab in PDX.

Pours a nice reddish amber.

Aroma is a slight rubbing alcohol, hint of malt sweetness, not much else.

Taste is piney and slight grapefruit. Alcohol jumps out a bit and dries out any sweetness. Definite hop-bitter aftertaste. Very nice, but not exceptional.

Mouthfeel is medium light. Just fine.

I like this beer, but it's my style. Not too sweet, definite pine and grapefruit hops. Disappointed in aroma, but otherwise I could drink a few.

Appearance- Pours an unusual deep ruby amber colored beer with a slight haze and low, but persistent head that leave some nice lacing in the glass.

Smell-Very low aroma of fruity and floral hops.

Taste-Again, unique flavor of deep caramel crystal malts, quite sweet as a result. Even some chcolate notes in the malts. Hops are spicy, significant orange peel, some grapefruit and a bit of pine resin. More balanced toward malts with this recipe.

Mouthfeel-Moderate to heavy body, especially for an IPA with middling carbonation.

Drinkability-A solid and chunky brew with a big, bold flavor. I'd like smell a lot more hops, but it's hard to overpower all that malt body.

A friend brought this back from K-Falls for me, thanks again!

Pours a dark and bright amber color with a nice off white head.

Aromas are nice and spot on for a PacNW IPA, candied citrus, stinky resin, and a bit pine like as well.

Taste starts out spicy, crisp, and a little bit yeast like. Beer then settle into a mineral water like base, really crisp, and dry, with a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is decent. But it's a bit watery.

Drinkability is not bad. This is a pretty good IPA, enjoyable, and worth drinking, but I think it needs more body and maltiness to be a really good one. Still respectable, and worth trying,

Pours full amber with a very large cream color head. Good amount of lacing. Aroma is floral hops and woody grain. Taste is bitter hops with a very full amount of malts. Some piney resinous notes on the back of the tongue, some leather as well. Mouthfeel is very good for the modest amount of carbonation. Very tasty IPA with a wet bitter finish. Not a "wow" experience perhaps, but in a veritable sea of IPAs this one is well above average.

22oz from Grocery Outlet, Salem OR. Appearance? Dark for an IPA..not oange but deep amber.Featureing a beatiful light tan head that is thick,bubbly and handsome. Aroma however is subdued,. has the bready,cereal aspects anda touch of resiny hop. Gorgeous thick malty taste..then a great wash of spicy hop in then and finishes off hoppy. Excellent thick pallet on this one..really coats the tongue ...in a good way. I really liked this IPA..it has excellent malt character and a good dose of hops. Increase the hops a bit and boost the alc to 8-9% and you have a good DIPA.

22 oz. bottled purchased in Eugene, poured into Barley Brown's shaker pint glass.

One finger white head, medium-fast dissipation with minimal lacing. Sandy light amber brown a bit cloudy body, not a lot of rising carbonation. Nose is mild yet complex, floral hops, some caramel and bready malts, a bit of citrus, not too much of any of the above elements. Taste mirrors the nose, not very bitter at all, a pretty firm malt backbone in the middle, and some hop bitterness on the back end, but not a lot. Hops became a bit more noticeable as the beer warmed. Mouthfeel is medium full, not a lot of effervescence. Pretty drinkable, but IMHO, not very memorable. Perhaps the tap version will be a bit more hoppy, not sure how old the bottle was (though I don't believe the brewery has been bottling very long), maybe the hops have lost their edge. Not real memorable.

bottle snagged up at The BeerMongers here in SE PDX!

- really a ruby clear red ale of sorts... thick foamy head.. leaves a frothy pillow and lace all about of creamy slightly off-white head... doesn't look like your typical IPA.

- Big clean water notes... whatever that means.. bright floral hops... zingy pine, floral, and light citrus zest.. hops are great and fresh. Slight sweetness... little touch of caramel... oats, woody character...

- Grassy and pine flavors... bitter zinger on the after-swallow.. wow... creamy malt, caramel, wheat.. lemon zing, and a spice burst... this is one killer ale. Impressed... and the flavor still seems to fit the style... and not your usual NW IPA..

- Thick and creamy... upper med. body... bitter dryness balanced by a zingy spicy hop bite that makes you crave more.

- Huge IPA.. this is a monster, and isn't even slightly warm... just packed with flavor.... this brewer is amazing me. 2nd beer from them only.... Not a session IPA, more of a fine mug with a hearty meal IPA.

Crystal is a complex ale brewed with five malts, including red wheat. Though it enjoys fine drinkability, it's somewhat challenging to quantify as an IPA, certainly not as a mainstream NWIPA. The color is deep sensuous red, very clear, and carbonation is virtually nil. There's more malt than hop in the nose though hop flavor figures prominently in the finish. The taste is predominantly fruity and the alleged 70 IBU of bittering (81 IBU if you prefer Klamath's website count) strikes with a silken hammer.

Crystal Springs remains hard to identify as an IPA, with or without your eyes open. It is perhaps more of a pale ale with strong balances that resolve as fruity but firm. Recommended, but keep an open mind.