East Bay IPA
Charleston Brewing Company

East Bay IPAEast Bay IPA
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From:
Charleston Brewing Company
 
South Carolina, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
6.25%
Score:
79
Avg:
3.36 | pDev: 19.94%
Reviews:
34
Ratings:
36
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 16, 2020
Added:
Jul 21, 2005
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by mrmojoe:
Photo of mrmojoe
Reviewed by mrmojoe from South Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance - Color is clear, slightly orangish copper. Pours a full copper-tinged head which dissipates in about 3-4 minutes to a very thin layer, remaining till the end and lacing all the way.

Smell - Floral hops with a hint of citrus, and some sweet malt.

Taste - Fresh floral hops, a little citrus and a hint of spice, followed by a caramelly sweet malt which becomes more prominent as the ale warms. A robust, bitter finish in the back of the mouth reminds you that the hops are clearly in charge here, though just a hint of sweetness lingers.

Mouthfeel - medium smooth, with good carbonation.

Drinkability - For me, a bit too hoppy for a session beer, but that is not a negative, just a reflection of personal taste. This flavorful ale is complex enough and balanced enough to be savored, and I could enjoy a couple of these most any time.
May 13, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of SLeffler27
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York

2.75/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Reviewed 04 Jun 2012:

A half-inch, rocky head is off white over a slightly hazed, dark amber beer while some large carbonation rises from within. There is no real lace to speak of inside this Dogfish Head Fisheye pint glass.

Toasted malt!? This is supposed to be an IPA, yet caramel and caramelized sugar are prominent with no suggestion of hops. There is a similarity with sun tea here.

Little or no hop flavor as this one follows the nose. I’d say it’s closer to an Irish Red profile. There is a breadiness and an odd, unpleasant finish that unfortunately sticks around. Slightly bittersweet.

This IPA has a medium body with no alcohol and chewy texture. The carbonation is fizzy and uninspired.

The truly odd aftertaste ruined this beer for me. These flavors simply don’t belong in the forefront, much less dominating. All would be acceptable if only the aftertaste was less aggressive and more pleasant.
Aug 16, 2020
 
Rated: 1.25 by sendbeer from Georgia

Oct 27, 2012
 
Rated: 2.75 by BlackBelt5112203 from Michigan

Mar 26, 2012
Photo of superdedooperboy
Reviewed by superdedooperboy from Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a slightly hazy golden amber hue with just a light bubbling of patchy white foam that shows good retention and leaves a bit of splotchy lace on the glass.

Herbal, grassy, vaguely citrussy aromas appear in the nose. Other than that, not much going on. Rather basic.

Body is medium, with a rather tingly carbonated character. Tastes almost entirely of mildly bitter citrus hop flavors, with just a tad of sweet malt backbone and a tinge of fruitiness. Finishes bitter and dry.

Overall, a decent and drinkable IPA. While nothing mindblowing, the citrus hop flavors are rather unique amongst the typical offerings, and so the brew earns points for that, and the finish calls out for another.

(Prior to this I had gotten a bad bottle, forcing me to postpone my review. I knew something was up when I poured the beer and it immediately produced a humongous head more massive than that of a hefeweizen or similar beer. The smell had drawn me in, with nice fruit esters, but upon touching the tongue it was as if I had poured household chemicals into my glass and proceeded to drink them. Horrid solvent flavors. Props to Wine World in North Augusta, SC for giving me a free, and this time good, bottle to sample in return.)
Nov 14, 2008
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

2.39/5  rDev -28.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine March 07

The American IPA is one of the most played beer styles in the US. Veteran beer drinkers look at this style as almost a benchmark now. At last year's Great American Beer Fest there were 94 entries just for American IPAs. Let's see where this one lands on our palates.

Hazed, orangey hue; ample foaming after the pour with some stickage afterwards. Rough hop aroma of sunburned grass, musty herb, citric rind and sweet flowers. Solvent-like fusel alcohol behind the hops. Very smooth, almost creamy, with a solid medium body. Slight stale tobacco flavor from a difficult hop character. Bitterness stands strong, with lingering citric and sweet flower flavors. A tad fruity in the middle. Thin pale malt wavers as the hops push it around. A hint of musty yeast and a mild solvent alcohol draw to a bitter finish.

Balance is not really a quality here, nor is structure. Tastes like a timid malt base with a heavy amount of hops thrown at it--and not very cleanly thrown either. With so many other IPAs out there, we'll have to pass on this one.
Nov 04, 2008
Photo of ncbeermonger
Reviewed by ncbeermonger from North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Found this little IPA while just outside of Charleston.

Poured well, and has good amounts of head

The smell of hops meets a citrus smell

This ipa is smooth, there are hints of grapefruit along with a good hop bitterness, and a crisp over all mouthfeel

this is a very drinkable IPA, one i have enjoyed a couple of times since, but alas I am unable to find this good little IPA in the Piedmont Triad of NC
Oct 24, 2008
Photo of Ragingbull
Reviewed by Ragingbull from California

3.19/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Almost orange in color with a very pleasant and "telltale" hoppy nose. The hops are mostly aromatic however as the flavor is a bit weak. A drinkable beer but not spectacular. I graded it a C on my scale. I had a hard time finding a good selection of local microbrews while I was visiting Myrtle Beach, South Carolina so I was pleased to have found it and tried it however.
Jul 14, 2008
Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A 12 oz bottle courtesy of ncvbc.

A: The IPA is a pale amber color, a lighter hue of both brown and yellow. A 2 finger head nearly overflowed the glass. The end result is thick patches of lace over the top quarter of the glass.

S: The aroma is citrusy, strong on the grapefruit with a good amount of caramel malts to balance things out.

T: The front of the beer is full of grapefruit flavor, piquant and lively. As quickly as it appears, it is gone, hiding behind caramel malts. Zesty hops manage to peek out from time to time and leave a nice finish on the palate.

M: Hops-malts-hops. Repeat as needed.

D: The ale is accessible with a decent hop profile. I'd be happy to drink a few over the course of a day.
Jul 04, 2008
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an amber color and slightly hazy texture. Not much head, but some good lacing.

Had a sweet smell. Citrus, sweets, malt were apparent.

Had a solidly hoppy taste with tinges of fruit and malt.

Had a good, solid amount of carbonation and a slightly syrupy finish for a good mouthfeel.

Overall, this is a pretty drinkable beer. It goes down easy and has a fair amount of complexity.
Mar 01, 2008
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.58/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle courtesy of Unclemattie: Poured a light amber color ale with a nice foamy head with some good retention and some lacing. Aroma of well balanced caramel malt notes with some dry hops. Taste is also a well balance mix between some caramel malt with some nice bitter hops which tends to be more dry then citrusy. Body is quite full with some great carbonation. This one was definitely better then expected.
Feb 07, 2008
Photo of WesWes
Reviewed by WesWes from New York

3.8/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
The beer pours a hazy dark gold color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a sweet crystal and bisquit malt scent with very little hop aroma. It seems more like a pale ale aroma. The taste is good. It has a smooth malty flavor with a dry, bitter finish. There is a slightly sweet crystal malt taste with a bit of bisquit malt in there as well. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a pretty good drinker, although I'm not sure it's really done to style. It seems a bit too sweet for an IPA.
Feb 03, 2008
Photo of csmiley
Reviewed by csmiley from Ohio

2.68/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A - Looked like a slight haze with a copper color. Depending on the light, I did see some orange. Ended up with half inch of head that was gone very quickly.

S - First thing on the menu is a sweet malt. Nut aroma follows with hops coming last. Not what I expected from an IPA.

T - Malt flavor comes through pretty strong and that sweetness is almost blanced with a hop bitterness. Key word being almost. Once it warms up a little the hops start to make themselves known a little more. Anyone expecting a hop bite should probably get something else.

M - The beer is mildly thick because of the sweet flavor profile. Carbonation is on target which helps but does not pull the brew into the IPA flavor that I was expecting.

D - The brew was acceptable as in India Pale Ale. That is about all I can say about this one.
Nov 06, 2007
Photo of rowew
Reviewed by rowew from Colorado

1.89/5  rDev -43.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Presentation: 12 oz longneck twist. No date, label has a braying horse with a wreath of hops.

Appearance: Bright orange color with just a bit of haze, average head, quickly fades to thin, but leaves a good amount of lacing.

Smell: Hop bitterness with a bit of malt in there too, some cooked vegetable as well.

Taste: Somethings not right here - the cooked vegetable flavor dominates, with some bready malt hiding in the background, and just a hint of bitterness in the finish.

Overall impression: Bad - I'm not sure if this is a bad bottle, or if its just a bad beer - but this was barely drinkable.
Sep 07, 2007
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.53/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Blurry nectarine beneath a creamy cap of golden beige. The foam has lost only one finger of its original three in the several minutes since the pour. The fact that abstract patterned lace covers more of the glass than not makes the appearance score an easy call.

The nose is somewhat IPA-like, but is too weak for the style. I smell something darker than pale malt (probably a hint of caramel), along with fruity hops that might hail from America, the U.K. or both. I had no luck trying to find out the hop bill.

East Bay IPA is equally muted on the palate. It doesn't taste bad, it just needs to be a lot more assertive. A mild-moderate toasted breadiness tells me that the caramel malt guess was an accurate one. The hops are still fruity (orange and apricot) with a bitterness quotient that is somewhere between an APA and the stated style.

There's no burst of flavor that all good IPAs deliver. Again, the word 'muted' comes to mind. Warming opens things up enough for the next highest score to be granted, but don't expect to have your hop itch scratched with much force. Sessionability is on the high side since palate fatigue shouldn't be an issue.

The body/mouthfeel is mid-range for the style (perhaps a fraction lighter) with an understated amount of carbonation that keeps things nice and smooth... while making sure that excitement is kept to a minimum.

As far as I'm concerned, East Bay IPA is the best of the three Charleston Brewing Company offerings. Having said that, it shouldn't be too hard to find a better IPA in the Carolinas. I know because I've had a few.
Aug 31, 2007
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a good head that leaves plenty of lace

Smell: Pronounced malty aroma with a decent amount of piney citrus elements

Taste: Caramel malt flavors dominate the front end; after the swallow there is a nice piney bitterness followed by some pithy citrus

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: A very decent mainstream IPA from the Palmetto state
Aug 13, 2007
Photo of wcudwight
Reviewed by wcudwight from North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a copper/amber with some golden hues when the light shines through it. 1/2" sticky white head recedes to quick for me to appreciate it. RIm of sticky lace around the edges of the glass and a lacy island in the beer.
When I first poured the beer it had the classic IPA citrus hop aromas. But as the beer warmed, the aroma faded somewhat.
Mmmmm, yummy, I love IPAs. Well balanced with lots of hoppy goodness. True to style. Good not great IPA.
Mouthfeel is good. Nicely carbonated with not too much or too little.
If in SC this a beer you should search for. Solid IPA.
Jul 05, 2007
Photo of Vancer
Reviewed by Vancer from Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Hey, many thanks to brent56 for the sample, in a nice trade.

Good lookin’ clear amber, frothy white head. Oily sheets of thin lace grace the Schlafly sample glass. Subtle cut of floral hops meet the nose and the tastebuds. A woody presence is also slyly noted. Crisp and dry, this makes for a nice summer deck brew. Really enjoyed this one, would have many more if possible.

Best before 9/10/07. And the horse on the label looks like he’s been in the rag weed!
Jun 02, 2007
Photo of barleywinebrewer
Reviewed by barleywinebrewer from New Hampshire

3.42/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A - Golden straw color, modest white head that quickly dissipates
S - Strong citric hops with a piny undertone. Mild light grainy malt undertones.
T - Similar to the aroma but with a stronger tilt towards a hop bite.
M - light to medium bodied, mildly carbonated slightly rough due to hops
D - a bit unbalanced between hops and malt for me. It was a hoppy beer to be sure but not quite my idea of a 6 pack purchase. Glad to have tried it though.
Jun 02, 2007
Photo of Atlas1
Reviewed by Atlas1 from Texas

3.65/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a bottle of this IPA, which I'd never actually heard of before, at my local beer store. A pleasant surprise to say the least.

Pours a slightly opaque copper/orange color with a thick, frothy two-finger head. Nice lace retention along the sides of the glass. Very floral bouquet, but I also get some funky old shoe aroma here too. Musty malt scents and a hint of fresh cut grass. Not bad. The taste is pleasant as well. Nice citrus up front, followed by some muted fruit flavors, with a smooth transition to malt and an easy finish. I could have several of these at a sitting; it makes a great session beer. Sturdy mouthfeel.

Like I said, I was unfamiliar with this beer and brewing company before trying it, but it was a great discovery. I could easily find myself grabbing a sixer of this over the weekend just to keep around the house. It's not a brew that will knock you off your feet or anything, but it's definitely a quality product that deserves some praise.
Feb 10, 2007
East Bay IPA from Charleston Brewing Company
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 36 ratings