Finestkind IPA
Smuttynose Brewing Company

An IPA from New England from the days before the term "New England IPA" came to mean a murky, swampy mess... I miss those days. This is a proper IPA, and it lives up to its name.

 

 

Nice terrine aroma. Unique hop profile.

 

Amber/orange color; nice, white head. It has all the characteristics of a good American IPA: tropical fruits and grapefruits in the aroma, a juicy taste with decent bitterness.

12oz can. Bottom stamp reads 'BEST BY: 5/10/2025'. opened three weeks past this advisory.
Mostly clear, deep gold colored body. One thick finger of white head with the pour, but this recedes back to islands and a ring. Leaves behind torn sheets of lacing.
Aroma of orange and pine, with caramel and pineapple.
Taste is orange, grapefruit, and pine. Initially beginning with a sweet caramel flavor, the profile quickly becomes more bitter from rind and resin. The bitterness clamps down in the aftertaste and does not release.
More than medium mouthfeel. Slightly resin sticky. Causes tongue numbing. Very good carbonation (islands make it down to the bottom of the glass).
From the older style of hop forward, bitter, and sweet malt brews.

Look: golden/amber, fluffy white head, good lacing
Smell: piney, earthy, black pepper, citrus
Taste: piney, resinous, black pepper, caramel, grapefruit, citrus zest, melon
Feel: med body, low carbo, good bitterness, sticky
Overall: 6.9% abv 76 IBU. Starts out piney and earthy on the nose and taste. Black pepper and caramel are prevalent too. Saturate your taste buds with a few sips and let it settle in. Then the citrus gets thru with notes of grapefruit, citrus zest and melon. Good bitterness and stickiness make this fine IPA a pleasure to drink while rocking out to New Hampshire's own, Ronnie James Dio. Pair her up with We Rock by Dio.

 

From a 12oz. Can. 3 weeks before “best by” date. Slightly hazy, color is a combination of amber, gold, light yellow, nice. Getting aromas of various citrus attributes, nothing overpowering the other. Taste is smooth, piney, but not too much, citrus is sedated, which I personally like. Decent carbonation, slightly acrid, drying aftertaste. Overall, it doesn’t offend with going overboard in any direction. Certainly will buy again.

 

From the can, the pour is orange colored. The mouthfeel is medium bodied & the taste is biscuity malt, grapefruit, valencia orange, pine, & hop oil resin. Overall, this is a classic north east IPA. Cheers! A-

 

Pours from a can a nice gold into a glass with a thin head that goes away rather quickly. Smells citrusy and piney and a bit malty. The taste follows suit with a touch of tropical fruitiness. It has a low to medium mouth feel with no bite. The carbonation is balanced. Overall a tasty example of an IPA. They did not try to assault you with the hops, they went true to style.

New Hampshire IPA. Poured from can into a wine glass. (Hey that's all they had here in the AirB&B.) Slight head that dissipates quickly. Minimal lacing, nice slightly opaque orange/ yellow.

Aroma orange peel and some bread. Taste is pineapple or mango that's gone sour with a little soapy candle right behind. Carb a bit more than seems typical; I sense tin spoon metal cutting the weeds that turns to mango drizzling a wet pine cone. Simcoe. Yet not juicy; a bit of confusion. Sticky mouth feel finish that hints at burnt biscuit. Also yeast. All that it's still cripsp and thin at 6.9 and not hot. Seems the hops were slightly out of control.

Taste the biscuit ! Taste the goodness of the biscuit… really tho ! This beer is a keeper.

It was okay, not necessarily the best IPA I've ever had, but it's still decent. I did enjoy its look and hoppy smell, even though the mouthfeel was way more carbonated than I prefer.

 

 

poured from 12 oz can into pint glass. Thin white head drops quickly, mild lacing, slightly hazy orange color, abundant carbonation. Aroma is pine dominate with definite malts as well. Mouthfeel is medium. Flavors: pine, orange peel, grapefruit, bread dough. The 6.9% is hardly noticeable (i.e. no strong alchohol burn). Overall: an American IPA as they once were. Good to enjoy an IPA that actually fits the style.