Smuttynose IPA "Finest Kind" | Smuttynose Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Smuttynose Brewing Company
New Hampshire, United States
smuttynose.com
Style: American IPA
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.90%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
You could say, then, that Smuttynose IPA is a physical salute to the glory of the American hop grower. The citrusy hop flavor coming from a mixture of Simcoe and Santiams is pleasantly balanced by a smooth bitterness from the Amarillo hops. The beer itself is light bodied and crisp with a golden color that will throw a slight haze, as we bottle it unfiltered. At 75 IBU's, this is definitely not a training-wheels IPA, but is meant for hop lovers looking to satisfy their craving in a way that's not easy to find. We think they’ll be quite pleased.
75 IBU
Added by Bierman9 on 03-12-2004
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 5,301 | Reviews: 1,842
4.75/5 rDev +16.1%
Dbrag, May 26, 2012
3.45/5 rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Best before 30 September 2012. Sweet. Don't know what that means for a bottle date, but it can't be all that long ago.
Pours a cloudy golden-wheat yellow. Lots of little floaties - would have poured more gently if I'd realized this was unfiltered, but that's my own fault. One finger of dense, foamy, very white head. Good retention and solid lacing.
Smells like fruity hops. Sweet-sharp citrus (orange peel) combined with a grassy fullness, and a bit of pine resin sneaking in through the back door. Nice.
Taste kinda falls flat. It's basically bland and bitter, with not much in between. Persistently bitter, with a sharp edge. I want more other flavors than what I'm getting here.
Mouthfeel is fine - medium-light body, carbonation maybe a little low. Lasting finish, with that acrid bitterness just clinging to my tongue.
Not my favorite IPA. It's decent, with good hop aromas, but the flavor is simple and doesn't do it for me. Not well balanced, and the bitterness has a sharpness to it that I don't like. It definitely improves some as it warms up, gaining some fullness and losing some of that sharpness. But I'm still not overly impressed.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Best before 30 September 2012. Sweet. Don't know what that means for a bottle date, but it can't be all that long ago.
Pours a cloudy golden-wheat yellow. Lots of little floaties - would have poured more gently if I'd realized this was unfiltered, but that's my own fault. One finger of dense, foamy, very white head. Good retention and solid lacing.
Smells like fruity hops. Sweet-sharp citrus (orange peel) combined with a grassy fullness, and a bit of pine resin sneaking in through the back door. Nice.
Taste kinda falls flat. It's basically bland and bitter, with not much in between. Persistently bitter, with a sharp edge. I want more other flavors than what I'm getting here.
Mouthfeel is fine - medium-light body, carbonation maybe a little low. Lasting finish, with that acrid bitterness just clinging to my tongue.
Not my favorite IPA. It's decent, with good hop aromas, but the flavor is simple and doesn't do it for me. Not well balanced, and the bitterness has a sharpness to it that I don't like. It definitely improves some as it warms up, gaining some fullness and losing some of that sharpness. But I'm still not overly impressed.
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3.78/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a cloudy ambered gold, much like dehydrated piss. Nice light white head that dissipates on the quicker side, but leaves some nice loopy lacings on the side of the glass. Light amounts of carbonation are present.
Smell: The smell is very floral with hops and some slight citrusy notes. Nothing really stands out in the smell, and while it is definitely hop heavy, it seems almost weak for an IPA smell. Slight bready notes are also present in the light undercurrents of the smell.
Taste: A great intial burst of almost bready malts are collapsed into the bitter kick of the hops, which scorch out any trace of the malt and leave a nice slightly grapefruity aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: This beer is thin and smooth and slightly silky on the tongue as it goes down, with a good harsh bitter lingering that marks it clearly as an IPA.
Overall: This a great example of an IPA, good amount of bitters, and nice malt at the beginning which is not always found in an IPA.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a cloudy ambered gold, much like dehydrated piss. Nice light white head that dissipates on the quicker side, but leaves some nice loopy lacings on the side of the glass. Light amounts of carbonation are present.
Smell: The smell is very floral with hops and some slight citrusy notes. Nothing really stands out in the smell, and while it is definitely hop heavy, it seems almost weak for an IPA smell. Slight bready notes are also present in the light undercurrents of the smell.
Taste: A great intial burst of almost bready malts are collapsed into the bitter kick of the hops, which scorch out any trace of the malt and leave a nice slightly grapefruity aftertaste.
Mouthfeel: This beer is thin and smooth and slightly silky on the tongue as it goes down, with a good harsh bitter lingering that marks it clearly as an IPA.
Overall: This a great example of an IPA, good amount of bitters, and nice malt at the beginning which is not always found in an IPA.
982 characters
4.09/5 rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A - Golden and orange. Looks a bit different than many other IPA's I've had on tap. Nothing special in it's looks.
S - A lighter version of the norm with some citrus notes. Not unimpressive, but nothing that stands out.
T - This is where it shines. The hops are nice and strong without overpowering. Citrus, specifically grapefruit comes through after the initial bitterness. The bitterness makes a return after the grapefruit reminding the drinker it's an IPA.
M - Light and a little dry.
O - I ended up being a lot more impressed than I thought I would be (as I purchased this on a discounted New England craft night). It's a very nice IPA which I plan on drinking again in the near future.
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look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A - Golden and orange. Looks a bit different than many other IPA's I've had on tap. Nothing special in it's looks.
S - A lighter version of the norm with some citrus notes. Not unimpressive, but nothing that stands out.
T - This is where it shines. The hops are nice and strong without overpowering. Citrus, specifically grapefruit comes through after the initial bitterness. The bitterness makes a return after the grapefruit reminding the drinker it's an IPA.
M - Light and a little dry.
O - I ended up being a lot more impressed than I thought I would be (as I purchased this on a discounted New England craft night). It's a very nice IPA which I plan on drinking again in the near future.
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4.05/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours out really clear light yellow amber with lots of effervescent bubbles coming up through the brew. One finger of white foam.
Smell is sweet malt and grapefruit rind. Just a tad of lemon pledge and some alcohol.
Taste is very bitter at first. Goes to a nothing lull for a bit then ends up slightly sugar and grapefruit rind.
Mouthfeel is very clean and washes away very quickly. Very little pine here. Alcohol is hidden very well.
Overall this is a pretty nice IPA. Would drink it again for sure.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours out really clear light yellow amber with lots of effervescent bubbles coming up through the brew. One finger of white foam.
Smell is sweet malt and grapefruit rind. Just a tad of lemon pledge and some alcohol.
Taste is very bitter at first. Goes to a nothing lull for a bit then ends up slightly sugar and grapefruit rind.
Mouthfeel is very clean and washes away very quickly. Very little pine here. Alcohol is hidden very well.
Overall this is a pretty nice IPA. Would drink it again for sure.
500 characters
4.7/5 rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
A - Pours a very hazy slightly dark golden color with a nice, thick head and ok lacing. Is that some floating yeast?
S - Nice mix of citrus and pine hops, solid malt backbone. Nothing too strong or surprising.
T - Great IPA taste. Notes of bitter citrus and piney hops. Slightly sweet and biscuity backbone of malts. I picked up grapefruit and other fruit flavors. One of the best IPAs out there in taste.
M - Extremely smooth and drinkable for an IPA. There's a tinge of bitterness, but it doesn't linger too long in the finish. Great carbonation.
O - Finestkind is definitely one of the finest of its kind. A great East Coast IPA that is one to keep on the regular rotation of IPAs. Enjoy!
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
A - Pours a very hazy slightly dark golden color with a nice, thick head and ok lacing. Is that some floating yeast?
S - Nice mix of citrus and pine hops, solid malt backbone. Nothing too strong or surprising.
T - Great IPA taste. Notes of bitter citrus and piney hops. Slightly sweet and biscuity backbone of malts. I picked up grapefruit and other fruit flavors. One of the best IPAs out there in taste.
M - Extremely smooth and drinkable for an IPA. There's a tinge of bitterness, but it doesn't linger too long in the finish. Great carbonation.
O - Finestkind is definitely one of the finest of its kind. A great East Coast IPA that is one to keep on the regular rotation of IPAs. Enjoy!
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Smuttynose IPA "Finest Kind" from Smuttynose Brewing Company
4.09
out of 5
based on 5,301 ratings.