IPA
Jupiter

 

On tap at the Jupiter Brew Pub in Berkeley.

L: Pours a clear, dark gold color with a minimal head and decent lacing.

S: Nice nose, with strong citrus notes.

T/F: The citrus is up front, followed by the hops and some pine. A bit more malt presence that balances out the hops, for a balanced finish. Medium body and carbonation.

O: Good IPA. Not over the top, but easy drinking and went well with the food served at the brew pub.

I’m assuming this is the house version of Drake’s IPA, brewed for the Berkeley restaurant standby. I get a light aroma, some pleasing citrusy hops and a decent bittering with a drying finish. Decent, but nothing spectacular.

It was okay, nothing really memorable buy easy to drink.

 

A: orange. Crystal clear. Medium, foamy head. Great lacing throughout the drink.

S: pine.

T: orange peel. Pine. Hop forward, middle and end. Pleasant bitterness that lasts for a while. It's present but not too much. Basic malt bill.

M: medium carbonation. Medium body.

O: good west coast IPA. Well balanced.

 

 

Nice, very clear, darker amber hue on this one. Much more malty than I would have expected on the flavor profile. Oddly, there are apple tones and what almost seems like cotton candy on there as well. It's...weird. This definitely doesn't strike me as an IPA. Frankly, I don't know what it strikes me as. I had the XHP before this and enjoyed it much more. Hopefully this is just an off sample and the next person's will be better.

Edit: apparently this one opens up over time, but with the initial odd tone about it, I'm just not so down to go through the whole pint anymore.

 

 

 

A- Pours a clear, copper color with a finger of sticky, creamy off-white head. Great lacing.

S- Big citrus-ey, floral and pine hops. Resin and honey and caramel malt. The nose on Jupiter beers it typically a bit subdued until you drink it down and really agitate it in the glass but this one is pretty good.

T- The hops on this beer are pretty excellent. The menu says its brewed with Cascade, Columbus, and Chinook hops. Lots of citrus, grapefruit and rind, with pine and floral notes, some honey in the background. Lightly toasted, caramel malts keep things reasonably balanced. Finishes with residual leafy bitterness.

M- Medium body, well carbonated, has a smooth and slightly prickly feel. Finishes on the dry side.

O- An impressive IPA, a perfect example of the west coast IPA style. This is probably the best beer of Jupiter's well-rounded menu, a great beer for hopheads without searing your taste buds.

On tap poured into a 20 oz "Ultra" glass at the brewpub.

Beer resembles an amber ale more than the pale color most typical of the style but that seems relatively common in American IPA's these days I notice. Thin but well retained head has a slightly tan tone to it.

Aroma is very citrusy with a hint of pine. Not as aromatic as some of my favorites in the style but what's there is good.

The pine and citrus from the nose join a nice bitterness on the palate but it seems to fade a little too quickly and transitions to a bready and caramel malt character. Bitterness comes back on the aftertaste in the form of a subtly dry grassy flavor.

I didn't notice much carbonation when I looked at the beer but it's there on the feel. Finishes dry enough. A worthy example of the style and markedly better than their Quasar DIPA. The only problem is that the guest beer list will always offer an even better option in this style. Even though Jupiter brews good beer I feel the food and guest beers are really the main draw here.

Pours a dark golden with a very healthy head and nice lacing. The aromas reflect nicely balanced sweet malt and citrusy hops. Tastes grassy with some nice lingering, light bitterness. Slightly sweet malt plays a supporrting role. Nicely balanced and easy to drink, this is probably their best standard beer. It is well made and pretty typical for a West Coast IPA, but that shouldn't take away from its craftsmanship and drinkability.

The color was deep mahogany red, very clear with a decent head and lace. Very fruity smell. Wow, That is a great aroma for an IPA. You taste the malt first with hops on the back. Medium mouth feel. Good drinkability. This had a slightly different appearance and color than I expected, but still a good beer.

Jupiter has one of the best IPAs I've had in my day. At the bar there in Berkeley, the bartender was excellent in making recommendations and this one was well taken. It poured a deep red color and was obviously thick with hops. It had a small creamy head that stayed throughout the beverage's existence in my glass (which was short lived). The taste was amazing, the hop explosion was perfect and didn't just overpower everything else about the power. I highly recommend both Jupiter and this beer (as well as the redspot).