Improper Hopper
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Serving type: cask into a mixer glass.

Appearance of the beer was extremely hazy and turbid. But that's acceptable being a highly hopped IPA and served out of a cask. Poured a dark yellow almost orange color. Head was huge! Almost an inch think and created Belgian lace all the way down the glass. Smell was great. Definitely some pine and citrus notes from the American hops.

Taste was great too and i got mostly pine notes in it with a hint of citrus. Great body with the low carbonation coming out the cask. That was definitely what stood out about this beer. Definitely made me want to look into cask conditioning in my homebrew. Very drinkable as well and if we had the time i probably would've ordered another one.

Overall a very tasty beer. I should've ordered one straight from the tap as well to compare with the cask. Still was a very enjoyable tasting experience.

Not bad for a grapefruity IPA. Served with a nice fine off white head with lots of lace. Color was medium hazy medium amber. Nose had a major grapefruit character with some yeast and malt. Flavor was similar to aroma. Despite the fine head the beer was well carbonated and very good body. Finish is like flavor but with hints of sweetness offset with the tang of the carbonation. Session beer.

I had this at the Rock Bottom in Boston the other night. It was offered as both cask condition and regular draft options. I tried both, but this review is for the cask conditioned.

I really like how the beer looked when it came to the table. It was a bit hazy, but had a nice looking smoothness to it. It had a somewhat floral and citrus taste, but very subtle. The malts were sweet, but not very flavorful. It felt smooth but lacked the real silky texture of cask ales that I'm accustomed to.

It's a good brew that I could easily have a few of in a night, but nothing incredible. Very consistent and just above average for all of the senses.

Had this beer tonight at Rock Bottom in Boston on Stuart St.

Fantastic!

The appearance was a light golden-amber. It had great, tight lacing that continued the entire way down the glass.

The smell was also fantastic, and alluded to the bitter, citrusy taste. Opposed to other IPAs which might overdo either the alcohol or the malt profile, this did neither. I think it had a great bitter character, while maintaining its drinkability. The hops were decidedly more citrusy than rustic, and the aftertaste kept one wanting for more!

It might have been because the brew was on tap, but this was one of the best IPAs I've had in recent times and would definitely go back for a growler.

Off the tap in Beantown this beer was a cloud amber/orange color with a solid off-white head that left nice lacing down my pint glass. The aroma was dominated by grapefruit with some other citrus hops and pale malt behind that. The flavors were distinctly bitter, the grapefruit again with some herbal qualities as well. The malt balance never really seemed to be there but the finish was acidic and crisp. The body was medium/light, the carbonation good for the style and the mouthfeel slick.

Had this in the sampler. A pretty murky gold appearance with some really thick lacing made this an attractive IPA. Light spice aromas permeated from the beverage with floral hints and hops. Surprisingly clean IPA, nothing too overpowering and slightly refreshing. Pretty crisp carbonation helped make it more refreshing and less a hop-fest. Overall, a fine IPA.

Drank on-tap at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Boston, MA

Poured an extremely cloudy, medium amber with a frothy, clingy, bright white head. (Apparently this beer is unfiltered.) Thin sheets of sudsy lacing coated the glass.

The aroma was hoppy and quite sweet. Floral and citrusy hops. Fruity and rich with a noticeable caramel malt backdrop. Some tropical fruit notes lay in the background as well, along with a touch of bubblegum.

The taste was very similar to the aroma. Creamy and malty (sweet caramel malts) up front with notes of tangerines and orange peel in the center. The finish contained a nice mix of piney bitterness and malty sweetness. Overall, this was an extremely well balanced brew.

The mouthfeel was medium bodied, exceptionally smooth and creamy with a fine, somewhat restrained carbonation.

This is not a hop monster but rather a simple, no-frills IPA (and a damn good one at that). It was one of the smoothest and most sessionable versions of the style I have tried to date. Furthermore, it served as the perfect accompaniment to my alder smoked salmon, green beans and white cheddar mashed potatoes.

A: Cloudy for an IPA. Had a white head and was a light copper color. The heady was clingy and the beer left a thick lacing on the glass.

S: Had a strong hop scent. With a pronounced piney overtone to it. When swirled seemed to also release a fruity undertone. Possibly lemon. Was a sour fruity smell.

T: This was a complex flavor to it. Started as a standard IPA in that the floral hops were pronounced and loud. Left off for a bready/yeasty flavor that finished off with a sweet fruity taste. Scent seemed to hint at a lemon, but the taste tends to lead towards finishing with grapefruit. This tied the flavor together pulling it all in as the taste buds finished.

M: Medium carbonation, but it bordered on being a full bodied beer. The body tended to drown the carbonation to give it a smooth feel.

D: Had a bitterness to it that kinda put me off, but the bread and fruit flavors seemed to compensate nicely for that. By the time it entered the throat the bitterness was almost forgotten.

Had on tap at Braintree location today with lunch. I have not had it in some time (a couple of years), but it was always my favorite there. Nice orangish, hazy color with a good 2" head. Tons of lacing. Huge piney hop aroma, much stronger than I had remembered or realized before. Stronger than most local IPA's I have had. Very bitter, good hop flavor on first sip. Nice bite. Full to medium bodied, full flavor beer. Really good, biting version of an IPA, similar to a Leather Lips, I would say. Very enjoyable for a hop-head.

Pulled into a clear imperial pint glass

A: Faint orange with medium-thick head and ample lacing

S: Plenty of floral and citrus hops in the nose with a nice punch of pale malt

T: Weaker than I was looking for from the classic look and aroma with a muted citrus hops flavor and not much beside pale malts to balance.

M: Smooth and this aspect benefits from the cask.

D: Taste was disappointing but this offering comes off pretty well from the cask, although it might be better categorized as a weakly malted bitter.

Appearance: hazy light orange in color with a short one finger head that falls to a thick surface foam. Decent lacing develops.

Smell: nice amounts of floral and citrus aromas are pleasant on the nose.

Taste: a well balanced beer as malt sweetness is counterpunched with some grapefruit and orange citrus. Bitterness is mellow and not offensive. Overall a decent IPA.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp on the tongue. Aftertaste is short with the citrus, sweetness, and bitterness. Medium bodied.

Drinkability: easy to drink session-styled IPA. One of the better offerings during my trips to Rock Bottom while in Boston for a few days

A: Pours a hazy yellowish-orange with a finger of foam that dissipates quickly.

S: Piney and citrus hops up front with a bit of malty sweetness behind it.

T: Hops hit you all the way through. Piney, resiny, cirtus hops. Nicely balanced out by a sweet, biscuity malt. This beer is still all about the hops though.

M: Smooth, very crisp and dry.

D: Very tasty. I could easily drink many of these. Very tasty on cask.

A pint and a growler on tap (cask) from the location in the Theater District of Boston. My first time there. Most of the beer descriptions sounded pretty boring, but the cask IPA seemed worth a try, and it certainly was. Very nice, fresh hop aroma. Followed by a nice fresh hop taste upfront, although it thinned out a little bit on the way down. Still quite nice overall. Good enough to take a growler home with me, and at a pretty reasonable price too - $9 or so. Fantasatic lacing.

On cask at the Rock Bottom Brewery in Boston. Pours a copper color with a thick white head and excellent head retention. The cask creates a nice cascading effect of carbonation.

Smells big on citrusy hops with a faint background of freshly baked bread.

Malt taste upfront in biscuity, which fades nicely to a crisp, citrusy hop bite.

Medium-bodied with low carbonation and a sweet finish. Nice to have it on cask, reminded me of some British cask beers.

This beer was fairly dark for an IPA, and a little hazy. It had a medium head, along with some nice IPA lacing. Very floral in aroma, maybe some grapefruit sneaking in. Aggressively hopped, but not over the top. Definite grapefruit flavor. This was a pretty substantial beer. Drink this when you're not planning on other beers. It also went well with my enchiladas.

A - Cloudy, yellow-orange, modest white head. some haze I attributed to the very cold servig.
S - Distincly hoppy - grapefruit / pine with a light underlying maltiness.
T - Nicely focused, hoppy with light maltiness to balance.
M - light to medium bodied, clean smooth drinking
D - Went quite nicely with dinner. I'd have had another but needed to drive.

Appearance: hazy light orange in color with a short one finger head that falls to a thick surface foam. Decent lacing develops.

Smell: nice amounts of floral and citrus aromas are pleasant on the nose.

Taste: a well balanced beer as malt sweetness is counterpunched with some grapefruit and orange citrus. Bitterness is mellow and not offensive. Overall a decent IPA.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp on the tongue. Aftertaste is short with the citrus, sweetness, and bitterness. Medium bodied.

Drinkability: easy to drink session-styled IPA. One of the better offerings during my trips to Rock Bottom while in Boston for a few days.

Growler obtained from the brewpub by my wife yesterday. Thanks babe!

First imperial pint pours with a 3/4" off-white head, which hardly seems to fall at all, and lots of sticking lace. Brew is extremely cloudy light amber, with an aroma of citrusy hops over pale malts. Taste is dominated by the hoppy bitterness from beginning to end, but the grain character does make a valiant effort to surface at times, and since the hops are flavorful, not simply harsh bitterness, it's not a real problem. Mouthfeel is smooth, and drinkability is pretty nice too. Nice offering here.

The appearance is a very cloudy amber color with a nice sticky, frothy head.

Aroma is floral/grassy hops. A very raw aroma.

The taste is a strong but smooth hop character. Very grassy hop. The hops mix well with a much more creamy. Smooth body than in the normal tap. Goes down with a clean dry finish.

My first nitro-tap offering, and I got to say I liked it, not too much different than normal, except the smoother body and finish.

Pours a creamy golden yellow with a smallish head. This is a decent looking beer. The smell is hoppy with a strong citrus presence. The taste,like the smell, is all hops. The citrus grapefruit flavor is very strong and good. A real treat for a hop head. The m/f is light and well balanced making this a very good brew. Cheers.

Some beers are on the verge of greatness like this one. I loved some of the great originality, particulary in the aroma. Yet, this one falls slightly short of the goal line, making it very difficult to rate.

Small pub-pour head, leaving little opportunity to see the lace. The color was a neutral orange-amber with some cloudiness (which I equate with a fresh pour).

The aroma is special. The hop has a strong pineapple-grapefruit smell to it. This appears in the flavor profile as well which is surprisingly fruity. Excellent hop taste. Nice body and a great spicy aftertaste.

This beer is very drinkable and smooth. Not perfectly true to style, but an interesting entry.