RBI IPA
The Brew Keeper

Poured from a bomber purchased at Reider's Market in Painesville a few months ago for $7.99 into my Cooperstown Beverage Trail pint glass. No observed "freshness" or "best by" date on the label or the bottle.

A Very light brown/orange somewhat cloudy (light comes through but you cannot identify items past it) body under a huuuge head that leaves nice lacing. Head was 5 inches over body, took at least 5 minutes to dissipate down to one cm. Right on target for the style as far as I know.

S Light, light sweet malt of some light caramel, very little floral hops smell.

T/M Kind of basic floral hops taste that lacks the depth of the Hops Fusion that I sampled last night. This one is a bit thin with minimal to moderate hops and kind of a weak malt presence too.

D Well, good but I suspect that most IPA fans will find this very thin and unsatisfying.

Notes: I grew up watching Joe Charboneau (I was 9 years old in his rookie season) and I think that I enjoyed those memories more than I will enjoy the memories of this beer, a rather forgettable IPA.

Nice light amber color with two finger head that is fice and lacy. The beer has perfect clariaty and is medium amber. Lacing is evident.

Aroma?? These is nothing destinctive about the aroma. No hops, no citrus. This beer is devoid of basic aromatic characteristices associated with a good IPA.

The flavor is instep with the aroma. There is probably more more malt flavor than of a fresh hopped bitterness in this brew. It's not distusting, it's just not an IPA. It's a drinkab;e beer, just don't don't call it an IPA.

22 oz. bomber bottle with a real life action photo of the 1980 rookie of the year Joe Charboneau hitting a home run or striking out really bad. Since the Brew Keeper didn't want to get sued, they replaced the Indians logo with their own logo. Over this photo is a reprinted autograph. Along with the Government warning, the back label has the beer's stats in the style of a baseball card. This beer has 85 IBU's, an O.G. of 1.070, a F.G. of 1.018, and an ABV% of 6.8%. Don't waste your time looking for a date because the Brew Keeper never dates their bottles.

Appearance: I went and poured this 6.8% ABV IPA into my Bell's Brewery pint glass. "RBI" poured a beautiful solid tangerine orange with some gold highlights along the sides. I forgot to mention that it was a murky orange beer. It wasn't murky because of hop particles, it was just a naturally murky IPA. I thought this beer was going to have a massive head of foam on top of it because as soon as I popped the cap, foam came pouring out of the bottle. However when the beer was poured, I all got was a small 1/4 of an inch head of white foam. It looks like the foam used up all of its energy when I popped the cap. Even though it was small, it had decent retention that only left behind a miniature string of white rings. Streaks of lace? A man can wish! Loved the color, but not so much the head of foam.

Smell: The pieces left behind from the appearance were quickly picked up by the aroma. It wasn't hugely hoppy, but it sure was packing in the aromas. The aroma was lightly hoppy with citrus and piney hops, a quick splash of sweet grapefruit, a hint of spruce, and a subtle whiff of dried lemon peel. If you think that's it for the aroma, you're wrong. After the hops at their moment in the sun, in comes the malty aspect of the beer to help balance out the beer a little better. This malty aroma burst consisted of some lightly toasted caramel malts and a few sweet roasted chestnuts. A great aroma! Not only was it lightly hopped, but slightly malty as well.

Taste: This IPA had one of those build up tastes. It had one of those tastes where it starts off small, but then keeps building flavors as the taste moves along. The taste reversed the order that the aroma built. This time the malts were the first one to come in. Not only were there lightly sweet and toasted caramel malts, but also a hint of caramel and a touch of molasses. Right after the malt aspect of the beer, in comes the citrus/piney hops. To me, the hops didn't reach their full potential. They peaked at a low mid level of hoppiness and then they quickly leveled off. The hops did a build up, but it was a minor one. Mixed in with the hops was the taste of coriander, pine, lemon peel, and some dried tart grapefruit. I would have liked to see the hops reach their full potential, but I have to remind myself that this is an IPA and not a Double IPA. The hops had to stop somewhere.

Mouthfeel: This medium bodied IPA contained a full flavored hoppy and slightly sweet aftertaste of citrus and piney hops, pine needles, lemon peel, a hint of toasted caramel malts, and plenty of tart grapefruit. The tart grapefruit showed its true colors in the aftertaste. It came on strong, but it quickly died down.

Drinkability: Lately, it seems like the Brew Keeper has been pumping out some really good beers. "RBIPA" is one of those beers. It wasn't overly hopped, but yet it was packing in the flavors. If you're ever in the mood for a well balanced IPA, then you should really try this beer. Since it's a Brew Keeper beer, it's not expensive, but it's only available at the brewpub or in just a few select beer stores in the Cleveland area.

22 ounce bottle, purchased at Blacklick Wine and Spirits (Columbus, OH). Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a hazy amber color with about an inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both very good. Aroma is citrusy and spicy hops, along with some caramel and bready malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like citrusy hops (grapefruit, apricot), peppery spice, bread/grain, and caramel malt. There's also a slight bitter hoppy finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit oily and coating with good carbonation. Drinkability is pretty good, it's very smooth and about as sessionable as an 6.8% ABV brew could be. Overall I think this is a good brew, I'd definitely pick this up again.

"Joe Charboneau used to entertain his teammates by opening a beer bottle with his eye socket and then drinking it through his nose."

(source: an internet search, which confirmed my personal recollection)

Radiant tropical sun orange with polished gold trim. Several slow moving bubble streams can be seen contributing to a wonderful looking head that is somewhere between French vanilla and beige in color. Thick sheets of BB-shot lace are beginning to form as the foam slowly sinks.

The nose isn't as explosive as it could be. It's also a little cheesy, as if aged rather than fresh hops were used. It's still enjoyable, it just isn't a standout for the style. Tough call with respect to the hop profile. I won't even guess.

If you like balanced IPAs, then RBI IPA should be right up your alley (oops, wrong sport). There's more malt than expected, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does have the effect of taking the bright, pungent edge off the lupulins. The Brew Keeper might have measured 85 IBUs, but they aren't tasted or felt.

The beer tastes predominantly pale malty, with a hint of something slightly darker. Caramel most likely. There's a fair amount of sweetness, which keeps me from drinking too quickly. RBI is definitely an IPA, but it does ventures into that netherworld between India and Double India. A few more percent on the ABV and we'd be there.

Actually, I'm reminded of a (highly hopped) English IPA since the fruitiness is more apricot and peach than grapefruit and orange. Fuggles and/or Goldings perhaps? Some Cascade hopped beer does taste like this (again, especially if the hops are less than fresh). There might be ripe mango in there as well. This is increasingly interesting beer as it warms.

The Brew Keeper continues to hit the bull's eye with respect to mouthfeel. RBI is more full than the style average, which is almost always a good thing. That's probably the biggest reason why I think 'baby DIPA' every time the glass is upended. Great mouthfeel equals great brewer, it's as simple as that.

RBI IPA may not be a grand slam, but it's at least a home run with men on base. Don't be like Joe. Drink this one the usual way and your taste buds will thank you. I hope it's available all year-round because I plan to pick up a few more bombers next summer.

22oz bottle acquired in trade with miketd (thanks!).

Poured a medium and hazy amber color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of citrus, spicy hops, and a little on the earthy side. Tastes of the same earthiness, floral, lighter citrus, and light caramel. Medium bitter with a light sweetness.

22oz. brown bomber, purchased from Rozi's in Lakewood(Cleveland), Ohio, poured into an imperial pint.

A: Pours a dark copper with a slight tinting of ruby, good clarity. 2+ fingers of bone colored head with decent retention and lacing.

S: Good fruity hop presence. I'd guess Cascade and maybe Galena. Some citrus with light resin in the back. Some light peppery spice as well.

T/M: Good bitterness level. A bit of alcohol that really drys things out. More of the citrus notes with that spicy peppery bite. Some malts to balance things out a bit with some sweetness. Body is medium to medium light and controlled carbonation. Long, dry, bitter finish.

D: Decently easy to drink though pretty drying. Not a bad brew.

Enjoyed on-tap at the brewpub. Grapefruit with small lacing. Good and significant IBU. C-hop taste and in aroma. Not as tasty as the Fusion,more of a serviceable IPA - both are available bottled. Average mouthfeel, hops and malt there but nothing complex.