Kokopelli
Sweetwater Tavern

Pours a light color with nice head and lacing
Aroma has malt and hop hints
Taste has a malt and hop flavor
A medium bodied well carbonated beer
A good IPA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid IPA if not spectacular. Decent deep amber color with a subtle hop aroma. Mild finish and aftertaste. The head was lacy and not as persistent as some IPAs. Maybe a good session ale. Not available in my part of the world but I would try it again if I was at the restaurant.

From notes at the brewery: Aroma: Fruity hops (citrus, pineapple) but aroma is weak. Appearance: Dark golden with a nice small but dense head that leaves good lacing. Flavor: It's got that floral hops that is a signature of sweetwater beers. Other flavors are grapefruit, touch of pine and caramel sweetness. Palate: medium body, lively, bitter with medium finish. Overall: This is a good & very drinkable beer. It would appeal to the first time IPA drinker b/c it is lighter than many others. It's good and could be a session beer. Enjoyed their cheeseburger here.

This beer was served on draft at the brewpub in a chilled glass with chunks of ice on it and on the inside. I would have complained but the waitress seems annoyed that I was there to begin with.

Beer is amber, celar, carbonation is moderate to high, lacing on the glass as the had falls away, head is white and diffuse. Looks fine.

There is no aroma, they must have forgotten they were making an IPA.

Maybe I should have complained about the iced glass. This beer is thin, watery, has almost no flavor and the flavor that is there is most definitely not an IPA flavor. Mild hop bitterness but this beer is just in general gross. Give me a break. Drinkability OK, but what makes this an IPA? Nothing. Its colored water with bad backend bitterness and not much of that even. Get a clue.

AVOID!

Got this one from the Centerville location. On tap with a pint.

Dark golden color. Large frothy head the never dissappears.

Aroma is hoppy with a hint of citrus. Very nice to the nose.

Malty and hops are very present. Spicy flavors. Nicely done.

Loved every minute of this one.

Tasted from a growler on 03/22/07 from the Sterling, VA location.

Lightly hazed golden color with a nice pillowy off-white head, very active carbonation, and nice sheets and rings of lace. Looked pretty but pretty much down hill from there... Low-moderate earthy hop aroma; very English-IPA like. Bitter earthy hop flavors dominate with nothing going for it; tastes much like the Steam beer they make that I tried a while back ... blah. Medium-full bodied and creamy smooth with a bitter finish.

They really missed the mark on this one. Boring American IPA -- don't bother -- got worse with every sip.

Per chalkboard at brewbub: 6.6% ABV and 15.8 OG.

($8 / growler)

This also had a good, copper color to it, but I was immediately suspicious when I couldn't smell any real scent of hops. This bore itself out when I sipped my way through the sample that had been poured for me. It had a nice, dry finish, but it just wasn't hoppy enough for me, especially since they were calling it an IPA. I went back and had a full pint, but my opinion did not change.

Medium gold color. Large head. Aroma is floral hops and piney. A medium bodied IPA. Malts are sweet and fruity. Hops are grapefruity, spicy and piney. Very nicely balanced. A tasty and bright IPA. Very drinkable. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.