Spring Hornin' Spring IPA
Anderson Valley Brewing Company

3.67/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This was poured into a nonic pint. The appearance was a hazy burnt orange golden color with a slim white head that immediately dissipated leaving barely any lacing. The smell had a decent amount of sweet blueberries intertwining with the bitter citrus hops. A light sweet pine enters and hangs nicely to balance it all out. The taste was moderately bitter with a decent sweet blueberry to accompany the flavor. It has a decent malt base. There’s a semi-dry sweet blueberry aftertaste leading to just a dry finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fairly decent sessionability about it. The carbonation seemed appropriately styled and came across as an EIPA. Overall, I say this was a pretty good EIPA that I could have again.

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3.73/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a deep golden/amber hue. Smells immediately of floral scents, flowers with a slight fruit scent like apple and pear. Tastes of Floral potpourri, a bit of pine and a slight bit of Apple/pear in the middle. Finishes dry with a bit of what tastes to me like honey tho I'm sure it's not there or possibly unintended and a peppery spice.

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4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear polished dark golden color.

Overall: The aroma is reminiscent of green tea with honey. Tastes grassy and mildly sweet. The flavor is interesting with hops tasting herbal/floral and even a bit spicy. This beer is not a really bitter IPA. Very drinkable and surprisingly refreshing.

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3.21/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a bottle into pint glass in October 2015.

Appearance: Amber with white head. Head is thick, and sticks to the glass.

Smell: Strong aroma of hops, pine, and citrus, like grapefruits, with a little peppery spices as well. Overall the hops and citrus aromas dominate the others.

Taste: There is a strong hop flavor with hints of fruit flavor and a little pepper flavors as well. There is not much sweetness from the malts. The label lists pears and blueberry, there is a very minor hint of those flavors.

Mouthfeel: Medium, creamy bodied. Strong alcohol.

This is a strongly hopped IPA as pronounced by its name. It has a diverse mix of fruit, hops, and other flavors, which makes it interesting. Overall the hops and citrus flavors dominate the flavor.

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4.14/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured a clear amber body with abundant carbonation and one finger of bubbly, thick, off-white head. Overall impression of appearance is of a pretty good IPA. Scents of pears, sweet tangerine flesh, moderate floral and spicy hop aromas, notes of white pepper in the background and light blueberry and a backing aroma of biscuit-like malt. Overall impression of aroma is of a very bright IPA that utilizes hops quite well to create a diversity of aromas that blend harmoniously into a well executed whole. Flavor begins lightly bitter with notes of spicy hops lending notes of white pepper, herbal hops giving an underlying earthiness, light floral hop flavors of heather also appear with a light citrus peel. Middle continues to gain in bitterness, adding flavors of citrus pith and peel. Finish is dry, showcasing flavors of citrus peel and pith, light white pepper, moderate spicy and floral hop flavors and a pleasant pale malt in the background. Aftertaste is biscuit-like malt and bitter citrus peel. Overall impression of flavor is of a very good IPA. It has a diversity of flavors that keep the flavor crisp and refreshing, finishing pleasingly dry. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a resinous, slick feel with moderate carbonation. Overall impression of mouthfeel is of a very good IPA. Overall this is a good IPA. It has a nicely complex aroma and a refreshing diverse hop flavor with a pleasing mouthfeel. A good IPA.

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3.89/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12oz. Bottle

Pours a pretty nice clean/clear dark golden yellow color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice one-finger creamy off-white head, which leaves some pretty nice thick sticky lacing behind. The nose is hoppy, little malt note, some citrus. The taste is pretty hoppy (In the Anderson Valley Way), slight malt note, some citrus. Medium body, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a very nice brew.

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4.15/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Anderson Valley Brewing Co. "Spring Hornin'"
12 oz. brown glass bottle
$1.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Appearance: Slightly hazy, probably from dry hopping. Very deep amber, almost copper body. Frothy and then creamy off-white/light tan head. Very good head retention and lacing.

Aroma: Perfumey. Floral and fruity. Only a mild bit of sweetish malt makes its way through.

Flavor: Impressively floral! Fruity, peppery, and a touch piney and herbal as well. That rich Anderson Valley maltiness remains, keeping it nicely rounded. Really unique! The floral notes and soft fruits (apple, pear, perhaps some citrus) combine nicely, but it's the floral character that dominates. The alcohol never shows, although at 6.8% it really shouldn't anyway. It's solidly bitter, and it finishes dry with the herbal/pine increasing as the floral notes fade.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and gently crisp.

Overall: Really unique, so points for that. Well balanced and rounded. Absolutely worth trying!

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3.88/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy, golden and copper hue. Active tiny carbonation. Bubbly, sticky head. Honey on the nose. Nice malt body leads with sweetness and then a strong wave of grass and lemon zest. Bitter and sticky finish but that initial blast of malt is still there to balance out. Really enjoyed and was representative of spring.

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2.8/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Pours a hazy amber color with some particles present in the beer. 2 finger head with great retention and lacing present.

S - Smells like.... nothing. There's very little present at all aside from a very vague hint of hops; very vague. Needless to say it's not bad but than again smells a lot like nothing so hard to say it's good.

T - It tastes water-downed I must say. The hops are present up front with a very vague sweet, malt finish. The harsh aftertaste does it for me though; it's not a pleasant bitter hop aftertaste I'm used to but rather unpleasant - not awful though.

M - Light to medium bodied. Fairly harsh on carbonation but not as horrible as some beers. Harsh aftertaste.

O - The harsh aftertaste and water-downed feeling is what really did me in with this beer. I do give it credit that I can tell the distinction between hops and malt at least but aside from that it's been a let down. I do enjoy the bottle art I must say! Maybe I'll buy again for that..

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4.04/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a single 12 oz bottle of this recently. Poured into one of my pint glasses. This beer pours a medium to dark gold/light amber/copper color with some nice streams of little bubbles continuously rising to the beer's surface. Has a nice white head that is about an inch thick when first poured that settles eventually to a very solid 1/4 inch thick. Pretty good lacing here too. Has a nice toasted malt aroma that gives way to citrus and pine hops and some peppery spice hints. the taste is pretty much the same, with a nice toasty caramel malt sweetness followed by a strong citrus and pine hop bitterness that is rounded out with some peppery spice notes that gives this beer a nice bite. The sweetness from the malts and the citrus and pine hop bitterness all linger on the palate nicely for awhile after each sip. Very nice balance of flavors indeed. the peppery spice is indeed a nice touch as well. Has a clean finish and a bit of a dry aftertaste. Has a mainly crisp, slightly prickly, also smooth, medium to full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Easy to drink. Quite an enjoyable offering here.

Eric

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3.82/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Seemingly fresh 12oz bottle into a Guinness pint.

A: Clear deep-copper with a 1" bone-hued head that really likes to hang around, retention is quite nice, lacing is south of moderate.

S: Definitely unique. Sort of a musty, earthy hop note that clouds out what I'd call a blood orange type aroma beneath it. There's a bit of oily pine punch that only registers later. Really odd.

T: Not bad but it doesn't really read like they knew what they wanted this IPA to be. Lemon-lime citrusy hop-bitterness doesn't punch you in the face but kinda paws at you. At the same time there's this evergreen-forest hop-bitter character that's kinda fighting for dominance on the palate. The malty notes are actually pretty big graham-cracker & do a bit to offset the needlessly bitter, bizarre hop profile. This is a really, really weird IPA - but I kinda like it.

M: Really fits this brew. Ever-so-slightly undercarbed with some thick, slick malt. Slight soapiness. For literally any other IPA I might even be dubious about this aspect.

O: Extra points for being an odd-duck IPA, which is definitely AV's thing. For one it just doesn't taste like Spring to me. Also, it's clearly got a split-personality thing going on in the hop-bill. It's one-of-a-kind, but I'll still drink six of 'em.

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3.47/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark gold pour with tight off white head; good clarity and lace. Floral nose. Rose petal flavor with a little peppery spice. Lite mouthfeel with dry bitter hop finish. Easy to drink.

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3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear amber in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high off white head that died down, leaving a large patch of bubbles on the surface, a collar around the edge, and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of pears and toasted malts are present in the nose.
T: The taste generally follows the smell, except that the flavors of toasted malts and pears are a little stronger and there are some slight hints of bitterness and malty sweetness. Little in the way of bitterness is noticeable.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I found the aromas and flavors of pears in this beer to be particularly unique and interesting, although it wasn't overly hoppy and might be more like an American Pale Ale than an American IPA.

Serving type: bottle

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2.15/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Smells like a butthole. I'm not trying to be crude or just say that it smells bad, it literally smells like a butthole stuffed with pine and grapefruit peel. Taste is a bunch of malt up front, super sweet, and then it's all washed away by an intense and unpleasant bitterness. Unbalanced and very poor IMHO.

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3.89/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Light copper in color. Pretty decent malt flavor and definitely nice and hoppy. This offering could use a touch more heft to it - I suppose that lightness is what makes it a "Spring" IPA.

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4.53/5  rDev +32.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Nice dry IPA, would love to try it on draft. Looking through the other reviews below I see I must have gotten the newest batch for 2015 - The Julian date was moved to the bottom side of the bottle and was Jan 23rd, 2015 - drank today, Feb 23rd 2015. I agree this is more like a hopped pale ale than my IPA's-whatever; very dry finish which I liked very much. Surprised by the 6.8%abv, it is an easy to drink beer. I like it and do recommend it. Awesome description on the label!

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3.58/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer taste more like a pale ale then an IPA.
Oh! why don't they make a good pale ale anymore.
Pours a crystal clear with a nice head.
Aroma of pears and apples.
Taste is malty and light on hops.
Bitter with a bad aftertaste.

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3/5  rDev -12.5%

From notes on 3/6/14

Good floral aroma. Yellow straw color. Nice fluffy head. On tap at Brews Brothers. Very bitter taste. Some hop flavors. Easy drinking beer.

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3.8/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

i am surprised to see this ipa rated so low, i think its an excellent seasonal ipa, well made and with some clever nuance built in. the one thing i will say about it though is that the tasting notes on the back are some of the most flamboyant and far reaching i have ever seen. while i agree some of whats mentioned in grandiose fashion is there, im not seeing lilac or blueberry honey here, its not that delicate for gosh sakes! honey colored brew, mostly clear but with some sediment settling out. just off white head, wispy and clinging to the edges of the glass, but subsiding quite a bit. the nose on this is a little overbalanced by crystal malt, some sweetness and body, but almost english in nature there. the flavor is better though, with a thick frothy presence on the palate, i taste a variety of hops ranging from herbaceous and zesty or fruity and bitter, its a fun dynamic between them, and they sort of come in waves, its not sloppy at all, but quite well orchestrated. still a little overly malty for the style, but its more on the biscuit than caramel side, and as such is minimally invasive. yeast seems generic but specific to anderson valley, no complaints there. at 6.8% abv it may be a bit high for spring sessioning. its a time of year when the stouts and porters and imperials take a back seat to lighter bocks and ales that get consumed in higher quantity, romantically speaking at least, and this one is limited by its strength, although it cant be tasted here at all. good beer, seasonally cool, and affordable. nice combination.

edit: the bottle i reviewed here must have been old. i just had a real fresh one and was very very impressed. as much pine as i can recall in a beer, almost woody to drink on the palate, and lingering. really intense and excellent, bumping up some scores to reflect that. please give this a shot if its fresh, its insane, like no other.

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3.43/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

One of those breweries that I've had before, but I'm missing a bunch of reviews for. So decided to buy a bunch in the store and strike them off the list. This is a Spring IPA and it's not really spring anymore, but there's no date, so not really sure.

it does pour a nice creamy frothy 1 finger head htat fades at a med pace, nice soapy lacing, hazy orange red color.

Nose has some hops, but nothing big, bit fruity, generic fruity hops, very faint something htat wanted to be citrus, but seems like it's a bit on the older side perhaps, some amber reddish caramel candy malts underneath.

Taste brings fruity hops again, also generic fruity flavors, which quickly turns to the malts, a semi sweet reddish caramel candy like malt, with an almost syrupy like not but not quite. Hops then turn spicy and almost chewy, a little earthy, mild grassy as well. Starts with a light bitterness but that ramps as it goes. Finish has a little creamy malt note to it, fair to a bit heavier bitterness, spicy grassy hops, hint of generic fruit.

Mouth is med bod, a touch creamy, nice carbonation.

Overall OK but nothing special, doesn't really do much wrong, it has flashes of possibly older IPA not too fresh but hard to tell, hops bring mostly meh characters, and way too much on the malt profile as well.

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3.74/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I purchased this at The Friendly Greek with every intention of reviewing it during ... well, the Spring. Hey, at least I am only two days into Summer, so it isn't too bad.

From the bottle: "Burnish gold hue with a persistent, rocky white head. Floral, spicy aroma redolent of lilacs, white pepper and Bartlett pears with undertones of blueberry honey and roses. A pleasant balance of crisp bitterness with a clean malt profile adorned spicy, herbal hop flavors lasting into a dry, refreshing finish."

If I were still teaching high school English, I would use all of that as examples of imagery and perhaps hyperbole. Instead, I popped the cap and went with a heavy-handed pour, resulting in three-plus fingers of dense, tawny head with persistent (Ha!) retention. I will also grant them "rocky" because one I finished he pour, the top of the head had begun to fall and it was, indeed, rocky. Burnished gold was more hype than truth as I though it was more of a dark-amber than any shade of gold (SRM = >7, 9) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a flowery, spicy quality and I would have said black pepper and honey, no doubt, but I neither disagree with their descriptors, nor would I have said them on my own. The mouthfeel was medium and while spicy, certainly, I kept tasting honey laced with a flowery, perfume-like sweetness. Finish was semi-dry, an interesting melange of peppery spiciness commingled with that flowery, honey sweetness.

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3.23/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A: slightly hazed amber; 1 finger head that receded to a thin film; nice lacing;

S: dank, piney hops; caramel malt;

T: caramel malt up front, then orange; moderate bitterness from mid-palate to the end along with a slight metallic taste;

M: a little thinner than medium bodied; prickly carbonation;

O: it's like this beer doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up; it is a number of things, but none of them particularly well;

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3.28/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle. Sampled on May 29, 2014.

The pour is a hazy looking medium amber to copper color with a long lasting off-white head.

The aroma has more amber qualities than IPA with a caramel malt and barley note. There is a little pear and some earthy hops but those are played down.

The body is medium but it is also smooth.

Like the nose I pick up caramel and barley malts before anything else although it does have a distinctive bitterness at the end. Not a floral or piney hop bitterness though.

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3.68/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: This beer pours a golden to light copper with a dense off-white head that rides the beer to the bottom with good lacing.

S: Spicy citrus hop aroma with a little earthy undertone. A bit of light sweet bready malt does come through.

T: Not as bitter as I would expect an IPA to be. Definitely a hop forward beer with notes of orange and citrus in the forefront with a bit if a piney background. The malt is surprisingly evident in this beer and has a fairly discernible grainy sweetness that fades to a semi-dry finish

M: Medium light body with moderate carbonation. This beer does not have much acidic bite and isn't big on the prickly tongue effect.

O: This is a good beer but seems to be a bit light on bitterness for an IPA. I would recommend this to people who aren't used to IPA's and need some Hop training wheels. IMO it could do with a bit more hop aroma. That would really make this a special beer. Outside of that, it's as session worthy an IPA as I've ever had.

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3.02/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

Bottle > Pint Glass

A - Clear gold orange with almost two fingers of fizzy/foamy white head, little lacing.
S - This is weird, super grainy, yeasty, metallic, bubble gum, weirdly herbal
T - This tastes more like a slightly hopped pilsner than anything. Very grainy, bready malt, lots of yeast, herbal hop notes. Very off mark for this style.
M - On the upside it is rather refreshing.
O - The style isnt right, the flavors are confusing, and its out of place with what is on the label.

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