Alpha Centauri Binary IPA | Hop Valley Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Hop Valley Brewing Company
Oregon, United States
hopvalleybrewing.com
Style: American Double / Imperial IPA
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 9.00%
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
100 IBU
Added by John_M on 07-23-2010
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Reviews: 56 | Ratings: 278
3.69/5 rDev -8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewpub in Eugene, Oregon.
Medium amber with excellent clarity and a very good head. Some sticky lacing is left on the glass.
Nicely flavored, this is a relatively mild and easy drinking DIPA, with limited bitterness and partially hidden alcohol.
★ 261 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewpub in Eugene, Oregon.
Medium amber with excellent clarity and a very good head. Some sticky lacing is left on the glass.
Nicely flavored, this is a relatively mild and easy drinking DIPA, with limited bitterness and partially hidden alcohol.
★ 261 characters
3.75/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a light golden copper with a fluffy head that dissipates pretty quickly into thin lacing. The taste is sweet stone fruit at first but soon relinquishes into a bitter assault on the palate that somehow I really liked. It's good.
★ 233 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a light golden copper with a fluffy head that dissipates pretty quickly into thin lacing. The taste is sweet stone fruit at first but soon relinquishes into a bitter assault on the palate that somehow I really liked. It's good.
★ 233 characters
2.93/5 rDev -27.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75
From the 650 mil. bottle with no bottling date. Sampled on June 30, 2016 maybe months after it was released.
Yup, for me this highly rated beer was a malt bomb.
It looked nice with its orange-amber and heady pour.
The nose was stale malts and only the slightest hint of fruit or citrus but mainly stale malts.
The body was medium and maybe better.
The taste was malt forward and low to no hops behind it. I almost didn't review because I didn't think I could give this a fair shot given its apparent age. But at the same time I probably won't get to try this again anytime soon. Hopefully I can try a fresh one sometime.
★ 629 characters
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75
From the 650 mil. bottle with no bottling date. Sampled on June 30, 2016 maybe months after it was released.
Yup, for me this highly rated beer was a malt bomb.
It looked nice with its orange-amber and heady pour.
The nose was stale malts and only the slightest hint of fruit or citrus but mainly stale malts.
The body was medium and maybe better.
The taste was malt forward and low to no hops behind it. I almost didn't review because I didn't think I could give this a fair shot given its apparent age. But at the same time I probably won't get to try this again anytime soon. Hopefully I can try a fresh one sometime.
★ 629 characters
4.04/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A: Orange to amber hue. Good shine and clarity. Think small bubbles
S: melon. Citrus pith. Watermelon rind. Subtle tropical fruit. Grass.
T: bitter pine. Grassy notes. Melon rind. Hops. Resin
F: crisp and clean. Very bitter aftertaste
O: decent west coast style Ipa. Was expecting a bit more tho.
★ 302 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A: Orange to amber hue. Good shine and clarity. Think small bubbles
S: melon. Citrus pith. Watermelon rind. Subtle tropical fruit. Grass.
T: bitter pine. Grassy notes. Melon rind. Hops. Resin
F: crisp and clean. Very bitter aftertaste
O: decent west coast style Ipa. Was expecting a bit more tho.
★ 302 characters
3.93/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a clear golden honey color, with a thin but pillowy head and a nice bit of carbonation running up the glass. Smell is sweet and fruity but not just citrus from the hops, there are whiffs of pineapple and mango hiding out in there. Taste is quite nice initially, it is not nearly as bitter as I was expecting considering the amount of hops in the nose. That being said, what bitterness is there seems to linger a little, to the point of becoming a little bit unpleasant if you drink it too fast. It's sort of like a grapefruit that isn't quite ripe yet. Mouthfeel is nice and chewy, but again, the bitterness bites a little to hard when it finally shows up.
★ 664 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a clear golden honey color, with a thin but pillowy head and a nice bit of carbonation running up the glass. Smell is sweet and fruity but not just citrus from the hops, there are whiffs of pineapple and mango hiding out in there. Taste is quite nice initially, it is not nearly as bitter as I was expecting considering the amount of hops in the nose. That being said, what bitterness is there seems to linger a little, to the point of becoming a little bit unpleasant if you drink it too fast. It's sort of like a grapefruit that isn't quite ripe yet. Mouthfeel is nice and chewy, but again, the bitterness bites a little to hard when it finally shows up.
★ 664 characters
4.09/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From a bomber picked up in Tacoma, date stamped on the neck says 5/25/16 which seems a little ambitious, but, I'm willing, so into a spieglau ipa glass. Pours a fairly clear bright peach, nice 1 finger head and good retention and lacing. Nose has some faint pineapple, sweet orange, light breadiness and caramel malt. Fruity but not too tropical and very clean...not a huge nose and not too complex, but nice. Tasting, like the nose but there's more pine on the back end, and there's a little tea-like quality to the bitterness at the end. On the whole, this is really clean and tightly constructed. The mouthful is creamy and smooth, the alcohol is hidden very well, and there's a nice bitterness at the end.
★ 712 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From a bomber picked up in Tacoma, date stamped on the neck says 5/25/16 which seems a little ambitious, but, I'm willing, so into a spieglau ipa glass. Pours a fairly clear bright peach, nice 1 finger head and good retention and lacing. Nose has some faint pineapple, sweet orange, light breadiness and caramel malt. Fruity but not too tropical and very clean...not a huge nose and not too complex, but nice. Tasting, like the nose but there's more pine on the back end, and there's a little tea-like quality to the bitterness at the end. On the whole, this is really clean and tightly constructed. The mouthful is creamy and smooth, the alcohol is hidden very well, and there's a nice bitterness at the end.
★ 712 characters
4.04/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pour: Bomber bottle into a tulip glass. Appearance: Clear with a light amber color. Thin white head and minimal lacing present. Aroma: Hoppy citrus. Taste: Very hoppy with some bite. Slight citrus on the sip. Aftertaste: Ends surprisingly with more punch. Very dank citrus and pine. Flavor really becomes apparent on the back end. Overall: A little subtle on the front end but the back end is worth it! Very good. 4.04 out of 5.
★ 428 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pour: Bomber bottle into a tulip glass. Appearance: Clear with a light amber color. Thin white head and minimal lacing present. Aroma: Hoppy citrus. Taste: Very hoppy with some bite. Slight citrus on the sip. Aftertaste: Ends surprisingly with more punch. Very dank citrus and pine. Flavor really becomes apparent on the back end. Overall: A little subtle on the front end but the back end is worth it! Very good. 4.04 out of 5.
★ 428 characters
4.08/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Picked this up yesterday at a local shop no date on the bottle but was told it was just received. The Citrus Mistress from yesterday was surely not fresh so had my doubts. This poured a light golden yellow nice nose notes of citrus and a mild malt overtone. The taste was fresh and smooth and much better than last nights experience. This is an enjoyable DIPA and I'd buy it again if I knew it was fresh.
★ 404 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Picked this up yesterday at a local shop no date on the bottle but was told it was just received. The Citrus Mistress from yesterday was surely not fresh so had my doubts. This poured a light golden yellow nice nose notes of citrus and a mild malt overtone. The taste was fresh and smooth and much better than last nights experience. This is an enjoyable DIPA and I'd buy it again if I knew it was fresh.
★ 404 characters
4.25/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Clear, light amber color. Piney hops in the aroma, also some sweetness. West Coast style hop profile, piney, earthy and lots of grapefruit. Expected it to be sweeter but the taste is very balanced. Aftertaste is long and bitter. 9% ABV is very well hidden, making the beer easy to drink.
★ 287 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Clear, light amber color. Piney hops in the aroma, also some sweetness. West Coast style hop profile, piney, earthy and lots of grapefruit. Expected it to be sweeter but the taste is very balanced. Aftertaste is long and bitter. 9% ABV is very well hidden, making the beer easy to drink.
★ 287 characters
4.4/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Lighter in colour and lighter in body than most DIPAs. Very nice hop profile, with citrus and pine notes both in the nose, as well as in the mouth, just as it's advertised. The malt body does cut a bit of the bitterness, but doesn't overwhelm, as it sometimes happens in other beers of this style. A bitter/salty refreshing aftertaste. Surprisingly drinkable, for its ABV, though it will get to your head easily.
★ 412 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Lighter in colour and lighter in body than most DIPAs. Very nice hop profile, with citrus and pine notes both in the nose, as well as in the mouth, just as it's advertised. The malt body does cut a bit of the bitterness, but doesn't overwhelm, as it sometimes happens in other beers of this style. A bitter/salty refreshing aftertaste. Surprisingly drinkable, for its ABV, though it will get to your head easily.
★ 412 characters
4.15/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance - Pours relatively clear with some light sediment, this golden orange brew produces a light sandstone head that peaks at about a finger's width before dying down in fair time. This results in a thin, broken layer of surface suds and a thin ring around the edge of the glass. Displays fair lacing with some sheeting and a few spots here and there, with good stick.
Smell - Strong tropical presence with notes of pineapple, orange, grapefruit and mango. Light pine. Faint bread sweetness.
Taste - Follows the nose. Citrus bite with a strong mango character smoothing out the bitterness. Light pine hits mid-taste. What little malt there is comes across as noninvasive, delivering faint, vague traces of bread. A bit of banana peel with the mango? Finishes with light citrus pith.
Mouthfeel - Close to medium in body with moderate carbonation. For the style, smooth, light and entirely quaffable. At 9% this is a hell of a feat.
Overall - Pretty good. A little too much mango for me to love entirely, but there's no denying how damn easy this drinks. I can see how people would put this in their list of favorites.
★ 1,127 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Appearance - Pours relatively clear with some light sediment, this golden orange brew produces a light sandstone head that peaks at about a finger's width before dying down in fair time. This results in a thin, broken layer of surface suds and a thin ring around the edge of the glass. Displays fair lacing with some sheeting and a few spots here and there, with good stick.
Smell - Strong tropical presence with notes of pineapple, orange, grapefruit and mango. Light pine. Faint bread sweetness.
Taste - Follows the nose. Citrus bite with a strong mango character smoothing out the bitterness. Light pine hits mid-taste. What little malt there is comes across as noninvasive, delivering faint, vague traces of bread. A bit of banana peel with the mango? Finishes with light citrus pith.
Mouthfeel - Close to medium in body with moderate carbonation. For the style, smooth, light and entirely quaffable. At 9% this is a hell of a feat.
Overall - Pretty good. A little too much mango for me to love entirely, but there's no denying how damn easy this drinks. I can see how people would put this in their list of favorites.
★ 1,127 characters
4.4/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Alpha Centauri has a crisp finish with a good hop rush. It seems like it has a lower final gravity which I prefer in an IPA. I like the design of the label too. It peels off easily for reuse with home brew. The finish has a grassy hop aroma. It does not seem overly bitter like 100IBU's of bittering.
It's one of the better double IPA's that I have tasted recently. Its also reasonably priced in 22oz bottles. All it lacks is that silly beer folklore following and a lot of marketing hype. It easy to find in Santa Rosa CA so It's my go to bottled DIPA's these days.
★ 587 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Alpha Centauri has a crisp finish with a good hop rush. It seems like it has a lower final gravity which I prefer in an IPA. I like the design of the label too. It peels off easily for reuse with home brew. The finish has a grassy hop aroma. It does not seem overly bitter like 100IBU's of bittering.
It's one of the better double IPA's that I have tasted recently. Its also reasonably priced in 22oz bottles. All it lacks is that silly beer folklore following and a lot of marketing hype. It easy to find in Santa Rosa CA so It's my go to bottled DIPA's these days.
★ 587 characters
3.69/5 rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Very drinkable pouring a 22 oz bottle at Whole Foods in Boise Idaho. Laces the glass like strip cartoon. Light head, first swallow, gentle mouth feel, light for an imperial.Refreshing, lacks depth, all up front. Two thumbs up for a very good 9% IPA.
★ 249 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Very drinkable pouring a 22 oz bottle at Whole Foods in Boise Idaho. Laces the glass like strip cartoon. Light head, first swallow, gentle mouth feel, light for an imperial.Refreshing, lacks depth, all up front. Two thumbs up for a very good 9% IPA.
★ 249 characters
4.06/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
22 picked up at the COOP, but most of the bottleshops are carrying this one now and even some grocery stores/bodegas. Pours a clear dark golden with an okay white head.. little to no lacing... Fruity hops remind me of melon and mango but are lighter than most PNW DIPA's and balanced nicely by the maltiness... Bitterness is restrained and also balanced and leaning more toward the back.. Body is light given the 9%.. Bubble is spot-on... Very drinkable and perfectly balanced, I just prefer my DIPA's a bit more aggressively hopped.
3.75/4/4/4.25/4.25
★ 553 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
22 picked up at the COOP, but most of the bottleshops are carrying this one now and even some grocery stores/bodegas. Pours a clear dark golden with an okay white head.. little to no lacing... Fruity hops remind me of melon and mango but are lighter than most PNW DIPA's and balanced nicely by the maltiness... Bitterness is restrained and also balanced and leaning more toward the back.. Body is light given the 9%.. Bubble is spot-on... Very drinkable and perfectly balanced, I just prefer my DIPA's a bit more aggressively hopped.
3.75/4/4/4.25/4.25
★ 553 characters
4.15/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a hazy orange/amber colored ale with a good amount of head that fades somewhat.
Aroma is dank hops, orange, light pineapple and more citrus. Pretty nice blend here.
The taste is amazingly easy to drink for 100 IBU's. The blend of sweet malt with bitter hops is awesome. Not overpowering in any element. The aftertaste is like when I lick the inside rind of a grapefruit....not that I ever have done that of course.
Overall this was a mighty fine session and a very, very smooth Imperial IPA. The blend works well and is actually quite refreshing. Big flavor and worth seeking out.
★ 596 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a hazy orange/amber colored ale with a good amount of head that fades somewhat.
Aroma is dank hops, orange, light pineapple and more citrus. Pretty nice blend here.
The taste is amazingly easy to drink for 100 IBU's. The blend of sweet malt with bitter hops is awesome. Not overpowering in any element. The aftertaste is like when I lick the inside rind of a grapefruit....not that I ever have done that of course.
Overall this was a mighty fine session and a very, very smooth Imperial IPA. The blend works well and is actually quite refreshing. Big flavor and worth seeking out.
★ 596 characters
4.28/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Surprisingly delicious.
Look: Honey colored body. White colored head that leaves a nice sticky curtain when rolled around in the glass. When looking through the body, everything is magnified.
Smell: Overripe, sweet tropical fruit. A back-drop of hops.
Taste: Sweet grapefruit, orange, and peach. A touch of tang in the finish. Smooth, juicy, and fruity.
Feel: Great. Medium carbonation. It's missing the expanding, sultry, dense, silky lather.
Overall - Juicy. Highly drinkable. This beer is summertime in a bottle. Enchanting smell. Very tasty. Add that missing later and this is better than a winner.
★ 625 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Surprisingly delicious.
Look: Honey colored body. White colored head that leaves a nice sticky curtain when rolled around in the glass. When looking through the body, everything is magnified.
Smell: Overripe, sweet tropical fruit. A back-drop of hops.
Taste: Sweet grapefruit, orange, and peach. A touch of tang in the finish. Smooth, juicy, and fruity.
Feel: Great. Medium carbonation. It's missing the expanding, sultry, dense, silky lather.
Overall - Juicy. Highly drinkable. This beer is summertime in a bottle. Enchanting smell. Very tasty. Add that missing later and this is better than a winner.
★ 625 characters
4.66/5 rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bomber. Didn't have a Brew date (this is STILL a pet peeve)
BTW: No dates given, but a "CONTAINS ALCOHOL" warning on the label. Wow.
100 IBUs...centauri. ....Ahhh.
Anyway, very good beer, nice first taste, nice mouth feel, nice citrusy hop profile, very slightly sweet aftertaste. No hint whatsoever that this is 9% abv.....a technically impressive feat, and one that could get the "unaware" in trouble...fast!
Cheers.
------------------------
July/16 addendum: Still no label dates. Good lacing. Great beer --- very good value for abv dollar. Rating unchanged.
★ 576 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bomber. Didn't have a Brew date (this is STILL a pet peeve)
BTW: No dates given, but a "CONTAINS ALCOHOL" warning on the label. Wow.
100 IBUs...centauri. ....Ahhh.
Anyway, very good beer, nice first taste, nice mouth feel, nice citrusy hop profile, very slightly sweet aftertaste. No hint whatsoever that this is 9% abv.....a technically impressive feat, and one that could get the "unaware" in trouble...fast!
Cheers.
------------------------
July/16 addendum: Still no label dates. Good lacing. Great beer --- very good value for abv dollar. Rating unchanged.
★ 576 characters
3.8/5 rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
Best part about this beer is the smell - citrus/pineapple in nature. None of this transfers to the taste, which is bitter superhop from start to finish. There is an earthy character to this beer that lingers for a substantial amount of time.
★ 243 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75
Best part about this beer is the smell - citrus/pineapple in nature. None of this transfers to the taste, which is bitter superhop from start to finish. There is an earthy character to this beer that lingers for a substantial amount of time.
★ 243 characters
4.09/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
No bottling date. Either that or I'm super blind. I think it's the former.
Pours a thick hazy opaque orange. Good finger plus of frothy white foam. Settles down to Hawaii, lacing like... well like something that laces nicely.
Nose pops with juicy mango and tropical fruits as soon as I open the bottle. Sadly this dissipates pretty quickly. Settles into a much thinner pineapple and faint pine with a little bit of yeast.
Not as juicy as the initial nose suggested. Less defined, though equally prominent hops are still the forefront. touches of sweet augment a bitter foundation upon which I can't quite put my finger. The finish is long with a juicy bitterness.
Thick and chewy with little pinpricks of carbonation that remind me of fermented pickle juice.
Really good beer, but I can't help but feel like there were still some points left on the board.
★ 863 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
No bottling date. Either that or I'm super blind. I think it's the former.
Pours a thick hazy opaque orange. Good finger plus of frothy white foam. Settles down to Hawaii, lacing like... well like something that laces nicely.
Nose pops with juicy mango and tropical fruits as soon as I open the bottle. Sadly this dissipates pretty quickly. Settles into a much thinner pineapple and faint pine with a little bit of yeast.
Not as juicy as the initial nose suggested. Less defined, though equally prominent hops are still the forefront. touches of sweet augment a bitter foundation upon which I can't quite put my finger. The finish is long with a juicy bitterness.
Thick and chewy with little pinpricks of carbonation that remind me of fermented pickle juice.
Really good beer, but I can't help but feel like there were still some points left on the board.
★ 863 characters
3.28/5 rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Served in a 12oz goblet, this brew was a pale gold color, and had just a thin bit of white head. The aroma was certainly hop forward, and had no malt presence. On the tongue, sharp and bitter hops were dominant, although there was just a bit of malt.
The body was way thinner than I prefer for the style. Drinkability was good, but the bitter finish was just a bit too harsh for me. Overall, a nice enough brew that would hit a lot of other palates better than it did mine.
★ 474 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Served in a 12oz goblet, this brew was a pale gold color, and had just a thin bit of white head. The aroma was certainly hop forward, and had no malt presence. On the tongue, sharp and bitter hops were dominant, although there was just a bit of malt.
The body was way thinner than I prefer for the style. Drinkability was good, but the bitter finish was just a bit too harsh for me. Overall, a nice enough brew that would hit a lot of other palates better than it did mine.
★ 474 characters
3.6/5 rDev -10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
22oz bottle, factually proclaiming "contains alcohol". Served in a chalice. Beer appears orange and significantly hazed. Big citrus juice aroma. No surprises, the flavor features layers upon layers of hops. Finishes like I'm chewing on a grapefruit rind. A lot of great hop flavors here, but as the label not-so-subtley promises, this beer is all about the bitter, no balance.
★ 382 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
22oz bottle, factually proclaiming "contains alcohol". Served in a chalice. Beer appears orange and significantly hazed. Big citrus juice aroma. No surprises, the flavor features layers upon layers of hops. Finishes like I'm chewing on a grapefruit rind. A lot of great hop flavors here, but as the label not-so-subtley promises, this beer is all about the bitter, no balance.
★ 382 characters
4.15/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a thin head on clear straw body.
The aroma is mango, pine and danky pineapple. Excellent.
The taste is a bitter mix with tropical fruit sweetness. Really nice.
The texture is crisp.
Outstanding.
★ 200 characters
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a thin head on clear straw body.
The aroma is mango, pine and danky pineapple. Excellent.
The taste is a bitter mix with tropical fruit sweetness. Really nice.
The texture is crisp.
Outstanding.
★ 200 characters
3.99/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Drank out of a plastic cup at a cheap ass hotel in Newport, OR. This a very aromatic big beer with the 9% alcohol well hidden. Aromas and taste of pine and sweet citrus. Taste has residual sweetness to go with the malt. A very nice big ipa. First beer from this local brewery.
★ 276 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Drank out of a plastic cup at a cheap ass hotel in Newport, OR. This a very aromatic big beer with the 9% alcohol well hidden. Aromas and taste of pine and sweet citrus. Taste has residual sweetness to go with the malt. A very nice big ipa. First beer from this local brewery.
★ 276 characters
4/5 rDev -1%
On draft at Chuck's 85th. Grapefruit, pine resin, grassy aroma. Pours orange, slightly cloudy, with a white, thin head. Hits with a bitter taste from hops, with some sweetness and sourness in the back. Thick and full body, with a long finish.
★ 246 characters
On draft at Chuck's 85th. Grapefruit, pine resin, grassy aroma. Pours orange, slightly cloudy, with a white, thin head. Hits with a bitter taste from hops, with some sweetness and sourness in the back. Thick and full body, with a long finish.
★ 246 characters
Alpha Centauri Binary IPA from Hop Valley Brewing Company
4.04
out of 5
based on 278 ratings.
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Hop Valley Brewing Company’s Alpha Centauri
I sampled this at my neighborhood Albertson’s, and said “I hasta have!”
Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a big ol’ Kirin mug. A nice head formed, about a finger and a half, which slowly degraded to an uneven foamy surface with different sizes of bubbles, very nice! Tendrils of foam clung to the glass as the foam subsided. I thought the bar to be hazy, but it was very cold, and the mug was just frosty, the brew was clear, and a nice light amber color. The head persisted, nice and dense, about a quarter of an inch, after several minutes. The smell… hops(!), and a little citrus, not a huge aroma, to my surprise.
The first sip said Imperial IPA in your face, and on your tongue, buddy! I could taste every one of those 100 bitterness units. Puckered the roof of my mouth! The flavor reminds me of when I chew a leaf of yarrow or sagebrush. Are there turpenes in hops? Yes there are! And there was a bit of what I decided was carambola fruit. All of this hid the 9% alcohol very well.
So I sipped, and sipped, and refilled from the bottle, and sipped. Actually, I should say I’m sipping. I sip, and then inhale through my partially closed mouth, and there is not as much aromatics going on as some beers I have had, with a minty cool like effect, but I can feel the hop oils coating my mouth. As far as maltiness is concerned, my taste buds are not as attenuated to that.
There is no lacing on the mug, curiously, as there is still a foamy, almost scummy head. Have you ever gone hiking by a stream, and noticed a scummy foam hanging out along the bank, trapped by sticks and rocks and grasses? No? Too bad, but like that. Now I do detect that aromatic, almost minty feel when I suck air into my mouth, a bit. I also feel a bit tipsy. Listening to the Beatle’s “Girl” from Help helps. Another sip, another Hop Bomb! Yum! I shake the last dribble from the bottle into the glass.
I notice that there is a patch of lacing at the back of the glass, with bands indicating my sips, and I wonder if I smoked something, but maybe it is just my dishwasher messing with me. Note to self- hand wash beer mugs, please.
The hop sensation has worked itself all around and under my tongue, very nice. The Kinks’ “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” is playing on the radio, and this beer could sing this song, if it could sing. I can relate!
Did I mention mouthfeel? Here goes: Nice mouthfeel, kind of thick, maybe due to the oils in the hops.
That’s all folks!
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