California Style IPA
Wachusett Brewing Company

California Style IPACalifornia Style IPA
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From:
Wachusett Brewing Company
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
5.8%
Score:
84
Avg:
3.7 | pDev: 11.62%
Reviews:
33
Ratings:
41
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 06, 2017
Added:
Mar 21, 2010
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by degerbah:
Photo of degerbah
Reviewed by degerbah from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a slightly orange cloudy into the bottom of my snifter. The aroma is very strong and primarily of flowery flavored hops. The hops contribute to an overall dry taste. The aftertaste sticks around for a long time, but its stil a good IPA. I'd say its probably a little bit better than Sierra Nevada, but not as good as Stone IPA.
Apr 26, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.1 by Jodio from Texas

Feb 06, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by EvanWilliams from Illinois

Sep 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by ms11781 from Massachusetts

Jul 29, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by seanh99 from Massachusetts

Mar 02, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Jenray from Texas

Dec 12, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Burt from Rhode Island

Nov 21, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by virinow from New York

Nov 17, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by halfshell from Massachusetts

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of thagr81us
Reviewed by thagr81us from South Carolina

3.46/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Big thanks goes out to mikesgroove for sharing this one at Hobo Hangout #9 while we ate dinner. Served from bottle into a Stone nonic. Poured yellow-orange with a two finger slightly off-white head that subsided to half a finger slowly. Maintained excellent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, fruit, and fruity hop. The flavor was of sweet malt, fruit, citrus, and fruity hop. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. Based on the aroma I wasn't really expecting much if I am honest. However, the flavor on this one was quite nice and refreshing. The citrus on the flavor really did wonders as far as livening this one up. Granted this one still wasn't overly impressive for the style which hurt its score in the end.
Aug 26, 2011
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
another one shared with calton while we ate dinner, we needed a bit of a break and this one did it nicely!

nice three finger high head of white foam that hung around for a good few minutes before finally settling down to a thing pillow of white which lasted till the end of the session.

not as heavy as I would have hoped it would be. To be honest a touch light overall with the aroma. Light floral citrus hops dominating everything here, in fact really not much else coming though at all. lots of sugar mingling in as well, sweetening it up and showing the malty side that was laying underneath. As it warmed, some light pine like notes arrived, as well as some earthy tones to show the way through.

little light for an IPA for me at least. There was some very nice floral citrus right up front which welcomed you and brought you on board for the rest of it, this faded quickly and was replaced by a solid back of light earthy grains and a touch of fresh grass Nice crisp finish offering a really nice dry bittering feeling on it. The long flavors of citrus were around for a good while and were nicely sweetened up toward the end.

Overall it appeared that it was just not living up to what I had wanted In it. The flavors were good, it was just that everything was way too light.
May 25, 2011
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3.5/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #43 (Aug 2010):

This head of towering heights reaches past the rim of the glass and well above its hazed orange-amber color. Citric, mint and wildflowers from the hops with a dusting of malt are present in the nose. Its crispness drops off quickly. The hops round out the flavor and add a slightly sharp bitterness. The decent malt base seems to hold together, then finishes fruity and bitter with a trail of yeast. This beer is not half bad, even though its crispness is lacking and the malt does not really keep up at all. It's hard to compare this to its West Coast counterparts.
Jan 11, 2011
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

3.09/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a crystal clear copper, with several stiff fingers of dirty off-white colored head. This retains with a tight half finger that holds fast across the surface and leaves a rich and frothy coating of sticky lacing all down the sides of the glass. The aroma is floral and leafy, with some sweet underlying fruit flavors and toasted graininess. This smells flavorful enough but there just isn't a huge amount of richness here to the nose.

The taste has a bit more oomph going on with it, with bitter citrus peel and some lesser feeling grapefruit character giving this some bite. Light tropical fruit notes hang on the edges of the profile and do most of the balancing here, as the malts are more grainy than sweet across the back of the palate. This finishes dry and pithy but not overly so. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and creamy on the edges of the feel but then gets a little more crisp on the tongue as this moves around. The overall body is fairly soft and oily in the mouth though.

This is another hoppy offering from Wachusettthat I thought might have been out of date but it's looking like other reviewers shared the same thoughts with me on this me. While the flavors are there, this just lacks a robustness to the flavors that would have helped get this to the next level. Not horrible by any means and this still drank decently enough with my dinner this night but this one just doesn't live up to it's potential.
Jan 05, 2011
Photo of ShogoKawada
Reviewed by ShogoKawada from Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
22oz into Lowenbrau mug.

A- Nice golden color, snow white head, lots of staying power, sticky lacing. Kind of clumps together and is a bit unapealling twoards the end.

S- Mild pine sap and some citrus notes. Nothing to write home about.

T- In my opinion, this is very 'east coast', not California style. This has a nice malt base and while it's hoppy it's not over the top or particularly potent. More pine than I'd like for a 'cali-style IPA'.

M- Good carbonation, body is a bit light. A bit too much sweetness.

D- Moderately low. I can't see how this is a good value given the many other east and west coast IPAs available for far less $$$ (in 6pk form). I won't be buying this again.

Looks like Larry is the one for me.
Oct 13, 2010
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bomber, $5 at the Spirit Haus, in Amherst, Ma. Comes w/o freshness/bottling info. Pours typical looking hazed honey amber. Head starts large, loose and clumpy, then goes all fine, tiny bubble, and silky, leaves nice looking fine lace.

Not getting much in the nose, just a hint of hops.

Pleasant enough ale, but "California Style" its really not. Not giving me much of a hop presence/crunch. Tastes more like a liter summery pale. Better IPAs out there
Oct 09, 2010
Photo of yourefragile
Reviewed by yourefragile from District of Columbia

3.43/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
22oz bottle poured into a nonic. Thanks akorsak!

Pours a golden copper with a creamy, whitish head. Fades to a clumpy sheet of foam with light bubbly clumps of lace. Aroma was the weakest part of the beer and only part that doesn't really live up the California name; piney hops and bready malts but overall very subdued. Flavor has a strong bready and doughy malt body with resiny and pine hops in the finish along with some peppery spice. Despite the low alcohol there is also a surprising amount of heat and booze in the finish. Mouthfeel is little harsh with a medium body and overly strong carbonation. Overall, a little harsh and lacking in aromatics, but some nice hoppy flavors.
Sep 26, 2010
Photo of brewandbbq
Reviewed by brewandbbq from New Hampshire

3.78/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
22oz bottle.

Pours hazy gold with an inch-plus head of sticky white. A partial skim coat revealed itself after a few minutes as well as some smeared lacing.

Aromatics have a light mix of citrus and pine. Grapefruit and a trace of tangerine zest. A whisp of biscuity malt underneath. Far from pungent or floral. Subdued for the style.

Medium bodied with a crisp, bone-dry mouthfeel.

Grapefruit zest and a decent bitterness start the palate. Very light on the malt and quite dry. The hopping never really ramps up to anything substantial. Pretty much grapefruit with a touch of malt and a firmish bitterness.

Finishes with some lingering grapefruit, and a minerally crispness.

Certainly easily drinkable and I love the dryness, but the hopping falls way short in all aspects. The boys at Wachusett should try a Pure Hoppiness or Sculpin and dig a little deeper in the hop vault if they are going to refer to this as a "California Style".
Sep 02, 2010
Photo of Augustiner719
Reviewed by Augustiner719 from Massachusetts

2.7/5  rDev -27%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 1.5
Poured from a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass.

Pours a very orange hazy yellow color like a honey type with a medium off white head that leaves minimal lacing. The aroma is very sweet and hoppy with big Clementine aromas and even a touch of grapefruit zest. The flavor is just not balanced at all. The malt profile is non existent and really all your left with is poor quality bitter hops. Not really a complex beer. Mouthfeel is on point with solid carbonation and a dry finish. I would say this is not a good effort in showcasing the wet coast style in ipas. Really not that good.
Aug 30, 2010
Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to nonstick for this bomber.

A: The IPA is a golden orange color, bright and cheery on this sunny day. A vigourous pour yielded three fingers of craggy head that laced nicely as it receded.

S: The IPA has a crisp nose that is heavy with grapefruit aromas. Pine comes through in the follow-up, adding strength and syrupy oils. Pale malts, bready as they are, don't have much to say here.

T: The piney hops, thick and resiny, register their presence immediately. The bite isn't as strong as you'd think, instead the ale takes a more subtle route. The hops are fleeting, especially when the ale is cold. Although a sweet berry flavor does linger around before the ale gets too warm. The bitterness is, despite my earlier protestations to the contrary, a little numbing on my tongue. The ale feels a great deal stronger than the 5.8% on the label.

M: The mouthfeel is hoppy, augmented with a bit of bready malts. The hops start off weak before picking up in intensity. My tongue was numb near the end.

D: A nearly sessionable IPA that packs a rich flavor. A noble concept that works here.
Aug 18, 2010
Photo of Durge
Reviewed by Durge from Connecticut

4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A straw yellow brown color, hazy with a big off-white head with good lacing. The aroma says sweet malt and lemony hop, nice and mellow. The flavor is also nicely blended with nutty malt and woodsy-pine hop with butterscotch highlights. It's solidly mid-bodied with a fine peppery carbonation, very pleasant feel with mild sweetness that's very drinkable while packing a satisfying hop edge. A nice surprise.
Aug 09, 2010
California Style IPA from Wachusett Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 41 ratings