FNA IPA
Watch City Brewing Co.

Drank on-tap at Watch City Brewing Co., Waltham, MA
Served in a snifter

Glowing, copper-amber in appearance with a thin, frothy, off-white head that left streaky blocks of lacing along the glass.

The aroma was rather mediocre. Fairly sweet and fruity with a strong caramel malt presence. The hops were surprisingly subdued. Faintly citrusy and a touch spicy.

Thick, rich, super sweet caramel malts dominated the flavor profile. Moderately hoppy. Candied oranges and spice notes appeared in the center. Hints of maple syrup came through as well. The finish was more of the same. The hops tried to fight through the thick, rich, cloying malt sweetness but they were simply no match.

This mouthfeel was super syrupy and viscous with an effervescence so slight that it was barely detectible. The lack of carbonation made this beer feel really heavy and sticky on my palate.

I remember reading on the menu that FNA Imperial IPA is aged for two months. With such malt overload and with the hops so subdued, perhaps they should try to serve this beer as fresh as possible.

FNA IPA reminded me of a lower alcohol, less hoppy version of Dogfish Head's 120 Minute IPA. If you are a fan of that brew (or sweet, malty, double IPAs in general), you might like this as well.

on-tap during a visit in early june 2009. served in snifter glass.

deep amberish copper. faint haze. 2-finger off-white head, recedes to thin layer. decent lacing.

aroma: piney and resinous with citrus rind, some zest. caramel and toffee malt sweetness, w apple juice concentrate fruitiness. a bit heavy on the diacetyls, but not too distracting.

taste is very similar. moderate to bold, resinous bitterness. diacetyl still quite present, but not completely overpowering.

lightly syrupy feel, with plenty of resinous astringency. moderate carbonation.

the diacetyl does cut down on overall drinkability tho. taste should be a 3.7 and drinkability a 3.5. scores are adjusted to compensate.

Picked up the last bottle of this at Watch City on 4/20. The label on the bottle read brewed 8/8/07 but the cap on it indicated 4/1/08.
This beer pours a slightly, hazy orange, about a half finger of white head that receded relatively quickly - spotty sticky lacing left on the glass. Nose is slightly muted, but very fruity, slight hops, and a touch of malt in the nose. Sadly, I believe that the hops didn't age well in this beer. The taste didn't have the burst of hops that I expected from an Imperial IPA. There was only a touch of citrus hops in the taste, but a nice malt balance. The aftertase is of apples. This is a medium body, medium carbonation, initial mouthfeel is very crisp and then finishes a bit sticky. Even with the hops not being what I think it once was, it is still a highly drinkable beer. I hope this one is brewed again so that I can try a fresh batch!

I am sad that Watch City retired this beer as it was a superior offering. The appearance was fine: warm amber color with a slight haze. It is has a frothy head.

The smell was quite muted and this was with the serving being in a brandy snifter.

This glass was served at the perfect temperature. It was cool, about 45 degrees. Nice malt base that melts into strong hop swallow and aftertaste. Great body and carbonation.

This is a smooth IPA with lots of flavor.

On-tap 8/28/07 at Watch City Brewing Co. in Waltham, MA, served in a snifter glass.

A: The beer is a bright reddish orange color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a decent lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is very fruity and very hoppy with strong citrus notes.

T: The taste is very well-balanced with a strong burst of hops bitterness and a fruity citrus sweetness. The malt character is hearty but allows the previously mentioned flavors to take precedence. The after-taste is sweet and a little hoppy.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is very clean for a beer with so much sweetness.

D: Very tasty, goes down dangerously easily, not very filling, very good representation of style, this beer definitely seems like Hops Explosion taken to the next level and done very nicely. I could drink this beer all night or at least until the 9.30% ABV catches up with me. My only regret is not getting a growler of this to take home.

22oz bottle at the bar. Bottled 3/24/07. 9.2% ABV and 98 IBUs according to the label.

A: Slightly hazy orange copper with a finger of foam. Dissipated quickly but left a lot of lacing on the class. Very pleasing to the eye.

S: Hops! Though a bit more muted than the on-tap version of this (likely from the bottle conditioning), they are still a force. Piney, resiny, and floral hops come through.

T: Wow! This is a hoppy beer! I'm very impressed. According to the label it was made with 29lbs. of hops. Very tasty. Those same pieny, resiny hops come through, with a nice citrus/grapefruit/floral taste as well. The malt is there, forming the backbone, but not really balancing it as well as it could. Definitely a beer for a hophead. Again, the taste is a bit muted out of the bottle, but it's still damn hoppy.

M: Like chewing on hops. Quite literally. Mouthfeel is a little grainy, but smooth.

D: For a hophead, this is a definite must-try. Not an every-day beer, but a good example of the style. After being down on Watch City for a long time, they really put out a good effort with this one.

Just wanted to add that this beer is like a baby Dreadnuaght IPA. It's smooth hop flavor is more inviting and more balanced.

Originally Reviewed on: 07-26-2007 03:54:33

A- Orange-Amber-More Orange, Finger thick almost white head that quickly fades. Awesome sticking! Decent carbonation

S- Floral Hops, Citrus, Spicey and orangish

T- Orange [zest?], Popping Hops (exploding with flavor with every second), Very smooth and flavorful. A must Pick-up!!!

M- Medium to full body all the way. This beer never let's up. It's the little train that could and does.

D- I think I could have 3 or 4 of these before I needed a hand walking. This beer tastes great (if you're a hop head) and it's a smooth going down. I just keep wanting another glass!

Threw out some choice expletives with this one on 2/21/2007. 14-oz. goblet pour, $5, at the source.

Gorgeous, bone white head is piled huge on one side of an ample cumulus base. Recedes slowly, with a full drape on the inside. Deep orange/amber hue with a touch of haze and some darker, light brown tints; it’s clear there’s a game going on in there, with the carbonated participants pinging and banging off of one another and the playing surface. Very robust fruit juice on the nose, with rose hip and juniper berries clanging around too. Melon balls dipped in liquid sugar on the tongue, most noticeable after the pour warms, with a woody core opening up too, like jacking back an old convertible top. Alcohol cranks it up increasingly.

Tasty brew; would gladly have another.

[EBF 2006 review (from notes!)]

The aroma & taste of this beer were more malty than one would expect from anything with "IPA" in the title, even if it is "imperial" (and thus strong). Speaking of strong, the alcohol flavor came right through.

The hop profile was pretty prominent in both aroma and, moreover, taste. Strong grapefruit overtones, but an all-around citrus feeling make it pretty decent, but not an earth-shattering hop combination.

The body was nice overall, with relatively little carbonation (which was nice).

Enjoyed on tap this evening...my score reflects my rating on the style...w/ that said....
Arrived in a 10oz. snifter, but should really be a full pint...this is no double. Dark ruby in color w/ less than a half finger of off white head...lacing minimal and no cling visible.
Aroma very faint...more sweetness than hops in the nose...very surprising. Some fruity hops are detected...no alcohol sensed.
The taste is decent, but again, not what you expect from a double...this was more like a hoppy barleywine. I did enjoy the flavor, but w/ so many doubles out there this one just does not stand out. My favorite aspect is the bitterness...its not overly bitter, but you know tons of hops are used in its creation...maybe too many to appreciate any one in particular.
Mouthfeel was medium bodied...carbonation could have been a bit higher.
I could have had two of these, but opted for another selection instead...proving that this one should have more to offer the hophead in me.

I went down to WC tonight just to try this beer. I ended up ordering two mugs of it, because I wanted to make sure my initial reaction was correct.

I was underwhelmed with this beer as a double IPA. It could be because I think of Stone products when I hear double IPA but sip after sip I felt like that little old woman from the '80s commerical asking "Where's the hops?"

It is billed as having been through 33 pounds of hops, but I didn't pick that up in the taste, or smell. I gave this beer good marks because, in all honestly it is a fantastic beer, I guess I just expected more from something advertised as a double IPA. I am not the end all, be all of IPA drinkiers, but I am fond of them and this just didn't measure up to what I was expecting.

Definitely worth a try while it lasts, hopefully I will be proven wrong.

One of the owners of Watch City (Frank) told me about this beer 5 months ago, and I’ve been drooling over the thought of it since. The Hop Head IPA is a favorite of mine, not only because it’s local, but because of it’s great balance of high IBU and malt. This beer takes it to a new level. It’s brewed with a new yeast strain obtained from a prominent west coast brewer (I’m not talking if Aaron isn’t), and is loaded with hops (33 lbs in a relatively small batch). All of these hops results in a mighty 97 IBUs (can I get a he@#% yeah!). Out of the tap it is a deep hazy copper, almost a garnet in color. Again, this is evidence of the balance in the beer. There was not too much head to speak of, but a great lace was left on the side of the glass after every sip. Deep floral aroma on the nose. I’m trying to decide if it was Cascade or Amarillo hops. Surprisingly, the malt does come through a bit in the aroma. The taste has a wonderful brightness. Citrus/orange flavors come up front with a lively hop character in the middle. The back end is accented again by the malts. All during the flavor profile there is a sharpness, just a slight bite from the hops (not too much, just right). This is evidence again of the balance of the beer. It has a great light crispness for a heavily hopped beer, and is very drinkable. I guess my favorite beers in this style are over the top on the hop aroma and taste (Mojo IPA, Big A, 90 minute, Ruination, etc), but I have to say, this has quickly shot to the top of the list. It’s under limited release now, with a broader release this winter (PLEASE Aaron!)