Alpha Deuce IPA
River House Brewpub

On tap at the brew pub. Appears in my glass a gazed color of copper with orange coloration and a bit of yellow hues. A creamy tan head forms and leaves spotty to patchy lacework on the glass.

The smell of this brew is primarily showcasing hop characteristics as exlected: orange rinds, grass and citrus notes. There is a bit of sugary sweetness like candy mixed with caramel malt.

The taste is oily and resinous with grassy and rindy hop aspects. A little catty character comes out as it warms mixing with an herbal touch and some fruitiness that lasts in the aftertaste with a rindy character. The malt backing is toasty with caramel-like sweetness.

This is a medium bodied brew with modest carbonation. The 7% abv is well integrated and hidden for the most part in this brew. It's not the most fantastic ipa but it's quite drinkable. I found my glass to be empty quicker than I would have liked, well done.

On tap at River House brewpub on 3/6/11.

A - Hazy golden orange, amber-toned liquid with a short off-white creamy crown that retained well and yielded lots of sticky webbing around the glass.

S - Initial aroma opens with herbal hop notes and a hint of citrus fruit paired with sweet malts and a faint waft of buttery notes.

T - Opens with a fairly assertive hop character combining citrus and perfumy attributes balanced by sweet malt and just a pinch of buttery notes. Mild alcohol notes also emerged after the liquid warmed up a bit. Finishes with moderate bitterness and subtle sweetness, thus producing some tasty hop burps.

M - Medium bodied with a syrupy texture and bittersweet finish. Carbonation is pretty average for the style.

D - Solid IPA with plenty of bitterness and decent balance despite some buttery notes. Overall, a pretty nice IPA.

A growler filled last Sunday, 2/27, at the brewpub.

A: The IPA is a coppery color, more reddish brown colors though. Golden colors mingle with the darker hues to leave the ale opaque. A full finger of head came with the first pour, leaving plenty of lace around the mouth of the glass.

S: The nose is hoppy but well-matched with caramel malts. Sweetness, grapefruit primarily, runs into a bready wall. Caramel adds a syrupy tinge that crowds out the hops.

T: I'm not sure where things went wrong between the tap and the growler. Balance is still here, but the hops aren't as forward. Pepper and grapefruit are present, as are plenty of malts. The result is a muddled brew, too much of each but not enough of either. There is a vegetal presence, leafy and green, but it gets swallowed up amongst the caramel. I like the beer on tap; the growler I'm not that keen on though.

M: The mouthfeel is syrupy and thick, excess hops and malts that don't get along so nicely. Both are full, lending credence to the ale but I'm not sold on the taste. I much preferred the beer on tap.

D: I'll be able to finish the growler off over the course of the weekend. I wish that the beer wasn't such a departure from the tap version. As I recall, though, I had the same problem with Abbey Wright's version of Alpha Deuce.