Baby Idiot
Coronado Brewing Company

This is much clearer than the Idiot. A full golden color with a lingering white, cottony head. Much milder grapefruit bouquet was noted with Idiot. Mouthfeel is wet and smooth as silk. It's like down bedding for your tongue. MIld, tart and bitter grapefruit esters. Easy drinking. And at 4%, have as much as you like.

 

I had this on-tap at the Iron Abbey just outside of Philadelphia. Poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a slightly cloudy amber color with a golden hue. There is a layer of white head that fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: A very mild smell with a touch of bready malt. On top of the malt, I'm getting some citrus peel hop bitterness.

Taste: This is more interesting than the smell. Mild bready malt, but this beer isn't sweet at all. There is a strong citrus hop bitterness that carries each sip through the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with foamy carbonation and large bubbles. The finish has a touch of dryness to it.

Overall: This is a nice and hoppy session ale. Quite easy to drink with decent balance and a good hop profile.

 

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Slightly hazed gold with a pillowy, small-bubbled, soapy head that leaves spots and lines of lace down the glass.

Very nice, hop-forward aroma, especially considering the exceptionally low ABV. The waves of citrus and pine are strong, with a touch of sweet, bready malt as well. Unfortunately, this was by far the best aspect of the beer.

Moderate bitterness, slight pine and citrus, and a soapy finish and lingering aftertaste. The detergent-like soapy flavor stays in the mouth far too long after the swallow. Not good.

Medium bodied with high carbonation.

I had really high hopes for this low-alcohol IPA after smelling it, but the taste was not at all enticing.

pours a clear, pale yellow with a small white head, and good lacing.

smell is of lemon, floral, some orange peel, and a little bit of caramel.

taste is of hops, some malt, grapefruit, orange peel, a little pine, and some caramel, ends a little dry, and nicely bitter.

overall a very low alcohol at 3.9%, and it does not need it either.

I tried this new Coronado beer on tap at Hamilton's 2nd Saturday event on 8-8-09.

The beer was a very cloudy and hazy apricot color, the yeast must have not settled completely in the keg or something. A nice inch of foam sat atop the beer leaving some soapy lacing on the glass as it settled to a thin layer.

The aroma consisted mostly of pine, bitter citrus, crackers, and bitter orange and grapefruit. Once the beer was halfway gone and got closer to room temp there was a hint of caramel in the background and the cracker aroma also intensified.

With the first sip I got some pine bitterness, citrus zest (lemon, orange, and grapefruit), un-ripe apricot and nectarine. Some bitter toast and bread in the finish. Lots of pine sap and pine needle flavors with not much sweetness to balance it out. Long lasting hop bitterness with a semi-dry finish. One of my friends said it tastes like Christmas, like chewing on a Christmas tree.

Moderate to high carbonation but I think it suits the beer as it helps to wash away the pine bitterness. Fairly easy to drink but not complex enough to have more than one or two. However, quite flavorful for such a low abv ipa.

*No idea if this was a one off beer, seems unlikely, so I put this as a rotational beer.