WAVES West Coast IPA
Almanac Beer Co.

Golden yellow color. Thin white head which quickly dissipates. Pine aroma and flavor. Earthy hop profile. Surprisingly not very citrusy. Dry finish.

Reviewing this on a Metrolink from San Bernardino to Los Angeles. The can looks rather unassuming, but it was canned less than three months ago, was on a refrigerated shelf and I've had it before so I know it's going to be delicious. Poured into a small cylindrical pyrex Tupperware container, it features a slightly hazy golden orange body with an off-white head that leaves just a thin ring of delicate lacing on the pyrex.

The smell of this one is what really makes it stand out though. Sweet notes of fresh cantaloupe, mango, pineapple, red grapefruit, guava, lemon, cucumber and hemp put my nose on a train straight to heaven. Sharp punches of pine and wintergreen permeate this dank fruity cloud over a dry caramel malt backbone. A cooling freshness lingers in the nose for more than a few seconds after a good whiff.

The taste is perfectly in line with this lovely aroma, featuring a dank herbal smoothie with lots of hemp, mango and pineapple accentuated with hints of cantaloupe, grapefruit and guava, as well as spicy basil, bitter pine, and fresh mint.

And what a perfect texture. A sharp tangy bite, creamy smooth middle, and dry finish.

One of the best examples of a classic west coast style IPA I have ever tried, and I've been drinking them almost obsessively for six years now. One could easily argue that it's perfect. Cheers!

 

 

 

Got a 16 oz can from ma boi Tony and poured it into a Batch 19 pint glass represent y'all
Can date is 5/5/20 which makes it only a little over a month old which means FRAAAAESSSH ya heard me

Has a deep gold body with a tall creamy cap of 2 fingers, receding slowly to a half finger and leaving lots of webby lacing destroying the glass where it was.

Aroma is mango and mango smoothie with some papaya, peach, grapefruit, nectarine, and evergreen. Nose is medium volume and takes some effort to get these notes which brings it down a tic. I like xplosive beers.

Flavor surprisingly brings some of those same elements to the dinner table with mango smoothie, peach, and apricot but lays underneath a huge wall of sharp pine and slight bitter dry grass. The finish is of ghostly mango-peach smoothie with some vanilla and evergreen.

Feel is crisp and smooth with some heft to the body, I'd say medium-plus here. Alcohol is well hidden but still appropriately present. Crisp, carbonated finish with lingering resins and oils.

Overall a pretty good beer and although west coast isn't my thing, I'd definitely recommend this one.

Price paid : free
Would buy it : maybe - it's something I'd buy at like, $11 / 4 pack (not sure how much these go for)

Pours crystal clear deep gold (6); very quick tight white head; poor cap retention; small spots of lace and very thin ring. Grapefruit, lemon, earthy dank hop nose. Taste follows, lemony citrus rind, grapefruit pith; light bitterness, and semi sweet malt base, all very restrained. Medium light body verging on watery; moderate minus carbonation; no astringency; no warmth from 6.4% abv. Overall a pretty wimpy IPA from an aroma, taste and mouthfeel-wise standpoint; on the upside, it’s totally poundable, like a session that had more abv; at $6.50/16oz can, I’ll pass next time.

$ 8.49 (Including shipping)/16 oz can ($ 0.531/oz). Received 5/30/20 from Craftshack, San Diego, CA. Reviewed 6/2/20.
Stamped on bottom rim of can “CANNED 04 07 20”. Stored at home upside down at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.25.
First pour – Pale straw (SRM 2), very slight haze.
Body – Pale gold (SRM 4), hazy and opaque. When held to direct light, same.
Head – Large (Maximum five cm, aggressive center pour), white, high density, average retention, diminishing to a four to ten mm scalloped crown and a thin complete cap with a few large rocks.
Lacing – Fair. Undulating bands of mostly medium bubbles connected by two columns.
Aroma – 3.75 – Dank – smells like the needle-covered ground beneath an old white pine, no yeast, no malt.
Flavor – 3.5 – Medium, slightly piney, followed by a bit of weak melon, no malt, no yeast. No alcohol (6.4% ABV, as marked on the label) taste or aroma. Ends with a dank aftertaste. No diacetyl or dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, slightly creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation – 3.75. Flavors are extremely subdued with dankness being the prominent sensation. Appearance is average as is the palate, but the palate works well with the dankness. The simcoe hops dominate. The can is well-labeled, being neither garish nor plain, and contains more information than average with the hop and malt bill. The price point seems high.

 

 

 

A: The beer is somewhat hazy yellow in color and has some hues of amber along with a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a narrow collar of white bubbles around the edge of the glass and lots of lacing on the surface.
S: Moderate aromas of gooseberries, lime and pine are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and starts off with flavors of gooseberries and lime, finishing with piney flavors. There is a moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I liked the crispness, bitterness and contrast between the fruity and piney hops in this IPA.

Serving type: can

Clear amber brew with a handsome pile of foam in the Rodenbach Grand Cru goblet, just for fun. Quite aromatic with citrus and an earthy nose. Seems dryly fruity, with a bitter edge and a little tangerine peel. Touches of lime and pineapple with mango cranking up as it warms.

Pleasantly sudsy brew that is crisp but not acidic. A hint of residual sugar adds a friendly note. It's a different taste, fruity but so far from the Orange Julius concoctions. Supposed to feature dry hopping, with Simcoe and Centennial hops. Brewed with malted wheat along with the PIlsner malt. From the 16 oz can purchased somewhere in Southern Calif.

 

32 oz. growler. Clear orange. Smells of grapefruit hops, some melon, and a little hit of pale malt. After a while, butter comes through. Tastes of orange, tropical fruit, and melon. Grapefruit pith bitterness. Caramel malt and some booze in the back end. Dries out in the finish. Lingering butter. Medium body. Butter is subtle, but it ruins it anyway.

 

Poured from a 1 pint can. Canned on 07/31/2019.
A pretty interesting IPA very dank for a West Coast style.
Eazy drinking i was lucky to find a few cans in Canada.

 

 

Pours a cloudy deep gold, pale amber, with an airy 1” of light tan foam, mixed medium and large bubbles, mild hold, subtle lacing, nose of Simcoe, Centennial hops, earthy pine, dank resin, citrus pith, and evergreen tips. Taste is grapefruit pith, candied oranges, caramel malts, Admiral pilsner malts, BOLD Simcoe and Centennial hops, pine, mango skins, slight herbal greenery. The mouthfeel is crisp, bright and creamy, medium body, medium carbonation, nice dry finish with lingering pith. Overall flavor is extremely balanced, taste is fruit Simcoe hops with a nice malty West Coast quality minus the extreme bitterness, overly refreshing and very easy to session. A must have for all IPA fans.