Island Reserve: Wet Hopped Very Brown India Pale Ale
Cisco Brewers Inc.

Island Reserve: Wet Hopped Very Brown India Pale AleIsland Reserve: Wet Hopped Very Brown India Pale Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Cisco Brewers Inc.
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American Brown Ale
ABV:
7%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.62 | pDev: 17.13%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
30
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 23, 2012
Added:
Oct 21, 2011
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by VelvetExtract:
Photo of VelvetExtract
Reviewed by VelvetExtract from Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A-Pours “Very Brown”. Cream colored head matches the creamy consistency. Head does not leave much lacing, but it does retains very well.

S-Lighter grassy hoppiness. Some darker maltiness too. A bit grainy. Maybe even a bit nutty as well. The hops are mostly leafy/grassy and floral.

T-Interesting taste. Quite clean and dry. The dark caramel and even a bit of chocolate and nuts mix pleasantly with the crisp grassy hops. Decently bitter and dry. Flavor is definitely unique. I am amused by how light the flavor seems at some points and how potent it hits the palate at others.

M-Lighter bodied. Pretty assertive carbonation. Bitterness lasts and has a drying element. The feel is light enough to warrant several sips in a short period of time.

O/D-This one is pretty perplexing. I would say that I am an overall fan of this brew. It’s lighter in flavor (aside from the bitterness). The hops are a bit one sided. But I do like it because it seems to me to be the median between a regular IPA and a Black IPA. At around $9.50 for a 750ml, the price is nothing to boast about. But I am glad I tried it out. Local too. Appreciate the effort.
Oct 22, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of Durge
Reviewed by Durge from Connecticut

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A deep dark opaque brown-black color with a goodly layer of light tan foam on top and pretty serious lacing. The aroma says root beer grass and sharp skunkified evergreen with Alka Seltzer overtones. Subtle chocolate malt is hiding in there too. Different and neat! The flavor brings a minty evergreen grass hop, pretty sharp but not overwhelming as it mixes with pumpernikel bread malt. There's a bit of a fizzy feel with this medium bodied brew. Carbonation is tastefully midland. It really grows on me and while it isn't a huge hop brew it is plenty good in all categories! Nice job by Cisco.
Oct 23, 2012
Photo of Kendo
Reviewed by Kendo from New York

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A: Poured from the bomber into a glass. Body is brown with a 2-finger foamy, khaki-colored head that retains well, with nice staying power. It settles to leave behind a little lace.

S: Faint - some roasted barley and that's about it. Not getting the "wet hops" at all.

T: Reminds me more of a porter than anything - I get char and roasted barley malt - heavy on the roastiness. Some juicy hop flavors do poke through at the end, however.

M: Too fizzy. Call it the lighter side of medium, heft-wise.

O: OK, but nothing special. Reminded me of homebrewed Porter for some reason (probably the char and roasty characteristics).
Aug 31, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by Nickfellow007 from Rhode Island

Aug 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by bassist286 from Massachusetts

Aug 09, 2012
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.65/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Very brown bodied, with big 3/8" bubbly head.Americo’s bottle, thanks for bringing back. Hoppy aroma. Malty mostly. just a hoppy American brown, whose hops perhaps are not the best match for a brown.I would like more complexity of flavour.Drinkable.
May 24, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by kwjd from Canada (ON)

May 21, 2012
Photo of SLeffler27
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York

3.92/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Very brown indeed. Close to black in the glass with a big two and a half inch creamy, almond head that sticks around, leaving a coating of lace on a tulip glass.

The aroma is filled with spruce nibs and perhaps juniper berries. One can still discern fresh lemon peel. This one really had the fresh hop aroma down solid.

Again, a nice, fresh hop bite with pine flavors, though little else. The finish is long and modest with a lingering bitterness. With some warmth, sweetness and toasted nuts can be found.

Medium body, smooth and dry with modest carbonation. Alcohol is present but a minor player.

Clearly a drinking beer. Goes well with or without food. An IPA by flavor and aroma, though not appearance.

While this is not quite to any style, it is a solid and enjoyable beer and I look forward to it when I get back to the brewery in a year’s time.
Apr 01, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Archemedies from Massachusetts

Mar 29, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by Wizzman from Massachusetts

Mar 10, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by MaineMike from Maine

Mar 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by ATPete from New Jersey

Feb 19, 2012
 
Rated: 1 by ActualAir from Minnesota

Feb 07, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by polishkaz from Connecticut

Jan 13, 2012
Photo of bruachan
Reviewed by bruachan from Massachusetts

4.42/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
this IPA isn't pale! oh wait...

nice tight froth over some chestnut liquid. great geological lacing

delicious full hop aroma. roasty and caramel malt aromas

spicy hop. plenty of nutty sweetness. and plenty of big juicy hop. but it's balanced! i am a big hophead but too many IPAs are miles from balance, so this one is a grand surprise

i may have a new favorite, people
Jan 07, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by cornucopia from Puerto Rico

Jan 01, 2012
Photo of LtCracker20
Reviewed by LtCracker20 from Connecticut

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A- Pours a very deep dark brown with a good 3-finger off-white head that stays for quite a while. Some good lacing.

S- Slight grassy hop aroma, followed by a good smell of peat, some good earthiness to it as well. nothing really stands out, though.

T- Grassy hops, but also a solvent flavor that comes with the bitterness. Again, it's earthy, but that off-taste really stands out.

MF- Medium body with good carbonation levels.
Dec 24, 2011
Photo of CliffBrake
Reviewed by CliffBrake from New Hampshire

3.15/5  rDev -13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Very dark brown, almost opaque with a rocky, long lasting tan head that leaves plenty of lacing.

Nice fresh hop aroma of herbs, earth and vegetables.

Herbal spicy hops with a nice bitterness. Somewhat complex and intriguing but fading to a medicinal sour taste after time that builds and makes the 750 ml bottle seem too large to finish.

Good mouthfeel with appropriate body and carbonation.

I have no idea if this is supposed to represent any particular style, but the name "wet hopped very brown india pale ale" seems appropriately confusing.
Dec 17, 2011
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Tulip glass, last pour. Murky brown, lots of suspended yeast. Ever present khaki tan foam, sticky lacing left inside the glass. Great lasting retention, foam never breaks.

Smells like your typical black ipa (even though it's in fact brown), sweet citrus, coffee and cocoa roast, green vegetal pine sap. Pleasant, not especially pungent or over the top in any way, and that's ok.

Grassy green bitterness, grapefruit rind and a flash of citrus sweetness, bakers chocolate and coffee, simultaneously hoppy and roasty, mellow and balanced. Medium bodied, smooth and fairly easy drinking. Would drink again, a little pricey though, considering the similar options out there.
Dec 10, 2011
Photo of Florida9
Reviewed by Florida9 from Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A: Unsurprisingly, this one pours a very dark brown in color. Forms a fairly large, creamy tan colored head. Very good retention. Leaves some thick gobs of lacing on the way down.

S: Smell is a soapy mix of cocoa, coffee, and citrus hops.

T: Starts off with a thin, watery mix of roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate. Fades quickly before the hops show up. Then it is citrus, grapefruit, and pine. However, nothing is overly assertive and there is a balance between the ingredients.

M: On the heavier side of medium in body with appropriate carbonation. Mild to moderate bitterness.

O: Hoppy brown ale, Black IPA, American IPA. I'm not sure what this beer is trying to be, but it doesn't succeed at doing anything very well. This is a decent blend of malt and hops, but this almost seems to be problem with this beer: the hops aren't as assertive as I'd like them to be and the malts seem a bit watery. While this makes the beer a bit more drinkable, it also makes it much less interesting.
Dec 05, 2011
Island Reserve: Wet Hopped Very Brown India Pale Ale from Cisco Brewers Inc.
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 30 ratings