Area 52 Octofox
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.

Area 52 OctofoxArea 52 Octofox
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From:
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
 
British Columbia, Canada
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.74 | pDev: 12.57%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
31
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 26, 2015
Added:
Jun 12, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  6
Octofox IPA was one of the earliest beers in the brewery’s “Area 52″ series of rotating one-off IPAs, and is described as follows:

It pours a deep golden colour with a soft marshmallow white head. Full bodied and bright, flavours of citrus are balanced against a pine-bitter hop profile that finishes dry. Octofox is selectively brewed to be broadly enjoyed.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by smekermann:
Photo of smekermann
Reviewed by smekermann from Canada (BC)

1.75/5  rDev -53.2%
Sorry to write this review in what appears to be an earlier batch but I don't actually know if the recipe changed, so I'm erring on the side of caution. This bottle was picked up from a BCLS and looked fairly new, with different artwork than what is shown in the picture above.

Anyway, to get to the point: this beer is awful. Outright, straight-up awful. Looks nice, etc. but it tastes like you're chewing on a steel bar. Never have I tried a beer that tasted just straight-up metallic. There's a somewhat ok hop kick to it (a bit grassy imo) when it first enters your mouth, and then you swallow and all you can taste is metal. There are no undertones, overtones or any kind of tones - it's just metal all the way down. I actually found it impossible to drink this. I poured 3/4ths of the bomber down the drain and I almost never do that.

If you enjoy the taste of metal, though, this is definitely a must-buy. I don't think you'll ever find another beer that reproduces the taste quite as faithfully as this.
Oct 23, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.9 by RBryn from Canada (BC)

Jul 26, 2015
Photo of Bunman3
Reviewed by Bunman3 from Canada (AB)

3.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Mmmm good. My bottle was a bomber, rebranded and likely re-released for this year. This a solid IPA - nothing outstanding or noteworthy, but definitely worth a return visit.
May 22, 2015
Photo of ajsinyvr
Reviewed by ajsinyvr from Canada (BC)

2.88/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.5
New label and Octofox is released again for 2015,
L: clear bright, golden hue, s: citrus hops when warms a bit. Not at ton of aroma. T: a bit unbalanced and confused. Apple and Passionfruit initially, then pine a fair bit of bitterness at the end. F: spot on, nice round full mouthfeel
O: It is not terrible. it is just a bit off all the way around.
The pine finishes too quick and not dank enough for my taste, and so does the nose and citrus, too little too quick to end. The malt is present but not enough to balance the bittering hops.
Mar 26, 2015
 
Rated: 3.91 by imfinished from Canada (BC)

Mar 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.87 by souvenirs from Canada (BC)

Mar 22, 2015
 
Rated: 3.79 by Kmat10 from Canada (AB)

Mar 18, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Ericbeech_87 from Canada (BC)

Mar 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.91 by BcCraft710 from Canada (BC)

Mar 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.84 by 4ster from Canada (ON)

Dec 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Tivlavrie from Canada (AB)

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.76 by bulldogops from Canada (AB)

Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Howlader from Canada (AB)

Dec 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.39 by ZachT from Canada (BC)

Nov 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by schnarr84 from Canada (AB)

Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Niceroad77 from Canada (BC)

Oct 19, 2014
Photo of kjyost
Rated by kjyost from Canada (MB)

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%
Glorious nose. Fruity. Piney body with a very vegetal green flavour that dominates negatively. Bracing bitterness. Just too green a beer.
Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Derek from Canada (BC)

Oct 11, 2014
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
650ml bottle poured into tulip 10/10/14

A clear golden liquid, looks fairly still but pumps out a very well sustained three fingers of foam, strange having a massive head but hardly any visible bubbles, a fair amount of random lace deep down the glass

S spruce and citrus, lemon, orange, a little mango, sweet malt, faint green onion and Phillips house notes

T lemon rind comes out strong, a little booze, pine and hard toffee, not far off the nose

M lighter side of medium, fairly bitter, gritty yet somehow ends up slick, well carbonated in the mouth, citrus and pine linger

O respectable beer and easy enough to drink, nothing to really set it apart and make it memorable

I like the beer but Phillips IPA's are starting to taste the same too me, not far off Hop Circle really, good but not great
Oct 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by KStark from Canada (BC)

Oct 11, 2014
Area 52 Octofox from Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 31 ratings