SS Yirgacheffe
Carton Brewing Company

16 oz. can dated 3/18/20. Poured into Trillium The Six States Goblet.

A coffee IPA. Only did this once before. Was not as bad as I feared.

L: 1.5F foamy white head with pretty good retention, leaving webby lacing and a ring. Beer is a hazy deep copper.

S: Light coffee, some lemony notes from the Soriachi hops (unclear if they also used Lemon Drop or not). Earthiness.

T: Dominated by the coffee notes, though lemon does make its presence on the back end. Some serious malting here, thinking oats and or barley. Somewhat bitter.

F: Medium body, not much carbonation (maybe more would help?). Points for the delicate construction and balance needed to pull this off, but it probably could be a bit less bitter or lingering.

O: Heck of an effort. It's a little bit like a fortified Boat + Regular Coffee + lemon. I'd rather they swing and partially connect than get in a rut.

Credible finger plus head, eggshell white in color, enough density to retain a full surface coating for some time, in turn the lacing forms broad if stubby streaks. Coppery hued liquid, nice brightness with more yellow tinged rims, close to zero visible carbonation. As expected, the nose dominated by bitter coffee notes, if you manage to get past these it delivers lemon peel, meadow grasses and pine sap, the relentlessness of the coffee smothers any fruit aromas. Full-bodied, creamy and rich, the carbonation adding to an expansive fluffiness. More room here for the herbaceousness to blossom and it’s more floral and citrusy as well. Something more like oats or grains than doughiness or breadiness. The peach, apricot to papaya fruit flavors surface now and then. However, even while to a lesser extent than in the nose, that coffee can be punishing at times. A roasty bitterness trumps any grassy bite and brings with it bitter dark chocolate notes. In the final analysis it’s more than just a goof or curiosity but it could use more balance among the constitutive parts to really excel.

 

Ton of coffee; it dominates the hops and does not taste like an IPA. Interesting and a good beer but don't expect a complex mix of hops with the coffee.

**
04/23/18

Can to snifter.

Dark yellow color. Medium off white head.

Aroma: is barley, coffee, flowers, mild wood/pine.
Taste: more of the flavors in the aroma, but maybe not mixed as well.
Feel: medium body, sturdy, good carbonation, smooth finish.

Pretty good brew. I thought this was another in their cream ale series (like regular coffee), but I realized as I was pouring that it's a pale ale. Though I am not a fan of Yirgacheffe coffee, I do like it in combination with this beer. Another solid Carton creation.

**

 

A: Deep orange with copper highlights. Head a bit fizzy but long-lasting.

S: Lemon, tangerine, lychee, pomelo, sweet cream and coconut. Imagine If regular coffee had a baby with an IPA.

M: A tad sticky. Slightly resinous. Hints of alcohol along with an acrid kick at the end.

T/O:Floral and herbal, chocolate covered citrus rind fruity, red rooibos tea-like finish. Rich berry, red wine undertones, but short of jam-like. Bready-caramel malt notes. Lofty and heady dill weed.

A very dynamic tasting beer that almost had me lost a couple times. Choco-dill orange-berry beer anyone? It manages to be robust yet toned.

 

 

I love good coffee IPA’s and this is no exception. The lemon drop hops and the coffee work so well together. As noted on the can there is a lemony bitterness to the beer as the hops and coffee meld together perfectly. There is a subtle sweetness to the beer almost as if someone poured a few drops of regular coffee into the beer. Not sure what’s driving this but it’s delectable.

A: Gold/Amber with thick head and good lacing.
N: Nice roasted coffee, hops, citrus, and malt.
T: Follows the nose, very pleasing coffee flavors mixed with hops and cool citrus to make this a really unique beer.
M: Medium
O: What a great beer, the flavors work so well together, very good.

 

Got in a BIF from MacMalt. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 3/1/2018. Pours lightly hazy cloudy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with awesome retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of nutty medium roast coffee, cocoa, lemon, lime, orange, dill, mint, citrus peel/zest, honey, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of caramel, pepper, pine, smoke, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/earthy hops, coffee, and bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big nutty medium roast coffee, cocoa, lemon, lime, orange, dill, mint, citrus peel/zest, honey, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of caramel, pepper, pine, smoke, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel, herbal, grassy, spicy hops; and light roast, char, coffee bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of nutty coffee, cocoa, lemon, lime, orange, dill, mint, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, honey, toasted bread, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, coffee, and bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready, fairly sticky, and lightly resinous/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Mild increasing warmth of 8.4% after the finish. Overall this is a very nice coffee imperial pale ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, coffee, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. The lemon/citrus/earthy hops and fruity/nutty coffee complexity complement each other well; nice balanced bready malt backbone, not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A very enjoyable and unique offering.

 

 

 

Reviewed one week after its 3/1/2018 canning date. Poured into Carton IPA glass. It pours a hazy, honey-orange color with a large, fluffy, bright white head and soapy lacing. The smell is interesting: there's a lot of tobacco, along with burnt coffee grounds. Not what you'd expect from an APA. There is also lemon, grapefruit, and pepper notes. Its taste is an intriguing combination of freshly-brewed and burnt coffee, caramel, char, tobacco, lemon, and bitter, biting Sorachi Ace hops. It's a nice balance of bold sweetness and bitterness. For an APA, it's surprisingly rich and creamy - almost chewy - with lively carbonation, and a noticeable and potent 8.4% ABV. Overall, this is a unique and thoroughly enjoyable beer: it's like a stronger version of Boat blended with Regular Coffee. It would easily stand up to a hearty meal or for dessert.

 

As i return to this, I like it more. Perhaps it's Carton's best.
A) Another Carton looker with lace and lasting white head over a slightly hazed coffee influenced amber body.
S) Coffee in a good way, as it rises in a morning kitchen, along with steaming sweet buns and fried eggs.
T) Monster big hops laced with that cold brew coffee. Lemony, lemon rind, on a malt caramel breakfast bun core.
F) Even has a little astringency of the lemon and cold brew.
O) Winner if you love coffee that’s not over done, like cold espresso laced with lemon rind twirl. Euro.
Prickly clean finish, I prefer this to other coffee brews because astringent, not sweet.