Pile Of Face
Against The Grain Brewery & Smokehouse

Nass from Florida

3.62/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

There is no date on the can although I do like the can artwork. The pour is copper colored. The taste is pine, mild grapefruit, & mild orange. cheers! B

Feb 17, 2021

KomodoDragon from Virginia

3.94/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4

Pretty hazy sunset orange color. One inch ivory head, absolutely perfect lacing, although it did dissipate as it went down

Sadly, just don’t pick up much in the nose. Honey, maybe a touch of cinnamon.

Sweet honey malt in the front. Backbone adds a touch of spice , red pepper flake, dark cherry and a smooth long bitter finish with great depth. Mouthfeel is near perfect with minimal carbonation. Alcohol is apparent but not dominant.

Some great qualities to this brew. Definitely one to revisit.

Jan 03, 2021

DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Such a balanced tasting IPA the flavors are almost borderline subdued. super smooth and drinkable with tons of citrus and lemon hops flavors. Kind of forgettable in a way but still a tasty beer

May 25, 2020

JacobusFavier23 from Texas

4.18/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Going "AGAINST THE GRAIN", pun intended, and reviewing this ale poured into a glass instead of drinking it out of the can as it suggests. Will add thoughts on drinking it from the can as well.

L- Pours a pretty decent looking ipa. Nothing too special. Glass hugging suds. Golden amber body color.
S- The smell is a strong, boozy, malty and buttery aroma, followed by a piney hop scent. Immediate thoughts that this will be a heavy sipper.
T- Wow, totally subdued. Very drinkable and sessionable. A complete different output than the aroma. Sweet malt, tart, bitter hop and chocolate/vanilla flavors. Flavors pull away for a refreshing finish. Tastefully and exceptionally crafted.
MF- Relatively light bodied, still very refreshing.
O- This IPA is incredibly drinkable and very well crafted. Not much else to say. The nose is great and strong, while the flavor is subdued and refreshing.

*Drinking from the can- I prefer from a glass personally, but this great beer is incredibly sessionable and sips well from a can as well. I could see myself enjoying this creative and interesting beer during the spring and summer as the warm seasons come. Will seek out again. (Also, the artwork and story behind this beer is great.)

Mar 25, 2020

tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A thanks to the legendary woodychandler for this beer. Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of citrus, light tropical fruits. Taste is citrus, malts, melon, mild bitterness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.

Nov 21, 2019

Beejay from Virginia

3.11/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A: A pale yellow brown in color, with a medium sized white head.

S: Melon and lime up front, very funky.Some grassy and herbal notes.

T: Light grapefruit, and resin bitterness. Perhaps a touch bitter too.. Maltiness is in there as well. But something just seems off about this one.

M: Medium body with moderate to low carbonation.

O: Overall this feels very small town brewpub to me.. passable as an IPA, but not extraordinary in any way.

Aug 25, 2019

unlikelyspiderperson from California

4.06/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pour a richly orange amber/gold with a goodly bit of carbonation and a modest head that dissipates actively to a thing white layer.
Smell is rich with a malty sweetness up front and tropical citrus fruitiness on the tail end.
Taste leads with tropical and melon fruitiness, this fruitiness carries through morphing into a more citrus heavy presentation and trailing off into a grassy ness with a light honey note. Pleasant modern IPA flavors.
Feel is excellent, well bodied and nothing near thin but nicely crisp leaving the tongue clean and ready for another sip
Overall this is a surprisingly lovely and straight forward IPA from a brewer who usually has a twist. Nice modern fruity hop flavors with a decent malt body and just enough herbal/citrus rind bite to keep it all together. Very pleasant

Jul 23, 2019

MattDecker from Texas

3.77/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Look: tree sap Amber color. Like the sap ball on the end of santa Claus' stick in Jurassic Park.
Smell: pine, a lot of sappy pine, some hop, little bit of citrus - just a little
Taste: pine, hop, hoppy pine, light-medium bitterness initially, medium bitterness after taste that stick around for a little longer
Feel: medium body
Overall: not that into piney-hoppy beers, but if I was I feel like this would be a go to. The overall score
P.s. man does this have a huge head on it ever time I poured it! Half the glass and doesn't subside quickly. Takes FOREVER to get a full glass, jeez haha

Jun 25, 2019

drdiesel9483 from Ohio

4.04/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

look - thick untransparent copper color with a slight head
smell - citrus slight grain pine scent
taste - citrus but I cant pick up exactly what kind exactly besides something around an orange like taste
feel - creamy medium body and a light carbonation
Overall - different tasty beer

Apr 09, 2019

Jugs_McGhee from Louisiana

2.77/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

CAN:

Floral. A bit yogurty. I don't find the hop profile very inspired or effective.

Balanced but forgettable. Not an IPA that stands out in today's oversaturated market.

Low C (2.77) / AVERAGE

Feb 20, 2019

rapayn01 from Kentucky

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A generous friend gave me a tall boy can and it was quite tasty from a pint glass. Against the Grain experiments with all kinds of hop and flavor combinations, but this was a winner that I have not seen in the brewpub on my visits (which are not all that frequent). I've also had very good beers on tap that I've never seen in cans. This was a relatively standard tasting American IPA, but good quality.

Jan 02, 2019

MacBrewin from Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Can says 13/03/19. I assume that means best by march 13th. If your brewery has a can dating machine please just tell us the canned on date. I dont know how long you think your beer is good for, and i just want to know how old it is.
Unfiltered orange color. Not hazy, not quite clear. The smell is faint, sweet and hoppy. Tastes of citrus and stone fruit, but not a very strong flavor. Not bitter, not juicy. Overall its pretty forgettable.

Dec 04, 2018

puck1225 from Texas

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a wonderfully pleasant and very easy to drink IPA.

Poured from a can into a tulip glass. Clear yellow color with good head and lacing. Pleasant floral smell and smooth citrusy taste. Low bitterness make this a beer you want to keep drinking. Enjoyed it and would buy again.

Jul 30, 2018

superspak from Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 ounce can into tulip glass, best before 12/14/2018. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy deep golden amber/light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, papaya, mango, melon, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, honey, biscuit, light caramel/nutty/toast, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate dark/bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, papaya, mango, melon, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, honey, biscuit, light caramel/nutty/toast, herbal, and floral/grassy earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, papaya, mango, melon, citrus peel/zest, light pepper/pine, honey, biscuit, light caramel/nutty/toast, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly sticky, and slightly resinous mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this is a very nice IPA. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/fruity/earthy hops and moderate dark/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish, not aggressive. Very Midwest style as expected. Probably classic C's + Amarillo. Very juicy and lightly dank/earthy hops; nice bready malt backbone, with mild lingering sweetness. A very enjoyable and well made offering.

Jul 28, 2018

woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

The seCANd half of yesterday's Happy New Against the Saugatuck Grain Beer Sunday (Week 699) left me with several more CANs to be added to The CANQuest (tm). Once I CANplete their reviews & ratings, they will become an entry in the current WBAYDN thread.

From the CAN: "Brewer Owned"; "American India Pale Ale"; "Art & Layout by RobbyDavis.com"; "Rummaged Delight!"; "In a world where all the skulls are being used up, we are left with nothing but piles of face. But fear not, that's where the story is truly told! Pile of Face is the institution of American IPA, with all the character and drink-ability you would expect as we celebrate American indulgence!"

I Crack!ed open this CAN and beCAN a heavy-handed Glug since it was a nice, fresh CAN. I watched in fascination as it quickly puffed up & formed two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head before falling away, leaving modest lacing behind. Color was solid Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was a little light, kind of tropical, lightly citrusy, but not really well defined. I wish that they had CANmitted in terms of the hops being used, at least in the aroma. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was a real mélange of hoppy flavors, ranging from an almost prevalent tropical fruitiness to pine dankness to grapefruit and orange citrusiness to a light biscuit maltiness. It was actually pretty good with a bitterness that was not over the top nor was it a tropical fruit salad, neither of which are very pleasant. Finish was dry, lightly bitter, satisfying, but kind of middle of the road overall.

Jul 16, 2018

Gavage from Nevada

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: yellowish orange in color with a 1" head that lasts.

Smell: citrus, bread, and some tropical fruit.

Taste: caramel, grainy malt, grapefruit, orange, mild pine, and a bit of tropical fruit. Bitterness level was decent.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer. Crisp throughout with some dryness late.

Overall: a good beer that was easy to consume.

Jul 08, 2018

NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Against The Grain "Pile Face"
1 Pint can; the ink-jet coding is illegible but it might be best before 130319, or not.
$4.49 @ Whole Foods, South Street, Philadelphia, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: So what is this, just an American IPA? OK. It's poured a very hazy deep gold/amber in color beneath a short head of white foam. The aroma is fruity, mainly orange-like, but also with some apple and soft apricot, maybe some underlying tropical notes. Some grainy malt comes through as well. The flavor follows with a basic pale ale malt base and similar hops (somewhat citrusy, some stone fruits, some very mild pine). It's nicely balanced by a median hop bitterness and it finishes mainly dry with some hoppy fruitiness lingering. In the mouth it's medium bodied and crisp. Overall not bad, but neither is it anything really exciting... still, it's better than average.
Review# 6,046
3.75/3.75/4/3.75/3.75 = 3.85

Jun 04, 2018

cbutova from Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A- Pours from the tallboy into a glass with a deep golden hue and a thick frothy white head. The one inch crown has good retention and lacing is somewhat rare and spotty.

S- Similar to other AtG IPAs I have had with some citrus hops coming in strong and some malty sweetness rounding it out to give off a bit of a candied orange peel character. A touch apricot, tangerine, grapefruit and tropical juice but mostly the citrus.

T- Candied citrus and a slight bit of tropical fruits. Orange, grapefruit and tangerine first and foremost with a hint of apricot, mango and pineapple. Becomes a bit aggressive with the grapefruit zest bitterness and a touch of booze towards the end.

MF- Overall the beer is somewhere between light and medium bodied and it has a foamy, slightly thin texture. Ends somewhat warm with a harsh bitterness. Moderately high carbonation.

Candied grapefruits and oranges with some malty sweetness.

Apr 30, 2018

WoodBrew from Ohio

3.72/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I'm trying this at the brewery. It poured a clear golden with no head that is not leaving any lace. The scent had hints of pine and spice. The taste was bitter leaning with pine and floral spice presence. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it's ok.

Mar 22, 2018

AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a hazy orange honey color with a thick ivory head that lingers and leaves decent lacing. The aroma is citrus and biscuit. The flavor is malt forward with ripe citrus fruits and just a touch of pine. The feel is great, well carbonated and crisp. An okay beer but with so many options, one that I'll not look for. Put it in my hands and I'll drink it.

Feb 23, 2018

Billolick from New York

3.94/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tall can ... nothing on the bottom of the can that makes any sense to me

Pour is typical looking lightly hazed lighter almond amber, moderate spotty lacing left on the glass.

Grassy hop/malt nose

On the palate its some mashed up pineapple, grassy hops and some honey infused malts, with a hint of smoke

Complex, smooth , tasty and well worth a try

Feb 01, 2018

drgonzo767 from Indiana

3.92/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pint can, purchased at The Keg Liquors, New Albany IN.

L: Pours a damn large, frothy head. Dark golden, a little cloudy. Lots of carbonation.

S: Medium citrus and resin, some bread/malt. Probably smells better than I rate it but by this time of season my sinuses have been ruined by the Ohio Valley Crud (Google it, this is a real ailment, I swear).

T: Balanced AIPA here. Tropical and piney hops, some apricot, light grapefruit and zest, a little spicy, malt balance on the end then a little zing of zest hits again.

M: Medium body, clean and dry on the finish. Little oil.

O: This is a good overall AIPA. Not great, not average, just damn good beer. Definitely worth drinking, and another solid beer from Against The Grain.

Dec 26, 2017

babaracas from Florida

3.87/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear amber with lots of fine sediment in suspension, fluffy white head that sticks around. Smell: biscuit and orange citrus hops dosed with stone fruit sweetness and dank melting-face-shaped green shag carpet. Taste: spicy, mandarin, papaya, and resin; earthy and sugared dried stone fruit. Light-medium bodied, thins out mid-sip and finishes with lingering piney / grapefruit.

Nov 02, 2017

KidDoc from Connecticut

4.05/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours clear deep Amber with decent head. Beautiful lacing. Aroma is mostly bready malt with some dank tropical fruit. Flavor is nicely balanced with a bit of apricot. Good even mouthfeel. Well balanced from a bitterness perspective. Overall a pretty good if not exceptional beer.

Oct 29, 2017

JayQue from Virginia

3.77/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Good AIPA. Pours a hazy honey gold color from a pint can into a pint glass. Good size frothy white head with good retention. Thick bands of lacing on the glass. Aroma and flavor include piney hops and tropical fruit (slightly sweet). There is some malty balance with sweet bready malt. Mouthfeel is crisp with a good bitterness, Malt and hops are nicely balanced. There are lots of IPAs out there, This is pretty representative of the style.

Oct 01, 2017