Salamander Slam
Frog Level Brewing Company

Enjoyed two pint pours at the brewpub while having lunch with Da Boss on 7-27-25 for $6.00 each.

Beer poured orange gold with a very nice white head that left lacing behind.

Nose is nice, getting old school citrus and floral hops.

Taste is spot-on old-school IPA. The malt base is mostly pale with a touch of crystal to deepen the color and make a touch sweeter. Hopping brings grapefruit and orange in the aroma and taste while the back end has a nice piney bitterness; 7/10 on my scale.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth and refreshing.

Overall, a delicious brew. I rarely go back to the first brew while visiting a new brewpub, but this one scratched my need for an old school IPA!

 

I'm not a beer judge like everyone else here claims to be,but I know an IPA when I taste one,and this is one.
No overpowering citrus(thank the heavens),no crazy flower notes,no "malt balancing the hop bitterness".....its a moderately bitter ipa,the way ipas used to taste before pretty boys and girly girls whined about bitterness and the brewers changed with the whining(I understand capitalism....).
You like ipas the way they used to be?try this.And,if you are ever in Waynesville,NC,go to this taproom...great inside,or enjoy the outdoor space along the creek!!

 

Look: It pours hazy orange with an off white head. Head retention is very good.

Smell: It has some bread aromas with citrus and orange.

Taste: It has some bready flavors with citrus and orange. There are also some very low mint notes.

Feel: It has a medium full body with a bitter sweet finish.

Overall, there are some good combination of flavors and the light mint is a good touch.

 

 

 

 

I'm trying this at my Bestie's in Charlotte. It poured a clear copper with white head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had hints of sweet malt and hop bitterness. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink. Malt and pine presence. The mouthfeel was medium in body with good carbonation. Overall it's a good beer.

 

 

 

 

 

How exciting! Two great beer people, Ray & Cornelia (or vice versa), know of The CANQuest (tm) & routinely send me beers housed in aluminum cylinders as a result. I kid you not, it pays to advertise! I always look forward to the arrival of one of their packages and this was a VERY pleasant surprise. Merci beaucoup!

From the CAN: "Hop flavors are moderately high and floral to citrusy. The malts add complexity and give the beer a pleasant flavor, a golden color, and support the hop aspect. So, take a hike! If you love the smell of the woods after a fall rain, let our English India Pale Ale (IPA) take you there. The only thing missing are the bugs!"; "Proud Veteran Owned Business"; "Be a Level Head!"

Frogs? Salamanders? Wot, not geckos? When I was on Diego Garcia, the superstition was that if a gecko was crawling around the room during fornication, pregnancy was sure to result!

Hoping not to get pregnant from drinking their beer, I forged ahead with the Crack! I really don't trust an inverted Glug from a pounder CAN & so I employ(ed) a gentle Glug, instead. I raised two fizzy fingers of tawny head that held in much longer that I had CANticipated. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy Amber to Deep Amber/Light Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13). Nose was odd, like a professor once told us of Modernist Literature: "Not better, not worse, just different." Imagine baking bread with CANteloupe or honeydew. That was both the smell and taste! I really liked it, especially after yesterday's CANslaught of citrus & pine. It was a very different flavor profile and one that I CAN imagine as being off-putting for the AIPA fans, but it should be remembered that this is an EIPA. The melon scent/flavor CAN also be CANstrued as "earthy", which is fine for the style & may even be driven by the malt or a CANbination of the malt & the hops. Either way, it was a nice ChANge of pace. The relatively high ABV CAN be a CANcern, but I have resigned myself to the CANQuest (tm), which ocCANsionally requires imbibing. The finish was semi-dry, since I could not really decide where the malt ended & the hops began, or vice versa. Either way, it was not so dry as to be classified as "Dry", dig?

 

16 oz can

pours a hazy orange golden color, thick creamy head. good lacing. very nice big fruity hop aroma - very citrusy. taste is dominated by the same very pleasant flavors - just enough malt to balance. no bitterness. nice smooth feel. overall a very good beer.

16oz can into a pint glass. Pours a goldeb orange.color that is opaque with 2 full fingers of fluffy white head. Head lingers with nice lacing. Smells of piney hops, lemons and grapefruit. 73 ibus. Tastes cleaner, crisper and better than expected. Fresh can. Hoppy but not overly bitter. Citrus flavors of lemon and grapefruit. Bit of honey? Really clean and refreshing. Slight bitterness on the back end but very enjoyable. Excellent IPA.