Blimey That's Bitter!
Reuben's Brews

Pours a dark golden color with a decent head that stays around the edge of the glass. Aroma is sweet malt & floral, slightly bitter hops. Taste is the same with an excellent blend of ingredients. Sweet on opening & mild bitterness on finish. BOD 2-2-2026

16-ounce can purchased at ABV Public House in Hillsboro, OR. Date stamp reads "02.02.26". Enjoyed in a nonic half-pint glass.

Look:
The body is bright and clear with a deep yellow-orange color like the peel of a ruby red grapefruit. There's a thin puck of white foam on top which gradually shrinks to a thick ring which leaves Lovecraftian tentacles of lacing.

Smell:
The nose is full of orange marmalade, grapefruit peel, pine, a little mango and cantaloupe, and a whiff of something feline. There's also an almost doughy sweetness, kind of like a cinnamon roll without the cinnamon. Alcohol offers a subtle warning at the end.

Taste:
The flavor is largely the same, opening with bitter orange marmalade and plenty of dough, malty sweetness. The pine character is stronger than the nose, which suits me just fine. I also get tangerine, grapefruit, a mild hit of berries, and an even milder tropical note (which develops into passionfruit as the beer warms). Bitterness starts to gain momentum through the middle, but is never quite enough to completely balance the sweetness. Spicy and slightly dank floral undertones come through in the drying finish.

Feel:
The body is medium-heavy and a little oily, yet still ends up surprisingly drinkable thanks to the crisp carbonation. Alcohol brings a cozy, non-threatening warmth.

Overall:
Blimey That's Bitter! is a very tasty triple IPA which falls just short of my favorites of the style. If Reuben's could tone down the sweetness and lighten the body, well blimey, they'd have a real winner.

Poured from a 16oz can into a Narrow Gauge stemless wine glass. Pours a light amber with over two fingers of beautiful bright white foam head. Citrus and pine up front on the nose. Orange marmalade and pine up front in the taste with an orange citrus flavor in the finish. Full mouthfeel. Solid TIPA. Well balanced. Not overly malty but also not overly hoppy. Dank and bitter without ever feeling hot or having too much alcohol burn to it. Full mouthfeel. Nice malt backbone but still crisp and citrusy on the finish. I found this to be quite good and quite drinkable for its abv.

 

I reviewed this blind, so hopefully that will explain what is posted below.

The first thing I notice when I pop the top on the can is citrus fruit, specifically orange and mango. A fairly aggressive pour reveals a beer the color of burnished copper that is unfiltered and a creamy off white head. By everything I see thus far, this looks like a WCIPA - my favorite style.

The nose is orange and mango and more than a bit of berry and an earthy note as well. So now I’m leaning towards a Citra/Mosaic/Simcoe hopped WCIPA. We’ll see.

The taste has a ripe orange flavor and mango, with even more berry on the taste mid-palate and maybe a bit of resiny pine for a nice touch of bitterness at the back of the palate along with a dollop of caramalt. There’s also a bit of residual warming alcohol as the beer settles, so a WCDIPA is in play.

The mouthfeel is medium and very dry, again in the WCIPA genre. This is really tasty, something I would drink on the regular a pint or two at a time. And as I type this, that warming alcohol is more prevalent, so I’m leaning towards a WCDIPA.

Clear dark orangey amber with plenty of foam in the goblet. Plenty bitter but still drinkable. Flavors of orange rind and honey with a bitter marmalade finish. Not overly sweet, but plenty of sugar. Quite alcoholic but it goes well with the big hop flavor. Overall, this is quite a sippable and pleasant brew for being so monstrous in the concept. But the rest of the can will go to be diluted with a Kölsch. From the 16 oz can purchased at Central Market in Shoreline.

 

draught
Very small bubbled, thick and sustaining head. Crystal clear amber gold color. Malted, spiced orange peel aroma. Full, concentrated orange peel flavor with distinct sharpness but not unpleasantly bitter. The malt is making the body full but not really noticeable flavor wise. In the finish, there is orange peel with the tiniest malt note with it at the end.

 

16oz can dated 2/3/21 poured into a Teku on 3/6/21.

Pours 1" of frothy white head. Slightly translucent yellow-orange.

Assertive aromas of melon, pine, biscuit, honey, and citrus.

Taste follows the nose with an eponymous bitter finish. Emphasis on melon and pine flavors.

Sticky, oily, and resinous mouthfeel. Astringent and medium-heavy in body.

Delicious and delivers on its promise of strong, bitter flavor. Between this and Gobsmacked!, this is my preferred Reuben's TIPA. Exceptional.

Rueben is one of Seattle’s finest and this brew is one of their best, IMO. Delicious orange marmalade spread on graham crackers. I love how the rich caramel malts temper any kind of bitter finish. This is a beast of a brew, but it is far from bombastic, lovely!

 

Pint can poured in to a nonic glass. Pkgd on 02/04/20.

Look- Clear golden amber color, large pillowy bright white head with great retention and thick lacing. heavy carbonation streaming as it sits.

Smell- Huge hits of bright citrus, tropical and stone fruits, a bit of melon, faint pine and light white pepper, honey and bready malt, other spicy/herbal notes.

Taste- As the nose eludes to with a very hoppy/herbaceous finish.

Feel- Medium bodied, very crisp and dry, starts out sweet with a lingering bitter finish, pretty well balanced. Moderate carbonation on the tongue.

O- Reuben's nailed this one. A great DIP/TIP. Despite the name not really bitter at all. Yum.

 

 

$ 6.29 (Including shipping)/16 oz can ($ 0.393/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA. Reviewed 4/16/19.
Date smeared on bottom rim of can but Tavour says it was packaged 2/7/19. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.75.
Body – Yellow, clear.
Head – Large (Maximum four cm, aggressive center pour), white, high density, average retention, diminishing to a two mm ring and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None, but not unexpected for a 10.5% ABV.
First pour – Bright yellow, clear.
Aroma – 4 – Strong citrus and floral which slowly weakens.
Flavor – 3.75 – Moderately bitter with some weak generic citrus. No alcohol (10.5 % ABV), no dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 3.5 – Decent aroma but little flavor or bitterness. A very weak gastric warming eventually occurs. OK but not great.

 

Golden with a little effervescent haze, this left about an inch of stark white head. Nose is piney, veggie and honey in equal parts. Taste is tongue scrapingly bitter pine, a touch of honey and another blast of damn bitter but this wave contains some undeniable heat, not unlike that mouthwash burn. Medium bodied and little aftertaste.