Cone Crusher IPA
18th Street Brewery - Gary Taproom

3.83/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz can at 45 degrees into a pint glass,

Look: Pours a amber/orange color that is hazy with a thick, sticky, and foamy whitehead.
Smell: Aroma is of sweet melon and papaya.
Taste: Mild bitterness with a rush of citrus backed by a sweet caramel finish.
Feel: Well carbonated, but finishes with a heavily malted, oily backbone reflected in the higher ABV.

Overall: This is a sweeter IPA, matching more of a east-coast citrus style but backed with a stronger ABV and sweeter finish. Delicious nonetheless, but perhaps not something that I would grab everyday when looking for an IPA.

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3.92/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz can. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a good-sized, tan head of foam. It smelled of toasted caramel, roasted malt and pine. Strong malty presence with a bitter bitterness and a hint of tropical fruit sweetness.

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3.6/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured a cloudy copper with one finger head that quickly dissipated. Aroma was of tropical fruits and pine. This was the best part of the beer for me. Very thin body, almost no carbonation. Not sure where the hops went, they are definitely not in the finish. Not bad, but can't recommend.

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3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Crushing its competition with one fail swoop... Actually, crushing it might be an over statement. Its a hop and bitter forward pale ale of imperial status that achieves a level of quality that was expected of the imperial IPA style a decade ago. They sure don't make'em like they used to and I'm happy to revisit such a taste.

Bright gold and shimmering in a hazy, coppery sheen, Cone Crusher billows to the rim with a soft and ivory cap. As the aromas spill onto the nose, the fruit forward scent is chocked full of stone fruit, pitted fruit, citrus and tropical fruit. Laced with a hearty dosing of caramel, honey and soft nuttiness and sense of granola graces the tongue.

Moderately rich malt sweetness resonates firmly on the middle palate while a medley of hop flavor and fruit esters mingle with pink grapefruit, mango, peach and apricot most of all. But a background of orange drifts into the spicy nature of citrus peels with a sharp, refreshing bitterness that bridges into freshly muddled pine needles, vodka spice and sweet marmalade.

Medium full on the palate, the creaminess and spiciness of the ale balances each other while an envelope of muddled fruit cocktail soothes the bitterness and calms the prickle of alcohol. A long bittersweet aftertaste of fruit peels, granola and grassy bitterness extends into a medium long aftertaste.

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3.75/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Tasted in a Spiegelau IPA glass from a 12 fl oz can on August 22, 2017. A nice balance of hop bitterness and malt sweetness. Not a top tier DIPA but not bad either.

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2.61/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Very disappointed. Even putting the price aside ($15/6 pack) this is just not good. Sweet mess followed by terrible astringent/alcohol bite that really just dominates all else. Really liked and supported this brewery but wow for me this was bad. Buy if you want but I sure hope u can find a single and not spend top dollar on this 6 pack. Won't be tempted to try any more 18th street offerings anytime soon.

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3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

An okay offering from a brewery that seems to pump out the occasional world-class offering and a smattering of average beers. Malty to the point of tasting of honey, decent hops but no quite there. It's almost a hoppy amber instead of an IPA.

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4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked it up in a six pack at local liquor store. Poured it in a pint glass nice looking beer with a finger of head. Great smooth Taste with a nice finish will definitely buy again.

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3.97/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Semi-hazy amber, with off-white suds and little lace from the can.

Aroma: Citrus hops, with plenty of orange in there. Really promising!

Taste: Sharp and pungent with tons of citrus and orange. Some bitterness plays around at the finish. I think my can had some age on it, but still this remains a pretty drinkable and well-enjoyable IPA with fruity notes galore. Yes.

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4/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy orange pour with white head. Aroma is dank and slightly astringent/musty, resembling a sour/wild ale. Taste starts hoppy an dank, lots of pine, grass, green tea. Finish is not overly bitter, just balances the underlying malt sweetness. Medium body, soft carbonation, a bit of alcohol warmth. Overall it's a good IPA with an interesting hop profile but it's not really my favorite type. Alcohol is also quite present.

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4.02/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color capped by an impressive three fingers of foam; clumps of lace remain above the retained foam

Smell: Tropical fruit, primarily mango and papaya, waft above the caramel malt base

Taste: The caramel malt base buttresses the hops, with orange pith, mango and papaya tones building through the middle; after the swallow the malt and hop flavors offset each other

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: While I prefer a hop forward IPA (and I would argue that with an 8.6% ABV this belongs in the DIPA category), this is a nice example of a more balanced IPA

Thanks, aslamm75, for the opportunity

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4.49/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I have to admit to a fair amount of incredulity upon hearing that a) there is a brewery in Gary, IN and b) that it is making some great beers. I took time during my recent visit to Chicago to make the trip down and over and I was not disappointed! I got a couple of their CANs to add to The CANQuest (tm) and I would be interested in acquiring more.

From the CAN: "Unfiltered, Sediment May Occur. Fresh Is Best, Do Not Cellar."; "18th Street Brewery Presents: Cone Crusher: India Pale Ale: Bursting with overwhelming amounts of citrusy Amarillo hops, Cone Crusher showcases tropical fruit overtones of orange and mango, while being backed by a pleasing earthiness to make for a crushable beer."; "[CAN] Art by: Joey Potts Text by: Charlie Evans".

The Crack! was nice and loud and I celebrated with an inverted Glug. This action produced two-plus fingers of dense, rocky, tawny head with great retention that left some really sticky lacing in its wake. Color was a lightly hazy Amber to Deep Amber/Light Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13). Nose was full-on tropical fruits: mango, papaya and some peach for good measure. My hophead self got a chub as a result! Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, approaching creaminess. Speaking of which, this tasted like Peaches 'n' Cream ice cream, which I really liked as a kid. Warming, I began to get the earthiness of the malts. It also began to take on an orange citrus flavor. It was hard to believe that this was 8.6% ABV since I was crushing it. I am sure that I will be crushed myself, later today. Finish was semi-dry, not outright dry as one might expect, given all of the hoppy flavors. I'd love more, but my trip to the midwest has been curtailed by new employment. Boo hoo. Maybe next year.

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3.5/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. can. And that can came courtesy of the founding father of the canquest, woodychandler. Has a dark golden/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of mild hops, tropical fruits. Taste is well balanced, actually a surprising amount of malts, tropical fruits, easy drinking, alcohol is well hidden. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.

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3.94/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Should change the name from Cone Crusher to Malt Crusher. Lots of sweet malt on the nose and flavor. Almost too much if drank fresh. Tasted out of the can a few weeks out and then a month. Tastes a little more balanced after some time. Still fairly sweet and boozy for an IPA.

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3.12/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Excited to try this because of other great beers we had here. My beer was first off the new keg. This was a malt bomb. No balance at all and overly sweet. Myself or my wife could not finish this beer

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4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Picked up a 12oz can in a trade with awdturboiv. Poured into a standard shaker pint glass. Pours an unfiltered apricot hue with golden edges when held up to the light, fluffy white head with good retention, solid lacing from start to finish. Fruity hops up front - orange zest, mango and pineapple, grainy malt, earthy and fresh. Flavor follows aroma - very well balanced with a clear focus on the hop bill - more fruity than bitter, with hops lingering for days! Medium bodied, good carbonation that scrubs the palate, dry finish keeps you coming back for more. Overall a great IPA that couldn't be labeled with a West or East Coast label. Indiana IPA perhaps???? Regardless, this is a damn good IPA!

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4.06/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a can into a tulip

A. Pours an orange haze with a 1/4" with head that subsides quickly.

S. Bready malts and orange peel fill the nose. Some tropical notes like pineapple.

T. Backing up the nose bread malts and mild tropical flavors. Typical for the style but still enjoying. Very slight bitterness with a green leafy aftertaste.

M. Light to medium body. Light carbonation. Finishes slightly dry.

O. A good IPA. Nothing spectacular but with checking out. Starts true to the stile.

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