Vengeful Barbarian
Alvarado Street Brewery

Vengeful BarbarianVengeful Barbarian
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From:
Alvarado Street Brewery
 
California, United States
Style:
New England IPA
Ranked #1,428
ABV:
6.1%
Score:
92
Ranked #5,197
Avg:
4.16 | pDev: 7.69%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
61
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 30, 2022
Added:
Nov 10, 2016
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  7
Bright, peach heavy tones from an East Coast yeast strain fermentation and a dry hop that includes a bunch of our favorites. The result is a hop aroma and flavor chock full of ripe, juicy grapefruit and apricot jam. On the back end, we've loaded up with beer with lots of oats, so it has a soft, creamy texture to support mild hop bitterness.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by JamFuel:
Photo of JamFuel
Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden

4.92/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Pours a hazy orange, just like orange juice, but with fine, soapy foam.

Smell is so juicy it's practically dripping. Oranges, mango and more mango just jump out of the glass and invade your sinuses. Damn, this smells good!

Taste just keeps the juiciness pumping, with the same notes as the nose, and some lemon sorbet thrown in for good measure. There's a slight hint of tea and a perfectly balanced bitterness with just the right amount of hop burn. Long, slightly dry finish.

Mouthfeel is medium, soft and pillowy, and well carbonated.

Overall, just a superb IPA, so easy to drink and so juicy.
Aug 28, 2018
More User Ratings:
Photo of elNopalero
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

4.29/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
I've enjoyed this from a can and on tap. It's about time I review it!

From a recent (Nov. 2022) batch. Pours thick and cloudy. Peach bomb—lots of peach purée notes on the nose. Low bitterness.
Dec 30, 2022
Photo of RaulMondesi
Reviewed by RaulMondesi from California

3.64/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This might be it. This really might be it. It seems as if people like this one, but not Raul. It’s kind of like that Elizabeth Olson chick; I can see why, maybe, but I’m not sharing any hot wings with her. And with Vengeful Barbarian, I suppose I can see why people like it, but Raul sure doesn’t. It tastes like tropical fruit that haven’t been washed after the latest hurricane. I get why I think people like it, but it’s just dirty. Yes, It tastes like dirty fruit to ypur main man. I dunno… I guess it’s just time to move on. Hazy’s and Raul? Yeah, not so much.
Mar 23, 2022
 
Rated: 3.63 by InfernoBoss from California

Nov 27, 2021
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

3.41/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
Canned on 6/8/21; consumed on 7/2/21

Pours a nearly opaque pale straw gold body capped with a finger and a half of fluffy, eggshell-white foam; solid head retention leaves a slight, half-finger of cap, an expanding, frothy collar, and layers of spotty/webby lacing spread across the walls of the glass.

Aroma features lemon zest and overripe papaya upfront, effectively bogged with wet wheat as peach zest underscores; a quality underlying resin enmeshed in unrealized pineapple/tangerine brightness largely comprises the remainder of the overall subdued bouquet.

Taste shows a touch of dank lemon sporting soft peach undertones; grassy hops are overtaken with wheaty overtones, and slight pineapple juice and grapefruit zest fuses with underripe tangerine beneath bready malt spice into the back end and finish.

Mouthfeel brings a medium body with moderate-full carbonation; a fluffy, overarching silkiness veiling a semi-gritty, juicy quality over the mid-palate sees a wisp of bitterness among the pillowy textures on the back end while slivers of hop acidity see a zesty character develop and persist through the finish.

A swampy profile, delicately fruity and earthy, though overwrought with grainy/wheaty tones hindering the hop expression from fully evolving; overall, a nicely structured, if slightly disappointing, take on the style.
Jul 03, 2021
 
Rated: 4.5 by eshooshoo from California

Feb 05, 2021
 
Rated: 4.25 by heymikew from California

Aug 01, 2020
 
Rated: 4.23 by Stevedore from Oregon

Apr 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4.49 by JonB25 from Delaware

Mar 23, 2020
 
Rated: 3.73 by acurtis from New Jersey

Dec 20, 2019
Photo of Whatislightbeer
Reviewed by Whatislightbeer

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
L: pours a vibrant yellow haze, true to the style as all ASB NEIPAs are. Solid foam, retention and lacing.
S: I'm getting peach, tangerine, stone fruit, some dankness, yeast comes out and grapefruit.
T: I felt that the taste beat out the smell. Really strong peach and grapefruit and citrus with a clean bite of hops. Very very good.
F: great dryness, medium feel and medium carbonation.
O: these guys kill the NEIPAs and this was my first Vengeful Barbarian. Amazing beer, enough said.
Dec 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.02 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Nov 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by BerryKumquat from California

Sep 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.19 by DB28 from California

Sep 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by eldoctorador from Chile

Sep 03, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Bum4ever from California

Aug 28, 2019
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.41/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Wow I haven't reviewed this yet? Crazy, I've had a few batches and label changes now and its consistently a world class ipa.

Pours a slightly hazy yellow and orange, much like the orange juice descriptor, them east coast hazy flocbois looking familiar here with their adjunct oats and yeast, but tons of hop particulate. 1/4" white head. Oh the aromatics, they pungent. Stone and tropical fruit, sure throw in a dallop of citrus while you're there. Bring the noise.

The taste follows the nose, massive amounts of fruity hop additions combined with a lower smoother carbonation and flaked oat usage makes for a wet feeling of hops down a waterslide. Multiple times I've come away from this just blown away by its deliciousness. Didn't even flinch at paying $5 a can. Its just as good or better than anything by the heavy juice ipa world (Monkish, Tree House, Trillium, Moonraker, Cellarmaker etc. . . ). Just a real creamy, velvety mouthfeel of hops at every sip on this one. There's so much in the way of fruit flavors from the hops and low bitterness. Will buy every time I get the chance.
Aug 14, 2019
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

3.94/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Type: 16-oz. can
Glass: Melvin 14-oz. Spiegelau IPA glass
From: My friend Chad
Price: N/A
Purchased: N/A; Received July 22, 2019
Consumed: July 27, 2019
Reviewed as: New England IPA
Misc.: No canned on date

Thanks, Chad!

Got this from Chad in Las Vegas. Alvarado is one of the best breweries around, which surprises me that I’d only reviewed two of their beers heading into this. Notes on this on Beer Advocate were, “Bright, peach heavy tones from an East Coast yeast strain fermentation and a dry hop that includes a bunch of our favorites. The result is a hop aroma and flavor chock full of ripe, juicy grapefruit and apricot jam. On the back end, we've loaded up with beer with lots of oats, so it has a soft, creamy texture to support mild hop bitterness.” Through some research, it appeared Amarillo was the lone hop in this beer.

Poured a golden hazy color with 1-to-2 fingers of off-white frothy-to-fizzy head, which dissipated rather quickly. Bad watery lacing. Below average retention. (Sight - 3.00)

Smelled peach, apricot, tangerine, orange, Amarillo, stone fruit, grapefruit, pineapple and guava. Big Amarillo, peach and tangerine from the can, which was better than the glass. (Smell - 4.00)

Taste was not quite as good as the nose. Peach, apricot, Amarillo, tangerine, orange, stone fruit, pineapple, grapefruit and guava. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Dry finish. (Feel - 4.00)

Outstanding beer overall. May have underrated it just a tad. (Overall - 4.00)

3.94 | 88 | B+
Aug 14, 2019
 
Rated: 4.33 by Coronaeus from Canada (ON)

Jun 28, 2019
Photo of BayAreaJoe
Reviewed by BayAreaJoe from California

4.53/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From the 6/12/19 release, consumed 6/20/19
7.2%ABV

Holy cow, MUCH better than the last batch from March - smoother and with far less bite. Great, full stonefruit aroma and flavor. Continuing ASB's recent run on outstanding hazies.
Jun 21, 2019
Vengeful Barbarian from Alvarado Street Brewery
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 61 ratings