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Alpha Ox
Old Ox Brewery
- From:
- Old Ox Brewery
- Virginia, United States
- Style:
- American IPA
- ABV:
- 4.5%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.78 | pDev: 9.52%
- Reviews:
- 22
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jan 27, 2020
- Added:
- Jul 11, 2014
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 36
Light malt sweetness gives way to juicy citrus and pine nose. Amarillo, Centennial, and Simcoe hops dominate this beer. But there is just enough malt body to maintain balance. All the hoppy goodness is delivered in a very reasonable 4.5% ABV package.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by tone77:
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania
3.7/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.7/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Another beer courtesy of the founding father of the canquest, woodychandler. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a deep golden/orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of hops, grapefruit. Taste is grapefruit, surprisingly hoppy, some malts are present, very easy drinking. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer.
Sep 24, 2015More User Ratings:
Reviewed by daliandragon from Maryland
3.9/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.9/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I kind of picked this up on a whim at Total Wine this weekend. Not much for head, and the nose is a little more medicinally hop aligned than I was expecting.
I have to admit, I am utterly shocked by how much this smells and tastes like a 7.5% IPA. It features resins and oils and hints of alcohol we never see in All Day IPA or Daytime or any of the "session" IPAs. Although this isn't as easy or fun to drink as those, if your goal is to feel like you are drinking a full fledged, rip snorting IPA, and pound a bunch without extreme consequence, this is the best imposter I've ever seen.
The bark is massive, but the bite is not. There is definitely a niche for this beer.
Jul 29, 2019I have to admit, I am utterly shocked by how much this smells and tastes like a 7.5% IPA. It features resins and oils and hints of alcohol we never see in All Day IPA or Daytime or any of the "session" IPAs. Although this isn't as easy or fun to drink as those, if your goal is to feel like you are drinking a full fledged, rip snorting IPA, and pound a bunch without extreme consequence, this is the best imposter I've ever seen.
The bark is massive, but the bite is not. There is definitely a niche for this beer.
Reviewed by MUTINY from Virginia
3.79/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
12oz. can into a Willi-style pint.
A: Fairly aggressive pour. Clear, dark-ish gold with a dense 1 1/2" white head that recedes very slowly. Retention and lacing are superb.
S: Leads with a mostly dank, slightly citrusy hoppiness that settles back into a big (completely unexpected) malty mass of unripe cherry and dark bread. Finishes bright and almost off-sweet. The simcoe is doing some heavy, heavy lifting here.
T: Opens with very bright, rind-y lemon notes that quickly evolve into a more bitter grapefruit character on the mid-palate. This balances pretty well with the surprisingly burly maltiness that brings back the unripe berry/dark bread notes from the nose. Finishes with long-lingering resin and lemon rind.
M: Pretty darn dense and malty for a 4.5% hoppy pale. Very slick, resembles an old-school west-coast IPA - just a shade lighter. Carb is high, which helps to offset some of the big-ish malt here.
O: This is an interesting beer. Everything about it is bigger and bolder than it's ABV would imply. Most impressive is the commitment to creating a big malt foundation for the hops (simcoe, especially) to play with. The end result is actually more malty and slick than I think I would usually want in a low-ABV pale, but also kind of a pleasant surprise.
Jun 25, 2019A: Fairly aggressive pour. Clear, dark-ish gold with a dense 1 1/2" white head that recedes very slowly. Retention and lacing are superb.
S: Leads with a mostly dank, slightly citrusy hoppiness that settles back into a big (completely unexpected) malty mass of unripe cherry and dark bread. Finishes bright and almost off-sweet. The simcoe is doing some heavy, heavy lifting here.
T: Opens with very bright, rind-y lemon notes that quickly evolve into a more bitter grapefruit character on the mid-palate. This balances pretty well with the surprisingly burly maltiness that brings back the unripe berry/dark bread notes from the nose. Finishes with long-lingering resin and lemon rind.
M: Pretty darn dense and malty for a 4.5% hoppy pale. Very slick, resembles an old-school west-coast IPA - just a shade lighter. Carb is high, which helps to offset some of the big-ish malt here.
O: This is an interesting beer. Everything about it is bigger and bolder than it's ABV would imply. Most impressive is the commitment to creating a big malt foundation for the hops (simcoe, especially) to play with. The end result is actually more malty and slick than I think I would usually want in a low-ABV pale, but also kind of a pleasant surprise.
Reviewed by VABA from Virginia
3.8/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.8/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
A-Pours a light clear amber color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has slight hop hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a slight hop flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A decent India Pale Ale
Apr 07, 2019A-Aroma has slight hop hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a slight hop flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A decent India Pale Ale
Reviewed by captaincoffee from Virginia
4.01/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
4.01/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
I can't say I was expecting much from this beer, but sometimes you get surprised. This is honestly the first session IPA I've ever had that had a solid nose and didn't fast watered down. Nice dose of Citra hops rising to my nose in the pour and I could tell right away it was a winner. Taste is a little juicy and carries over those nice Citra flavors. Probably my favorite session IPA now.
Jan 23, 2019Reviewed by Beejay from Virginia
3.81/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A: Pale cloudy orange in color with a white head, and a bunch of floaties.
S: Hoppy with citrus and grapefruit aroma, with perhaps a touch of tropical fruit in there.
T: Moderately hoppy with citrus peel and grapefruit. Light malt, and a bitter finish.
M: Moderate to light mouthfeel, medium high carbonation, and a long bitter finish.
O: Overall a pretty good sipper, interesting, and bitter with a more sessionable strength.
Sep 26, 2018S: Hoppy with citrus and grapefruit aroma, with perhaps a touch of tropical fruit in there.
T: Moderately hoppy with citrus peel and grapefruit. Light malt, and a bitter finish.
M: Moderate to light mouthfeel, medium high carbonation, and a long bitter finish.
O: Overall a pretty good sipper, interesting, and bitter with a more sessionable strength.
Reviewed by JayQue from Virginia
3.81/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
First brew from this local Virginia brewery - pretty good!!!!! Had it on tap at the Baker's Crust Restaurant. Somewhat orangey, hazy color and a good size frothy white head with good lacing (Baker's Crust does not feature the dreaded frosted glass so you can enjoy the head). Good strong aroma of both citrus and piney hops...a bit more of the piney. I would describe it as an East Coast IPA. Flavor is a bit more subdued but still features piney and citrus hops and a fairly good level of bitterness. Mouthfeel is nicely bitter and crisp. Not too light. I had it with Ahi Tuna and it was a nice complement to the meal. Looking forward to more from this brewery.
Jul 09, 2018Reviewed by hophugger from Virginia
3.78/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.78/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Semi-cloudy and golden in color. Nice fizzy, foamy white head and spotty lacing. Aroma is full of mango, pineapple and orange, very refreshing. Taste is slightly tart with citrus and, lots of orange and orange pith. Mouth feel is nice and refreshing and finish is crisp, orange and slightly bitter from the hops.
Apr 24, 2018Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia
4/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the can, it pours a nice hazy amber with a modest head, slowly reducing to a thin layer and leaving lacing. Definite citrus hops in the nose. The mouth gets a lightly bitter malt flavor. Refreshing!
Mar 30, 2018Reviewed by kagee from Virginia
4.32/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.32/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
A very good representation of a traditional American styled IPA. Not overly filtered and watered down. The nose is hoppy and hits with a punch combined with a very strong carbonation. Some very slight hints of citrus comes through but the taste is very hop forward. I noticed some strong lacing on the glass and the head started at two fingers and remained half finger 10 minutes later. A Northern Virginia brew that is starting to show in local grocery stores and priced about 2 dollars over mass-produced domestics. This beer is a strong and decent showing from Old Ox Brewery, and well worth the purchase.
Aug 05, 2017
Alpha Ox from Old Ox Brewery
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
109 ratings
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