Boatswain American IPA
Minhas Craft Brewery

I bought a bottle of Boatswain American IPA in a grocery store (Trader Joe's). Poured in to a pint glass.

Pours a brinze color, clear, with a thin off-white head.

Smell is a sweet caramel scent, with a hint of pine.

Taste is a heavy malt presence. Sweet bread flavors, followed by a mild bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly cloying.

Overall I think this is a better brew than previous ratings would indicate. It's a sweet IPA and not the hop bomb some people might be looking for in the style. It is very good in it's own right.

 

If you're looking for a great IPA - this ain't it. Fortunately.
What it is is a great British style bitter. If you can't find a true ESB, this will fit in nicely.
Incredible for the price. I just wish the H.L.V. was still available.

Truly one of the worst beers I've ever had. And I love IPA's. This is not an IPA and tastes nothing like one. I found this at Trader Joe's as one of their cheaper beer options so I thought I'd give it a try. I've lost respect for Trader Joes solely on their sale of this beer. I've known to avoid Minhas offerings and this is one of them, unbeknownst to my knowledge (they use other names on the packaging to hide their identity, I suppose). For a bonus, try it warm - it's even worse.

 

Two single cans from Trader Joe's

Definitely doesn't taste anything like an IPA. Not very hoppy at all. Tastes a lot like some of the other beers I've tried from Trader Joes- very molasses-like and metallic in smell and taste. Amber Brown color. It goes down pretty smooth and definitely isn't the worst thing I've had but there are certainly better beers you can get for a similar price.

RB transfer

$1.00 single can pours a murky dark amber with lasting off-white head but no lacing. Aroma is full of molasses, with some old vegetables, brown sugar, and the trademark inveterate Minhas phenolic chemistry lab . Taste is on the sweet side with a slightly metallic finish. Body is medium with average carbonation and a sticky mouthfeel. I wouldn't call this an IPA, but it's definitely cheap and not a drain pour.

Two 12 oz cans into a tall 20 oz glass.
L: SRM Bright 17 pours a yeasty cloudy dense red amber color with light steady carbo, a domed creamy 1/4" off white light beige head that has very good retention. Lacing is medium-heavy tight grid sheeting with some rhythmic banding.
S: Toasty caramelized malts, a hint of over ripe fruits. Very basic.
T: Sweet toasty caramel malts, toasty cereal grains, dense bitter hops, resin, over ripe apricot, tangerine zest, a suggestion of dry yellow bread, slightly bold and dense tasting overall.
F: Lightly brisk, lush, medium bodied mouthfeel with a medium length moderately dry finish.
O: Beautiful eye appeal. Fairly full-flavored and well balanced. Slightly malt forward with competitive centralized bitterness. It is redolent of IPAs from the 1990s era of craft beer. It is good to very good in its style.

 

Purchased at Trader Joe's in Creve Coeur, MO. Poured from 12-ounce can into a stemless wine glass. Clear dark amber in color, with a soap-sudsy head that left some decent lacing. I did not have high expectations. This was quite dark in appearance and malt-forward on the nose and I am not crazy about malty IPA's. This one, however, is a very good beer. The brewer's description reads "...sweet maltiness from the roasted barley and crisp bitterness from the high hop level." This is spot on. There is also a floral and slightly funky note, which I love and which may be a feature of the house yeast since I have detected it in other beers from this brewer. The sweetness is subdued, and there is a significant amount of hop bitterness and grapefruit zest on the palate. Nicely balanced. TJ's beers are stored on unrefrigerated shelves, so I'm not discounting the possibility of some hop falloff here. That said, no complaints.

As evidenced by the abundance of negative reviews, this beer certainly is not worth experiencing for a refined palate. It definitely has, both in terms of taste and smell, a metallic, "cheap" odor. However, the value with which one can purchase this beer - less than 5 bucks for a 6 pack at Trader Joe's - should be taken into consideration. If you don't mind sipping on some horsesh*t beer that gets you buzzed after a few swigs, this is the perfect way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon with friends at a beach or at a cookout.

 

Not good!
It’s too bad Trader Joe’s lost the Mission Street brand. It was much better than this. Will not be buying again.

 

Nasty

This is not only the worst ipa i've ever had but one of the worst beers i've ever had. It tastes and smells like a cleaning product. It tastes like it's made with the lowest possible quality adjuncts, like the same kind that they make really cheap malt liquor out of, and the worst possible quality hops known to man.

Stay far away from this beer and the other Trader Joe's Boatswain brand beers. It's a crime that they discontinued their Mission Street brand ales which were actually good and replaced it with the beyond awful Boatswain beer.

Well, it's 2022.
With beer prices up 35%, I refuse to be gouged by breweries just to have a cold one.
And, I've gotten over brewpubs that don't properly carbonate their beers starting at $6 a pint.
This stuff has an alcohol content of 6.7% , an IBU of 79, and costs $4.99 for a 6 pack.
Bingo!

PS

I drink beer to cool off in the summertimeand get a nice buzz at the same time, not have a mouthgasm.
When I drink a beer, I don't use phrases like "banana and clove in abundance" to describe it.
A good loud burb will suffice.

Definitely not an AIPA, but as an English ESB, not bad. I am not getting the metallic or medicinal taste that others have, but the bitterness of both the amber malt and the hops makes it taste like an amber ale. Absolutely worth the price for students looking for something other than PBR or Coors. They should look into brewing a Mild, just get rid of these hops, they don't add to the flavor one bit.