Focal Banger | The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center
Brewed by:
The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center
Vermont, United States
alchemistbeer.com
Style: American IPA
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.00%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
An American IPA, hopped judiciously with Citra and Mosaic.
Added by hillvt4me on 01-30-2014
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 3,118 | Reviews: 391
4.52/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.25/5 rDev -7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.75/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.79/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.96/5 rDev +8.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Wow!! what an ipa! This is probably one of the best beers I've ever had. I'm partial to IPA's and while on vacation in VT I stopped by the brewery and brought it back to GA to share with fellow beer connoisseurs. The flavor keeps you coming back for more. Outstanding!!
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look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Wow!! what an ipa! This is probably one of the best beers I've ever had. I'm partial to IPA's and while on vacation in VT I stopped by the brewery and brought it back to GA to share with fellow beer connoisseurs. The flavor keeps you coming back for more. Outstanding!!
269 characters
4.82/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.91/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.39/5 rDev -3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.46/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.69/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
L: Pours a golden yellow with about a finger and a half of white head that fades quickly.
S: Lots of citrus fruits
T: Grapefruit with some orange notes. Smooth at first with a nice bitter after taste.
F: moderate carb but very drinkable.
O: A great tasting, refreshing beer that hits all the marks for me. I really like that it's 7% and I could drink a few of these easily.
374 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
L: Pours a golden yellow with about a finger and a half of white head that fades quickly.
S: Lots of citrus fruits
T: Grapefruit with some orange notes. Smooth at first with a nice bitter after taste.
F: moderate carb but very drinkable.
O: A great tasting, refreshing beer that hits all the marks for me. I really like that it's 7% and I could drink a few of these easily.
374 characters
4.65/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Look is a golden yellow that is opaque but surprisingly not very hazy. 2 fingers of bright white head that dissipates quickly. Also has either yeasties or pieces of hops in the bottom of the glass.
Smell is dank and citrus.
Taste is grapefruit and lemon. Maybe some orange rind. Nice bitter bite on the backend.
Feel is creamy and crushable. Moderate to high carb.
Overall another excellent one from the alchemist and glad I got the opportunity to try it.
462 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Look is a golden yellow that is opaque but surprisingly not very hazy. 2 fingers of bright white head that dissipates quickly. Also has either yeasties or pieces of hops in the bottom of the glass.
Smell is dank and citrus.
Taste is grapefruit and lemon. Maybe some orange rind. Nice bitter bite on the backend.
Feel is creamy and crushable. Moderate to high carb.
Overall another excellent one from the alchemist and glad I got the opportunity to try it.
462 characters
4.33/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.46/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.84/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.5/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.85/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.86/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
4.23/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.6/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Poured into the alchemist IPA glass. A gold yellow pours in with a large, thick and bubbly head forming. Giant glaciers of head begin to melt and collapse apart in the glass. It Peels away leaving lace all along the glass. Little bubbles rise to the too as hop resins fall to the bottom simultaneously. Unfiltered and gorgeous.
Before I was done with the appearance I could smell dank hops. Super dank, pine, lemon, orange and grapefruit aromas. Really wonderful nose.
Orange pith, grapefruit and some lemon peel. Bittering aftertaste. Alcohol well masked. Very balanced, not overpowering like the nose.
Silky, creamy full bodied IPA. The body on this is like a stout but drinks so smoothly. Highly carbed and insanely drinkable.
Despite the crazy nose and the visible hop residue floating in this Beer it's surprisingly balanced. Better than heady? Possibly. Both are world class and insanely drinkable.
929 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Poured into the alchemist IPA glass. A gold yellow pours in with a large, thick and bubbly head forming. Giant glaciers of head begin to melt and collapse apart in the glass. It Peels away leaving lace all along the glass. Little bubbles rise to the too as hop resins fall to the bottom simultaneously. Unfiltered and gorgeous.
Before I was done with the appearance I could smell dank hops. Super dank, pine, lemon, orange and grapefruit aromas. Really wonderful nose.
Orange pith, grapefruit and some lemon peel. Bittering aftertaste. Alcohol well masked. Very balanced, not overpowering like the nose.
Silky, creamy full bodied IPA. The body on this is like a stout but drinks so smoothly. Highly carbed and insanely drinkable.
Despite the crazy nose and the visible hop residue floating in this Beer it's surprisingly balanced. Better than heady? Possibly. Both are world class and insanely drinkable.
929 characters
4.56/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Poured from a pounder can with NO freshness date(!) into a Spiegelau IPA glass
A - Pours a mildly hazy gold color with some heavy particulate that settled quickly to the bottom of the glass. The head was a rocky/soapy white head of nearly two fingers that dissipated rather quickly. (3.75)
S - Sweet citrus (orange, tangerine, grapefruit), melon, gooseberry and moderate sticky pine pop on the nose. Soft and delicate, yet impactful. (4.5)
T - The aroma carries through onto the palate with aplomb. Sweet and fruity that ends with some sticky pine and then transitions to a citrus rind dryness. (4.5)
M - This is perhaps the beer's highlight...soft and creamy on the mouth with just enough lingering citrus rind bitterness to have you coming back for more. (5.0)
O - Although a rather quick study, this beer is all about balance and it achieves that in spades. Although I've heard it said (even by employees at the brewery) that this is better than Heady Topper, my jury is still out to pasture. If I were to agree, it is the mouthfeel that would surpass their flagship. In short, Focal Banger is another winner from The Alchemist. Although not easy to obtain (pretty much, brewery only), the $12.50 4-Pack price tag is more than reasonable for such a well-made hoppy beer. (4.75)
1,285 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Poured from a pounder can with NO freshness date(!) into a Spiegelau IPA glass
A - Pours a mildly hazy gold color with some heavy particulate that settled quickly to the bottom of the glass. The head was a rocky/soapy white head of nearly two fingers that dissipated rather quickly. (3.75)
S - Sweet citrus (orange, tangerine, grapefruit), melon, gooseberry and moderate sticky pine pop on the nose. Soft and delicate, yet impactful. (4.5)
T - The aroma carries through onto the palate with aplomb. Sweet and fruity that ends with some sticky pine and then transitions to a citrus rind dryness. (4.5)
M - This is perhaps the beer's highlight...soft and creamy on the mouth with just enough lingering citrus rind bitterness to have you coming back for more. (5.0)
O - Although a rather quick study, this beer is all about balance and it achieves that in spades. Although I've heard it said (even by employees at the brewery) that this is better than Heady Topper, my jury is still out to pasture. If I were to agree, it is the mouthfeel that would surpass their flagship. In short, Focal Banger is another winner from The Alchemist. Although not easy to obtain (pretty much, brewery only), the $12.50 4-Pack price tag is more than reasonable for such a well-made hoppy beer. (4.75)
1,285 characters
Focal Banger from The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center
4.57
out of 5
based on 3,118 ratings.
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75