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
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Ratings: 3,674 | Reviews: 464
4.63/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
An amazing blend of fruity and hoppy. A lot of comparisons to Heady in the reviews so let me just say that these are pretty different beers. FB’s flavor profile has a bit more going on whereas Heady is just perfectly balanced. With that being said, Heady is my favorite beer from The Alchemist but FB is also a beer that can’t be missed.
341 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
An amazing blend of fruity and hoppy. A lot of comparisons to Heady in the reviews so let me just say that these are pretty different beers. FB’s flavor profile has a bit more going on whereas Heady is just perfectly balanced. With that being said, Heady is my favorite beer from The Alchemist but FB is also a beer that can’t be missed.
341 characters
4.02/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.56/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.75/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
A: Poured into a tulip to a light golden orange topped by a dense finger and a half of white head which retains well and leaves excellent lacing
S: Smells of juicy citrus from the abundance of citra hops with some tropical fruits and hints of pine. Slight sweetness as well
T: Taste is juicy citrus and tropical fruits with a little pine and pith, slight earthyness as well. Decent malt sweetness adds some balance but still just a facefull of hops and a ton of juicy citrus. Swallow is more juicy citrus and tropical fruits with some lingering pine resin and earthyness
M: This beer is on the lighter side of medium in body with carbonation that is just below being prickly. The beer has an oily and refreshing finish.
O: This is a top notch NEIPA. Great hop flavors with some solid complexity. This one tastes super fresh and clean as well which is nice. Definitely worth a try if you can find it.
911 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
A: Poured into a tulip to a light golden orange topped by a dense finger and a half of white head which retains well and leaves excellent lacing
S: Smells of juicy citrus from the abundance of citra hops with some tropical fruits and hints of pine. Slight sweetness as well
T: Taste is juicy citrus and tropical fruits with a little pine and pith, slight earthyness as well. Decent malt sweetness adds some balance but still just a facefull of hops and a ton of juicy citrus. Swallow is more juicy citrus and tropical fruits with some lingering pine resin and earthyness
M: This beer is on the lighter side of medium in body with carbonation that is just below being prickly. The beer has an oily and refreshing finish.
O: This is a top notch NEIPA. Great hop flavors with some solid complexity. This one tastes super fresh and clean as well which is nice. Definitely worth a try if you can find it.
911 characters
4.59/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 16 ounce into a jelly jar as it is labeled "drink from the can!". Nice golden color with decent head. Smells wonderfully sweet and tropical. First sip is just as good. It tastes like it smells which is unusual. Very hoppy without being overly sweet or bitter. Great carbonation and mouthfeel. Nice resiny hoppy mouth retention that lingers long after the sip has been swallowed. It is a perfect example of a Vermont IPA. I suspect it may be around longer than some of the sweeter versions that are currently all the rage. A great beer. Glad I grabbed a case.
583 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 16 ounce into a jelly jar as it is labeled "drink from the can!". Nice golden color with decent head. Smells wonderfully sweet and tropical. First sip is just as good. It tastes like it smells which is unusual. Very hoppy without being overly sweet or bitter. Great carbonation and mouthfeel. Nice resiny hoppy mouth retention that lingers long after the sip has been swallowed. It is a perfect example of a Vermont IPA. I suspect it may be around longer than some of the sweeter versions that are currently all the rage. A great beer. Glad I grabbed a case.
583 characters
4.88/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Looks amazing, didn't take it out of the can! Smell is a tropical fruit sensation, citrus lemon lime and grapefruit, and a great fatty sweetness that I just wasn't prepared to smell. Like caramelized sugar and butter before it it burns. Taste is just overwhelmingly pleasant hops that coat every square inch of your mouth. Body is perfect for the drink, but I would like it to be a little heavier so I didn't want ten more! Very light and drinkable, absolutely fantastic IPA. If only every brewery looked to these people as an example of a beer that should be produced for the market, said market wouldn't be flooded with so many bland half ass beers.
651 characters
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Looks amazing, didn't take it out of the can! Smell is a tropical fruit sensation, citrus lemon lime and grapefruit, and a great fatty sweetness that I just wasn't prepared to smell. Like caramelized sugar and butter before it it burns. Taste is just overwhelmingly pleasant hops that coat every square inch of your mouth. Body is perfect for the drink, but I would like it to be a little heavier so I didn't want ten more! Very light and drinkable, absolutely fantastic IPA. If only every brewery looked to these people as an example of a beer that should be produced for the market, said market wouldn't be flooded with so many bland half ass beers.
651 characters
4.47/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up some at the brewery, tried on tap and from the can, the review is from the can.
A: had to pour some into snifter as I could not recall notes from brewery (can says not to do this), pours a pale golden wheat body, thin brilliant white foam head, some sediment
S: sniffing the can you get whiffs of citrus and tropical fruit, orange oil, malt
M: medium body, creamy, juicy
T: citrus, fresh orange juice, grapefruit, cracker, malt, crisp, hop oils seem really freash, very mild bitterness, refreshing to me more in the can than what I recall on tap
O: solid DIPA, very balanced and flavorful
600 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Picked up some at the brewery, tried on tap and from the can, the review is from the can.
A: had to pour some into snifter as I could not recall notes from brewery (can says not to do this), pours a pale golden wheat body, thin brilliant white foam head, some sediment
S: sniffing the can you get whiffs of citrus and tropical fruit, orange oil, malt
M: medium body, creamy, juicy
T: citrus, fresh orange juice, grapefruit, cracker, malt, crisp, hop oils seem really freash, very mild bitterness, refreshing to me more in the can than what I recall on tap
O: solid DIPA, very balanced and flavorful
600 characters
4.04/5 rDev -11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
L - 2-finger bright white head atop a translucent orange body.
S - dank citrus, pine, sweet candy.
T - follows the nose. Very dank. Grapefruit, pine, and resin. Moderate bitterness. Moderate sweetness. Low booziness.
F - medium body and carb.
O - not NE style, but a classic “East Coast” ipa.
300 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
L - 2-finger bright white head atop a translucent orange body.
S - dank citrus, pine, sweet candy.
T - follows the nose. Very dank. Grapefruit, pine, and resin. Moderate bitterness. Moderate sweetness. Low booziness.
F - medium body and carb.
O - not NE style, but a classic “East Coast” ipa.
300 characters
4.46/5 rDev -2.6%
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
4.78/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
4.79/5 rDev +4.6%
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
4.6/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3.63/5 rDev -20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.95/5 rDev -13.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.52/5 rDev -1.3%
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
4.52/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Just poured about 4 oz into a taster glass to see the glory and drank the rest from the can, as requested by John Kimmich.
Pours a hazy light gold. White head. Aroma is a nice balance between citrus hops and bready/caramel maltiness. Taste is just like the aroma with a bit more punch and a steady bitterness through the finish. Feel is medium bodied and highly carbonated - the higher carbonation in this one lets the hops really shine through in the taste. Overall, this is what an IPA should be - malts do not get lost here and I would gladly have a 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Lucky to get to try this being in CA.
608 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Just poured about 4 oz into a taster glass to see the glory and drank the rest from the can, as requested by John Kimmich.
Pours a hazy light gold. White head. Aroma is a nice balance between citrus hops and bready/caramel maltiness. Taste is just like the aroma with a bit more punch and a steady bitterness through the finish. Feel is medium bodied and highly carbonated - the higher carbonation in this one lets the hops really shine through in the taste. Overall, this is what an IPA should be - malts do not get lost here and I would gladly have a 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Lucky to get to try this being in CA.
608 characters
4.25/5 rDev -7.2%
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
4.65/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.6/5 rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Focal Banger from The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center
Beer rating:
4.58 out of
5 with
3,674 ratings
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