Focal Banger India Pale Ale | The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center

5/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

4.57/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pale couldy yellow. But out of the can there's tons of hop sentiment floating around. Smell and taste is very crisp piney hop. With some stone fruit. Perfect amount of bitterness and very easy to drink. I prefer a little more "fruit" hop flavor. But some amazing mouthfeel.

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4.78/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A really smooth IPA. I like Heady a little more, but I will NEVER pass up a Focal Banger!

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4.56/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

How does one segue seamlessly from The Eradication/Reduction of The Bottle Backlog at Chez Woody back into what really matters, namely, The CANQuest (tm)? Well, first, you have to jump into Mr. Peabody & Sherman's W.A.B.A.C. Machine, going back to the early-to-mid-1970's. There, a youthful Bro. Woody spent a LOT of time on his maternal grandparents' property, abutting a working farm. A young neighbor girl traded comic books & played tetherball with me. She grew up, married a fellow local beer aficionado & during a recent road trip to VT, they knew to bring me CANs! Viva The CANQuest (tm)! It pays to advertise.

From the CAN: "Drink from the CAN!"; "

Well, as much as I disdain going against a brewer's/brewery's directions, there is NO way that I am drinking a "World-Class" rated beer directly from the CAN. I used to scoff at those who would mention that a CANned beer tasted "metallic" & caution them to deCANt their beer as opposed to French-kissing it in its vessel. Grr. John Kimmich may be the D-Bag in this case. Calls 'em as I sees 'em.

I listened closely for the heraldic singing of angels as I Crack!ed this CAN open, but I only got silence & the background whir of my dishwasher. Is it possible that this beer is not the embodiment of The SeCANd Coming? I shall find out! I began with a gentle Glug that raised two fingers of dense, foamy, creamy bone-white head with incredible retention, refusing to fall away. Color was a gorgeous Yellow-Gold, more like Sunshine in my glass than another unnamed, previous beer. Of course, it also called forth The Gelt Gang of Mammon, Midas & Croesus who assured me that they could hear Sirens, if not angels. Well, s**t! If I have been mistaking the singing of angels for the clarion call of Sirens all of these years, then the onus is on me! We huddled around the glass in a frenzy of ecstatic CANticipation & I have never seen such reverence from these guys. Nose held a resinous, grapefruit-like pungency that seemed to waft upward & straight into our nasal cavities. The CAN seemed to indicate that such would be the case. It was a soft citrusiness, allowing for an underlying biscuity maltiness to also assert itself. Nary a sip had been taken & yet a wave of ecstasy overtook us all. I raised the awaiting chalice & took my first draught to great applause. The mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not as big as in a DIPA, but big for the style. Here we had an iron fist in a velvet glove. The taste was initially light & pleasant with a modest grapefruit citrusiness, but it slowly built to a roaring crescendo that echoed from my sinuses to my eardrums! Gad. It was like having a front-row seat for the orchestra! I remember having done so at The Paramount in Oakland, CA for a screening of "Vertigo" & the orchestra brought me out of my seat at various intervals. The taste of this beer was welling up behind my eyes, causing them to pooch out & giving the impetus to the beer's name. I could almost stand it no longer as I swallowed, allowing the seraphim to enter my belly. I sat back in a satiated state of ecstasy to allow the exbeerience to sink in. The CANQuest (tm) has taken me to the lowest of lows (hear me, Minhas?!?), but this may have been the highest of highs. The dry finish restored my Focal acuity while prompting a bout of sneezing as the Zephyr winds blew across the Sahara Desert in sympathetic response. OMFG. I am spent. Jeez-O, man. CAN this be toppered, er, I mean, Topped?

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4.88/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

4.34/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

4.52/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.52/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

4.65/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

4.64/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

4.34/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Probably my fav beer by then but the floaties are so off putting.

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4.5/5  rDev -1.5%
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

4.52/5  rDev -1.1%
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

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

5/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

4.79/5  rDev +4.8%
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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4.82/5  rDev +5.5%
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

4.39/5  rDev -3.9%
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

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.

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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.

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