Carpenter's Ale
City Steam Brewery Café

 

Had this on tap at the restaurant-brewery in Hartford. Looks like a New England IPA - a fairly hazy, lemonade color, with a finger or so of soft and slowly dissipating head. Nice aromas of citrus and maybe some mango or pineapple. Very nice taste - nice fresh hop flavors of grapefruit, mango, pineapple, just a bit of malty sweetness, and with a slight soft bitterness on the finish. Mouth is just right. Overall, I was quite impressed with this IPA.

 

 

 

 

On tap at the source.
Comes to the table a lightly hazy medium golden color with a smallish off white head that leaves lots of lace on the way down. Brown sugar and brown bread make up the bulk of the aroma with a light earthy hop and light fruity ester providing balance. The flavor is sweet up front with a solid shot of sugary caramel sweetness. Light earthy hop and light fruit round this one out. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet almost syrupy mouthfeel. Decent brew, I could drink it, but would choose something else first.

 

 

 

A: Pours an opaque copper color with a finger of creamy white head. Lots of foamy lacing. Kind of a weird color for an IPA, but I'll go with it.

S: Floral hops, grapefruit, and pineapple. Smells tasty!

T: Some very sweet malts up front transition to a bitter hop finish. Oddly, the sweet malt taste seems to linger on the front of my tongue for a long time. This causes a slightly medicinal effect that I did not find all together appealing. The fruity hops in the nose were largely absent in the flavor.

M: Medium body and carbonation with a good amount of warming booze present. The weird aftertaste I noted in the flavor leads to an unappealing mouthfeel.

D: I ordered this beer because of the good reviews it had received thus far on BA. To be honest, I was sadly disappointed. The flavor did not have good balance and left an unappealing aftertaste in my mouth. I should note that I had a couple other beers after this one and I felt that they too had strange aftertastes - I wonder if something was wrong with their lines the night I went?

First off, City Steam has really started to grow on me. I'd say in the last 18 mos to 2 years, something's changed (new brewmaster??) because the beers have really gotten better. This one is without a doubt a very good IIPA. I am an unabashed hophead and could drink this one all night (not true actually as I max out with about 3-4 of these at a time). Nice unfiltered dark golden color, very hazy with about 3/8" of white sticky head. Lacing lasts most of the way through a glass (they serve them in what looks like about a 12oz tumbler as it's 9%abv or something like that). Smell is flowery in the nose with a really good pineapple/citrusy taste. Enough malt flavor to balance it, but it's definitely a hop forward brew. Carbonation and mouthfeel are good and overall this is a tasty beer. If they could pull off somethink with similar flavor in the 6% range, that would be borderline sessionable. Long story short, if you haven't (or not in a while) visited City Steam, and you're in the Hartford area -- give them a try. And if you like IPA's, don't miss this one.

I love this beer.

I will come back and make this a more intelligent review some day, but since I have been drinking this beer for a while now and never reviewd I just need to spread the love.

this is an unfiltered DIPA, so its right up my alley.

The newest version is 22 plato, so try not to have more than 2 mugs or 3 pints. This is fine with me as well, since after a few mugs, I am in chill out mode and really end up overwhelmed by all the falvor.

This is not a bitter hoppy IPA, its a flowerlike hoppy IPA. If I were to compare this beer to something that is more readily available around the country I would say DFH Burton Baton.

Ron is still refining this beer, but the most recent has been the best so far. since the origonal review the beer has gotten a little lighter and stronger.

ill be back to edit this.
The next batch comes out in 2 weeks.

A solid balanced IPA. Hazy amber with a nice head that laces well down the pint.
Smells great...piney and citrusy.
Flavors are sweet caramel malt backdrop and an ass kickin' pineapple, citrus hop explosion. Great bitter finish that lingers and calls for another hit.
I could drink this all night....and hand over the keys.
Mouthfeel just right...medium; nicely carbonated.
A winner for sure.

A hop explosion, pours a copper gold color with nice white head. Big aromas of citrus/grapefruit from the hops. The taste of this IPA is excellent, citrusy flavor with a nice tinge of some esters lets you know this isn't your typical IPA. Mouthfeel is right on point, the smooth malt backround adds nice depth to this one. Overall, very enjoyable, probably the best beer at City Steam.

Made with Galena, Simcoe and Amarrillo hops. Pours clear with a light amber color and a white frothy head that recedes slowly. Big aroma of tangerine and grapefruit.

Flavor is bright hops right upfront, mostly tangerine accented by notes of pine and citrus rind. A firm and chewy malt backbone rides along, for a well-balanced beer.

Full mouthfeel, moderate carbonation. Very tasty and drinkable IPA.