IPA
Hoptown Brewing Company

IPAIPA
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From:
Hoptown Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
6.2%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.92 | pDev: 9.44%
Reviews:
58
Ratings:
59
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 10, 2012
Added:
Jun 13, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by kmpitz2:
Photo of kmpitz2
Reviewed by kmpitz2 from Tennessee

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Initial pour gives me a nice deep copper to light amber color with a 2 finger big bubbly head that falls slowly leaving nice sticky lace. An additional pour gives a bit of yeast into the mix, clouding up the brew nicely. Nose is moderately citrusy over a chunky sweet caramel base. The is a bit of earthy hop going on in there as well. Flavor is nice. Very solid bitter herbal blast hits initially, but not offensively. This falls back behind a moderate caramel maltyness and a fairly big citrusy grapefruity hop. Finish returns to a mellow bitter lingering on the sides of the tongue. Tasty beer. Feel is towards the thick end of moderate with a solid moderate carbonation. Overall, a very tasty beer. The nose is not as good as I would like. A touch more brilliant hop would be nice, but I'll still take it. I'd drink it again.
Jan 31, 2006
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by beerpadawan from California

Sep 10, 2012
Photo of hophead247
Reviewed by hophead247 from California

3.8/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pouring a slightly hazed, deep amber color with a tall, lace-busy, cream colored head, this brew has a strong orange and grapefruit hop aroma overlaying a sweet caramel malt scent. Medium-bodied, it has a strong caramel backbone on top of which is heaped a generous portion of citric hop bitterness. The finish is only lightly bitter, but enough to bring me back.
Feb 15, 2010
Photo of aforbes10
Reviewed by aforbes10 from Iowa

4.17/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22 oz. bottle purchased in Dixon. Noticed it was contract brewed by my local brewpeb, SudWerk. Pours a nice orange-brown with a rocky whitish head. Sticky, uneven lacing. Aroma is very nice and refreshing...evenly presented pine and orange hop odors, some sweetness, hint of lemon. Flavor has the orange and lemon and pine all in there up front, with a growing bitterness and light malt sweetness. Very, very tasty. Mediuum bodied, with a little note of hop resin. Very clean and well balanced west coast style IPA. Tasty.
Dec 14, 2008
Photo of magictrokini
Reviewed by magictrokini from California

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Orange-gold pour with a fluffy white head. Clean, hoppy, citrus aroma with some grass. The taste mirrors the aroma. The hops are prominent and taste fresh. Good malt back really compliments this beer. I had this after the DUIPA, and I gotta say, this was much better in terms of balance and taste.
Dec 09, 2008
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

4.03/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a nice honey color with a huge white head. Evan as I sipped it stuck around for a while. It smelled of piney and citrus notes. taste was very smooth at beginning with a hop kick of piney and citrus flavors which is good for me because I love that mix of piney and citrus notes. Mouthfeel was good, really stuck around for a while and it followed the taste but at the end is a subtle but good bitterness to let you know. Dry hopped is quite obvious as this beer has hops from beginning to end.
Mar 17, 2008
Photo of JDV
Reviewed by JDV from Texas

4.2/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Nice rich cloudy amber pour with a large, everlasting offwhite head. Smell is big and piney, and fruity hops with a great sweetness coming through as well. Very rich aromatic smell. Body is slightly thinner than I like, but makes for it to be very drinkable. Taste is flavorful hops, perfectly sweetened by the malt, with a nice mild bitterness in the finish. Very well balanced, and resultedly extremely pleasant and easy to drink. Perhaps my new favorite IPA.
Feb 24, 2008
Photo of ojclark
Reviewed by ojclark from California

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma of malt and floral hops. Clear, golden/amber, frothy off-white head: thick and mostly lasting. Some lacing. Toasty, malty flavor very well balanced with resiny, spicy hop flavor and a good level of bitterness. Some fruity notes in the background. Medium carbonation, creamy mouthfeel with a long, sticky finish and a nicely balanced aftertaste. Very nice.
Feb 17, 2008
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

3.69/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Nitro-tap at Beachwood BBQ, in Seal Beach, CA,

A: Pours a blonde yellow, with a full, cumulus-cloud white head, very fluffy, with incredible, full lacing throughout the drink.

S: Light citrus, and malt, pretty faint.

T: Very citrusy, hoppy, with some tropical fruit, notably pineapple notes, some mango, with a nice biscuit malt character.

M: On the thin side as nitros tend to be for me, nice creaminess, the resin really comes out, an interesting serving type to try for an IPA.

D: Very drinkable, a tasty beer from Hoptown, I would like to see it in a bottle to see if the flavours are more concentreated than in the nitro-tap, but overall, very good, a nice showing.
Jan 04, 2008
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

4.02/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
Pint at Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach for $5.50 today during lunch time while watching the Raiders lose once again

The nitro really made this one look cloudy and flat out awesome, deep orange color with the whitest and most creamy head you could possibly imagine, crazy how much lacing stuck to the glass the entire time and there was also a phenomenonal amount of retention

Smell was fairly faint, but there was both citrus and agressively floral hop aromas, hints of charcoal, caramel malt, and whiffs of strong grapefruit as well

Taste was hoppy to say the least but it was so easy to drink, bitter hoppiness right off the bat that lasted for about ten minutes, then the orange, lemon, and tangerine flavors came into play and gave this IPA a slightly sweet flavor that put this one in another league, awesome hop profile, refreshing and thirst quenching, tasted great even though this one would be even better in the summer when it is hot, love the piney finish it had and had a fantastic aftertaste every time, great tasting beer, best one I have had on a nitro-tap

Not much carbonation but that it did not hinder its taste at all, the body was super thick for an india pale ale and it had quite a long lasting flavor, nice mouthfeel overall

Could have drank this until I could not possibly take another sip, probably four pints if I wanted to at a sitting, but I would get full because of its overwhelming hoppiness, heavy stuff even though the ABV is not that high and it is scary smooth and easy to drink

My first beer from Hoptown and it was a doozy, I highly recommend this and I could not see this tasting better on a normal tap or out of bottle, look forward to trying this again in the future, one of the better American IPAs I have had in a long time
Dec 31, 2007
Photo of JoeyBeerBelly
Reviewed by JoeyBeerBelly from New York

3.11/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
22oz bomber, served in a pint glass.

A - hazy, burnt orange color with a creamy head of thick tan foam that settled after time, leaving loads of sticky lacing on the glass.

S - floral hop and slight citrus aromas, it sort of smells like Tang.

T - not the best IPA I've had, but it's not the worst I've had either. Starts off sweet tasting and then turns bitter in the mouth and on the finish. Some yeast can be tatsed upon burping.

M - medium bodied, mildly chewy with light carbonation.

D - ok drinkability, not your everyday IPA.
Dec 30, 2007
Photo of t0rin0
Reviewed by t0rin0 from California

3.4/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Where to start, this beer was an interesting mix of a generic IPA and some random unexpectedly good qualities. It was a nice orange-copper color but it was overly hazy and even after a couple days in the fridge the yeast didn't fully settle. The foam was a nice thick white head with some decent lacing and tasted nice and sweet.

The beer itself had a decent flavor, a bit caramel like possibly with some centennial hops(?). Moderately bitter but thats what you get with an IPA I guess. Sharp aftertaste thats kinda dry. The beer had a decently heavy body to it. Its drinkable because of the flavor but I'm not sure I'd drink a lot of it at one time.
Nov 02, 2007
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

4.35/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Acquired from fartingdog, courtesy of Birthday Club 2, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright orange color with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is very sweet and very hoppy with fruity citrus and some caramelized malts.

T: The taste is nicely balanced with a strong burst of floral hops bitterness up front. Then some sweetness comes in from flavors of caramel and citrus to tone things down. The malt character is good but on the light side for the style. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

D: Quite tasty, goes down easily, not very filling, decent kick, very good representation of style, this is yet another excellent West Coast IPA that I could enjoy for a whole evening, since it’s so light for an IPA and has an ABV level low enough to allow you to go with it for a while. Overall, I think this is a very good beer.
Oct 25, 2007
Photo of flexabull
Reviewed by flexabull from California

3.58/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
New offering at the local liquor store...

Pours a slightly hazy gold color with a nice white head.

Aromas are of citrus fruits, mostly a bitter grapefruit like smell.

Beer has a tart and sour citrus grapefruit like flavor. A bit puckering and bitter on the finish as well. There also is a slight cereal malt flavor, that is caramel like, sweet and creamy.

Mouthfeel is a bit light and watered down. But not bad.

Drinkability is good. Not a great IPA, but it's solid enough. Some classic hop flavors that are tasty, but the weaker body holds this one down a notch or so. It's still pleasant enough, and quite easy to drink.
Oct 06, 2007
Photo of BeerTruth
Reviewed by BeerTruth from Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked this one while I was out in Cali this summer, how I miss thee.

22 oz. bottle poured into a nonic.

Pours a clear copper hue with a two finger white head that quickly dies down to a thin lacing. Stickiness is pretty good, portions are covered in webby goodness. Smell is an earthy hop with pine and pink grapefruit. Good amount of caramel malt in the nose as well, good ol' west coast IPA. Taste is a bit weak for Cali, some floral notes and citrusy sweetness up front followed by the yummy caramel malt. Very clean on the tongue, but dull. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and creamy with a mild carbonation feel. Pretty easy going down, likable IPA for sure but not your typical west coast hop bomb. Definitely worth a try.
Oct 02, 2007
Photo of Gueuzedude
Reviewed by Gueuzedude from Arizona

3.28/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Sampled April 2007
Pours with a brilliantly clear, cranberry-copper color and is topped by a frothy, initially fat-two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The aroma smells of sweet toffee, caramel and figs as well as a herbal citrus character.

Fairly sweet, with a solid caramel malt flavor to it up front. Malt continues on through to a finish that has a dry, toasted grain character to it as well as some continued caramel flavors. The beer finishes with a fair amount of bitterness. As the beer warms herbal hop notes become quite a bit more noticeable, still they are paired with an at times not quite equal, yet in others the dominant note of sweet citrus hop character of orange peel and grapefruit. Touches of biscuits and toasted malt are noticeable around the edges.

This beer is definitely past its hop aggressive prime, without a bottle date though I have no idea to its age. Still it is a good tasting brew that is perhaps a bit more malt balanced than when it first started out in the bottle.
May 02, 2007
Photo of uberabr
Reviewed by uberabr from California

4.13/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 22 into a pint. Huge cream-colored head settles to a mountainous two finger froth with excellent rings of lace. Hazy amber with gold hues.

Smells of fresh oranges with a subtle airy pine and sliced apples. Hints of resin, flowers and fresh air.

Taste is bitter and hoppy with hints of cherries, orange rind and roasted barley. Slight grassiness and buttery diacetyl. Body is medium and on the oily side. Very drinkable, but not spectacular.
Mar 15, 2007
Photo of CharlesDarwin
Reviewed by CharlesDarwin from Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Originally reviewed November 26, 2006. On tap at Pizza Port Carlsbad. Light wisp of coarse lemony hops. Orange golden-fringed pour. Rim of whitish. Flavor is a light, nice almost raisiny malt character, backed with a heavy hand of hops, in sweet candied orange peel cirtus and lot of both white and ruby red grapefruit character. Some candied ginger and light cherries back this one out of becoming too uninteresting. Another well done, yet not exciting IPA.
Dec 19, 2006
Photo of stephendr
Reviewed by stephendr from California

3.6/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22 oz. bottle – amber hue –nice off white head, small bubbles lingering – nose hoppy , mint , caramel , malt , gingerbread , and nutty – taste of grapefruit , hopps , citrus , and malts – smooth , gummy but raw palate - aftertaste lemony citrus and hopps
Nov 28, 2006
Photo of IntriqKen
Reviewed by IntriqKen from California

4.35/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A rustic golden orange fills the glass with a little yeast floating in suspension. Nice single finger head that melts to a rim of sticky lacing.
Aroma is all about hops...Cascade and Centinial...fresh, citrusy and green.
Taste surprisingly has a malt thickness and sweetness that is reminiscent of a DIPA. As you swallow though, pleasantly bitter citrus hops take over...pineapple at first...then orange, finishing with grapefruit. Just a hint of sweetness blending in with the hops at the end reminds you again of the DIPA similarities.
Finish is drying...not cloying at all.
This is a complex, yet straightforward IPA...a wonderful marriage of malt and hops and something I would like to keep in the fridge all of the time.
Oct 14, 2006
IPA from Hoptown Brewing Company
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 59 ratings