Scratch Beer 166 - 2014 (Session IPA)
Tröegs Brewing Company
- From:
- Tröegs Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- American IPA
- ABV:
- 3.9%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.67 | pDev: 5.99%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- May 07, 2015
- Added:
- Dec 01, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
After some tinkering with a variety of different styles over the past dozen or so Scratch Beer offerings, Scratch #166 resumes our quest for the perfect session beer. Each new session IPA we unveil brings us one step closer to achieving a flawless balance of hop aroma, flavor, bitterness, and malt sweetness. This aromatic little number combines the classic citrus punch of American Centennial hops with the spicy, peppery zing of Pacific Jade hops from New Zealand. At just under 4% ABV, you can enjoy several of this flavorful session IPA!
52 IBU
52 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Rated by stephenjmoore from Maryland
3.77/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
The New Zealand hops come through and offer good flavor for the low abv.
Dec 20, 2014
Reviewed by Tucquan from Pennsylvania
3.74/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.74/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Had this on 2014-12-17 at the brewery
A - Clear golden-orange with a 2-finger head and good lace
S - Hop floral and pine. Touch of bready malt. Not very strong.
T - Hop forward with orange zest, then orange flesh, pine, pepper, bread and light caramel. Emphasis is definitely on the hops but there's enough caramel/fruit malt sweetness for some balance.
M - Light body and medium carbonation. Very dry.
O - I continue to be impressed by these low ABV session brews from Troegs. Pretty impressive for under 4%. One of the better session IPAs in the scratch series. Keep it up.
Dec 17, 2014A - Clear golden-orange with a 2-finger head and good lace
S - Hop floral and pine. Touch of bready malt. Not very strong.
T - Hop forward with orange zest, then orange flesh, pine, pepper, bread and light caramel. Emphasis is definitely on the hops but there's enough caramel/fruit malt sweetness for some balance.
M - Light body and medium carbonation. Very dry.
O - I continue to be impressed by these low ABV session brews from Troegs. Pretty impressive for under 4%. One of the better session IPAs in the scratch series. Keep it up.
Reviewed by Slatetank from Pennsylvania
3.72/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.72/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
I had this on tap at the brewery tasting room, served chilled in a tulip shaped pint(wheat glass)and allowed to gradually increase in temp.
The color is golden amber with good clarity and thin beige head with fine bead, thick lace collects and retention is good. The smell is faintly fruity with an almost lemon orange type citrus hop aroma more dank than fruity with raw herbal smell with a gentle tropical aspect. The feel is a balance of hops and malt that is slightly more bitter than sweet with semifull feel considering the listing of 3.9% abv with resins of hops and moderately high carbonation and light grassy bitter finish without any alcohol presence.
The taste is tangy and spicy with slightly raw tasting green hop quality with bitterness that builds and slight grain taste with melanoidin for body -I could see if they used munich because it has some heft for sub 4% and mildly grassy taste with citrus rind hop flavor and mild astringent quality with husky grain in the residual flavor with hints of herbal earthy hop in the finish which is somewhat spicy. Overall I think this is ok ..in a market flooded with 'session IPA's' I would like to see them branch out as the mission of the scratch series was described and try to vary it style-wise, but it has all you might expect from the style, just doesn't do anything to really separate itself from the pack
Dec 12, 2014The color is golden amber with good clarity and thin beige head with fine bead, thick lace collects and retention is good. The smell is faintly fruity with an almost lemon orange type citrus hop aroma more dank than fruity with raw herbal smell with a gentle tropical aspect. The feel is a balance of hops and malt that is slightly more bitter than sweet with semifull feel considering the listing of 3.9% abv with resins of hops and moderately high carbonation and light grassy bitter finish without any alcohol presence.
The taste is tangy and spicy with slightly raw tasting green hop quality with bitterness that builds and slight grain taste with melanoidin for body -I could see if they used munich because it has some heft for sub 4% and mildly grassy taste with citrus rind hop flavor and mild astringent quality with husky grain in the residual flavor with hints of herbal earthy hop in the finish which is somewhat spicy. Overall I think this is ok ..in a market flooded with 'session IPA's' I would like to see them branch out as the mission of the scratch series was described and try to vary it style-wise, but it has all you might expect from the style, just doesn't do anything to really separate itself from the pack
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania
3.99/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served via cask hand pull at Al's of Hampden. A pre-release firkin for the Mad Elf event. Pours slightly hazy golden yellow with a one finger tall white head, quickly dissipating down to a light bubbly film, leaving small streaks of lace on the glass.
Smells of lots of fresh cut grass, some citric fruitiness, dash of pine resin, bit of light caramel sweetness and some lightly toasted pale malt. Taste starts off with the grassy hops quickly being joined by the citric and piney hops and some slightly sweet bready pale malt. Smooth, bitter feel is very easy to consume.
Overall a solid session IPA. I am not usually the biggest fan of cask IPA's but this one works pretty well. Looking forward to trying a proper draft when it comes out.
Dec 01, 2014Smells of lots of fresh cut grass, some citric fruitiness, dash of pine resin, bit of light caramel sweetness and some lightly toasted pale malt. Taste starts off with the grassy hops quickly being joined by the citric and piney hops and some slightly sweet bready pale malt. Smooth, bitter feel is very easy to consume.
Overall a solid session IPA. I am not usually the biggest fan of cask IPA's but this one works pretty well. Looking forward to trying a proper draft when it comes out.
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