Scratch Beer 29 - 2010 (NBPA)
Tröegs Brewing Company

Scratch Beer 29 - 2010 (NBPA)Scratch Beer 29 - 2010 (NBPA)
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From:
Tröegs Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Belgian IPA
ABV:
7.7%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.14 | pDev: 7.49%
Reviews:
61
Ratings:
65
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 02, 2014
Added:
Apr 29, 2010
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  0
Incredibly-hopped, lovingly-aged, and ravenously-carbonated, Scratch #29-2010 is a true brewery collaboration with cast of characters involved in recipe formulation, barrel-aging, dry-hopping, bottle-conditioning and finally, taste-testing. Scratch #29 started off innocently enough as a Pale Ale fermented with Westmalle yeast. After fermentation, the beer was aged for twelve days in virgin Pennsylvania Oak barrels supplied by Keystone Coopers. And then the fun began. Even after brief wood-aging the oak’s intensity overwhelmed the Bravo and German Northern Brewer hops used in the boil. But have no fear, a two-week dry-hop with Willamette and Hersbrucker hops dulled the oak and transformed this beer. Bottled-conditioned for three weeks before release, Scratch #29 imparts an intense spicy flavor with grassy notes from the Hersbrucker hops. Hints of orange and a slight alcohol burn come through with the high carbonation leaving “pins on your tongue” in the finish. * (Not Belgian Pale Ale. We are not Belgian, nor do we claim to be.)

80 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ShadesOfGray:
Photo of ShadesOfGray
Reviewed by ShadesOfGray from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 12oz bottle into my Mad Elf tulip glass. Pours a pale golden color and provides a massive frothy white head with awesome retention! Leaves a beautiful display of thick and sticky lacing that just doesn't seem like it want's to go away.

Aroma is sharp, slight hops, and massive sweet fruits! Picking up pear, apple, orange...actually lots of citrus. Booze is not a factor.

Wow, very refreshing. Light and crisp mouthfeel with a very high carbonation. Lot's of fruitiness, and the hops characteristic added in is very nice. I've had lots of Belgian IPA's...and this small little batch of beer really holds it's own with the rest! Another nice beer from Troegs...doesn't surprise me though!
Jun 02, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by Bill235 from Ohio

Mar 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 04, 2013
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass at 45 degrees.

Appearance: A monster 3 finger head that has great retention. The head is foamy, creamy, and billowy. The left lacing all over the glass. The color of the beer is a medium amber color with orange hues. The clarity of the beer is cloudy with carbonation bubbles. The beer is perfect in appearance.

Nose: A very fragrant floral perfume aroma blast the nostrils. Other aromas are pine, orange, yeast, toasty, biscuit, solvent, phenols, and fruity esters.

Taste: A very flavorful ipa, however the ipa is not that strong probably sat in the cellar too long. The ipa is orange, lemons, floral bouquet, pine, and perfume.Other flavors toasty malt, biscuit, solvent, phenols, and yeast.

The mouth feel of the beer is carbonated and astringent.

Overall: The body of the beer is light and the finish is medium. This a good IPA; however, it sat too long in the cellar.
Dec 27, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by Zeisloft from Pennsylvania

Dec 14, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of TMoney2591
Reviewed by TMoney2591 from Illinois

3.21/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served in a flared pokal.

Thanks to the Central PA group from the Gang Bang BIF for this bottle!

The Scratch Beer Dash hurries forth! This leg pours a clear straw topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises wheat, lemon zest, and grass. Something is definitely missing here... The taste holds notes of lemon zest, wheat, light black pepper, light greens, and white bread. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a somewhat grainy feel. Overall, a surprisingly enjoyable beer, despite the fact that the smell and taste have definitely dropped off due to the age. I'm not sure why, then, but I wouldn't mind drinking another...
Sep 07, 2011
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Even with a careful pour, I wound up with a massive head that would have made a Belgian brewer proud; the liquid was a hazy golden color and both the retention and lacing were first class

Smell: Biscuity, with herbal yeasty elements and, even after the passage of time, some lemony hops

Taste: Biscuity, at first, but the lemony hops and spicy yeast flavors arrive to create and interesting balance, by mid-palate; lemongrass, pear, and a hint of pepper are all present; after the swallow, the pronounced flavor elements merge with the background malt to produce a well-balanced finish

Mouthfeel: Tröegs almost gets the Belgian mouthfeel down, here; the body is light and the carbonation is spritzy, but just a tad too much fizz knocks the score down .5

Overall: Quite a nice stab at the style; I bet this was really something when fresh
Jun 25, 2011
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

4.06/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to stormking47 for this bottle from Troegs. They're one of a handful of breweries that never did a hop wrong!

Pours an almost solid orange-yellow; one could almost see walking on this. Rearing head that necessitates two pours into the pint glass. I amuse myself drawing faces until it begins to fall a few minutes later. Smell is a bit distant but bring more of the Belgian sweet & yeast than hops.

Scratch #29, I wasn't prepared to have my taste buds violated three ways 'til the Ides of March. Not sure if it's age or just aggressive hopping, but what was missing in the nose muscles up in my mouth, bitter, bitter, bitter. Once the shock wears off, there're cool things going on here: tropical fruitage, rock candy, sugar cubes, honeycomb, lemon. Dash of the pepperish varietal tracks a soothing dose of spices. Yeast character is subdued but present.

A very active beer that melts in my mouth & invites rapid sipping to identify the next delightful bit of tastiness.

Excellent brew. I'll warrant I was skeptical popping open an eight month old Belgian IPA, but this is far & away the most complex Belgian IPA I've tasted to date.
Jan 08, 2011
Photo of bierenutz
Reviewed by bierenutz from Michigan

3.97/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A-Pours an almost clear golden color with a big frothy head leaving almost no lacing on the glass.
S-Strong yeast aromas with cloves and some citrus floral notes.
T-Much like it smells but I found this beer to have an sweetness to it that surprised me a bit.
M-Moderate feel and high carbonation.
D-It is drinkable but not sure I could have more than a couple at a sitting.
Jan 05, 2011
Photo of prdstmnky
Reviewed by prdstmnky from Vermont

4.35/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
*review from notes on 5/30/10*

Expecting a generous head to form on this Belgian IPA, I gave a slow pour into my favorite tulip and still got a good 2 fingers of fluffy, white head. Body is a nice orangish yellow color, with a bit of haze to it. Citrus aromas, a bit of spiciness, cloves, and that lovely yeast scent I've grown to love. Earthy / citrus hops and Belgian yeast are the predominant flavors I get, slightly bitter finish but very refreshing. Lower end of medium bodied, with a good amount of carbonation and somewhat dry. I like the style, and I like this example alot. Another great beer in the Scratch series by the Brothers Trogner!
Dec 30, 2010
Photo of KickInTheChalice
Reviewed by KickInTheChalice from Illinois

4.42/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden tangerine color with a sea color thick white head. The head fades to a thin film after a few minutes, with webs of lace clinging to the glass.

Smell: Tons of bubble gum jumps into the nose, with lemon zest, and some pepper support a pale malt presence.

Taste: The flavor starts out with a peppery light biscuit malt flavor. Some lemon zest kicks in before a candy bubble gum and cotton candy sweetness overwhelms the tongue. Some tart grapefruit bitterness is accompanied by more pepper to finish out the sip. Finishes with the bitterness gradually increasing.

Mouthfeel: Overall a great feel -- creamy, smooth, with a firm level of carbonation. Maybe the carbonation could be tighter though, the fizzy nature of the beer almost gets in the way of the flavor. The finish leaves my mouth feeling oily.

Drinkability: I liked this a lot, even with the presumably faded hop presence. Trying this fresh would have been an interesting comparison. Should they choose to make it again, I would happily purchase it.
Dec 13, 2010
Photo of largadeer
Reviewed by largadeer from California

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to dabecassis for forgetting a bottle in my fridge.

I poured this a bit too quickly, and ended up with four inches of head over an ounce of beer. Lot of carbonation in this one, fitting of the style. When it settles, the beer rests in the glass a glowing but foggy pale gold. The head is mousse-like, leaving behind thick sheets of lacing.

This was bottled back in April, so I wasn't expecting a huge hop aroma, and it doesn't have one. There's still plenty of character and complexity left, thanks to the yeast and brief stint in oak barrels. The aroma is spicy, phenolic, a little peppery and chalky with a note of coriander and a grainy pils malt character behind the yeast. There's also a mild lemon-like fruitiness. I do still pick up a hint of herbal hop character, but I'm sure it was bolder when the beer was fresh.

There's a lot of oak on the palate, which initially surprised me but actually works very well. Combined with the phenolic Westmalle yeast it gives the beer a huge spiciness that manages to just barely avoid astringency. Spicy coriander and herbal hop flavors appear mid-palate, along with a trace of bubblegum. It's a bit chalky, though not in a detracting way. There's virtually no sweetness here, thanks in part to a strong bittering hop bite that melds with the tannins to create a long and bitter finish.

This is quite good, and for the style I think it has aged unusually well, thanks largely to a good yeast strain.
Nov 28, 2010
Photo of Hojaminbag
Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado

3.93/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Troegs Belgian IPA has a light colored golden-yellow body with just a hint of haze a solid white head. Good retention and lacing.

The malt bill in the aroma is pale and clean, with a big candied sugar sweetness behind it. There is also a peppery scent from the yeast. The hops really only come up around the edges; they aren't very potent.

The taste is a hell of a lot more hoppy than the aroma. The hops dominate actually, coming through right up front with loads of bitterness, a bit of citrus and a lot of spicy, earthy flavors. Underneath the hops is a pale malt base that is pretty light, and a candied sugar flavor. The yeast makes its presence known also with peppery, slightly medicinal flavors and sweet, light fruits. Just a touch of alcohol pops up in a finish that is dominated by spicy hops and bitterness. The best part of the beer is the aftertaste, which is a mix of nice light fruits and hops.

I like the mouthfeel on this one. Very light and effervescent, almost like a good saison. The finish is also pretty dry.

The nice mouthfeel, the dry finish and the great aftertaste make Troegs Belgian IPA a great drinker.
Nov 21, 2010
Photo of Onenote81
Reviewed by Onenote81 from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Another awesome Scratch beer from bjspicer. Thanks, Brian!

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours a deep gold that is extremely cloudy. A massive off-white head caps it off. This retains wonderfully, and leaves tons of sticky lace all over the glass. Globs of it. Scents of pineapple, yeast, orange, taffy, and a faint banana finish. Nice and fruity.

The body is moderately-full. Good carbonation. Easy finish. The "Belgian" aspect of this beer doesn't overpower, which is nice. This beer blends the two styles wonderfully. Nice bittering hops, lots of citrus flavors, and just hints of yeast and spice in the middle. The spices complement this beer well. This is probably the best of this style I have ever had. They should do another release of this beer. Good stuff.
Nov 04, 2010
Photo of Thorpe429
Reviewed by Thorpe429 from Illinois

4.27/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Reviewed from notes.

Pours pale with a nice white head and a bit of lacing. The nose brings down a good dose of light tropical and citrus hops as well as some nice Belgian yeast and pale malt. The taste brings forward some more light hops and a bit of lemon as well as spice and yeast. Very nice body with great carbonation. A very nice example of the style. Troegs knows its way around hops.
Oct 24, 2010
Photo of orangesol
Reviewed by orangesol from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle poured into my Duvel tulip. I preferred this one more on tap.

A - Color is a cloudy pale copper color with a HUGE fluffy white head consisting of lots of medium sized bubbles that will not go down at all leaving clumps of lacing down the entire glass.

S - A strong belgian yeast aroma greets you right off the bat. Hints of tropical fruits flavors from the hops as well as an almost spicy, herbal aroma.

T - Right off the bat a slight biscuity flavor from the belgian yeast. Just like the nose, hints of citrus fruits with a spicy aftertaste from the hops. A combination of the two lingers on the pallet for a short time afterwards. As it warms up a bit the hop flavors come out a little more but they still play second fiddle to the strong yeast presence.

M - Light to medium body and flavor. High carbonation that dances on the pallet throughout the duration of the glass.

D - While I liked this one very much I just don't think I could sit down and drink more than one at a time. None the less a very good addition to the scratch series.
Oct 23, 2010
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Kevin for hooking me up with this one.

A: The pour is a hazy straw yellow color with a nice, big white head.

S: Lots of yeast character is noticeable right away. A fair amount of spice, primarily coriander, along with some nice floral notes and a good grapefruit and grass hop aroma.

T: The hops are not all that pungent, mostly grassy with a little bit of citrus rind and maybe a hint of pine. Lots of Belgian yeast esters and spice flavors, though.

M: The body is light-medium with a lively carbonation.

D: This sort of reminded me of one of the Bruery's pilot batches of Mischief. A good beer, but with a little tweaking, I think the recipe could be very nice.
Sep 21, 2010
Photo of SpeedwayJim
Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York

3.61/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From Math Trade BIF 2. Poured form a 12oz. bottle into a Cantillon Iris glass.

A: Standard pour yields a quickly escalating 4 finger foamy white head that stands unwavering. Beer is a clear bright yellow. Lacing is patchy and thick, like mold on the side of the glass.

S: Nose is rather faint. Belgian yeast and citrus abounds but there's not much of anything else. A bit disappointing as I crave a big nose from my IPAs.

T: Opens spicy and sweet with the hop profile lingering in the back almost as an afterthought. Citrussy and yeasty but never really bitter at the middle. Notes of grapefruit, pear, banana, and ruby red towards the end. Finishes suddenly with no aftertaste.

M: Light bodied, appropriately carbonated, and lively and abrasive in the mouth. Goes down rather easily. No real finish and aftertaste is a bit sticky.

D: As far as Belgian IPAs go, this one is definitely more Belgian than IPA, which is an approach I appreciate. Sweet and less hoppy, with a slightly disappointing nose, but great flavor and feel. A great middle-of-the-summer beer.
Sep 02, 2010
Photo of younger35
Reviewed by younger35 from Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Received this brew from Stakem and StormKing47 in a trade. Belgium IPA's for me are either really good or awful. I've yet to find middle ground. Drank from my Black Butte Porter pint glass while grilling and rocking out to old Ozzy.

Appearance- Pours a fairly beautiful shade or yellowish orange with a huge two finger bright white head (even with a gentle pour). A perfect cap and collar is maintained the entire drinking session along with ring upon ring of thick ass lacing.
Smell- Extremely (and surprisingly) fruity with a blast of pineapple, mango and passion fruit upfront. Almost tartly fruity smelling. A bit of a cracker base maltinesss with a fairly weak yeast presence. It's there but not hugely 'Belgium'. A bit of bubblegum and cotton candy sneak in as the beer warms too.
Taste- Starts with a light bit of fruitiness like the nose except definitely not as intense. More on the light grapefruit/cherry like thing. A touch of dirty yeast adds that Belgium aspect but it's pretty light and not overly noticeable. Almost a vanilla and caramel aspect as well. Definitely not sweet (thank the lord!) but those vanilla/caramel tones definitely linger and I don't get even the slightest hint in the nose.
Mouthfeel- Medium body with a pretty aggressive bite of carbonation.
Drinkability- Not bad at all! I think I found that middle ground Belgium IPA but definitely on the better side of middle ground. The fruitiness is there and the Belgium is fairly subdued. Good for me, bad for the style. Not shabby either way. Thanks guys!
Aug 26, 2010
Scratch Beer 29 - 2010 (NBPA) from Tröegs Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 65 ratings