Scratch Beer 39 - 2010 (IPA #3 Of 4)
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sending this one to me, Mike.

A: The beer is a pale golden orange color with a fluffy white head.

S: Nose is pretty decent. Nice citrus and pine notes with a little bit of grass. Mostly grapefruit, but there is some of the lemon that was so dominant in the other 3 IPAs of this "mini-series". Light caramel sweetness.

T: Nice grapefruit and tangerine with sweet fruit notes to it. Light grass and pine with a nice bready flavor. Not too much malt sweetness, though. Lightly bitter, but not overly so.

M: Medium in body with a medium to high carbonation.

O: Easily the best of the four IPAs, but not an amazing beer.

On tap @ the Winking Lizard. Mike Watters from Troegs was nice enough to bring us out a few kegs, namely the Scratch IPA series (37-40) for a nice little tasting event. Thanks for hooking this up, and thanks to John and Kev for hosting!

Scratch #39 uses Simcoe Hops.

All of these beers look damn good, with excellent color, clarity and head retention. They are all a golden caramel color and have great white head and lace.

This is the bruiser of the bunch (in a good way!). The simcoes are dialed in and provide pungency in the nose and taste.

The mouthfeel is great, with just enough malt to avoid wateriness and excellent carbonation levels.

Comparison to #37-#40: Simcoe is a love-it or hate-it hop. Some people not only get notes of pine and grapefruit rind but also a wild onion smell that has also been described as “catty”. For me, the Simcoe hops are perhaps my favorite and Scratch #39 stood out as the best in the bunch. This beer featured just a bit more pizazz than the others due to the dank aromas and tastes that Simcoe provides. The bitterness also lingered a bit more than the other beers, but the nice carbonation that all these beers feature makes tasting a joy.

Appearance: Poured into my DFH Signature Glass. Pours a dark hazy orange with a half finger white head which quickly recedes.

Smell: It is not bad but not incredible. A little citrusy but more towards mango and pineapple end of the spectrum.

Taste: I don't quite know why but it first made me confused. Just not what I was expecting I guess. It is a little biscuity with way more malt sweetness than hop flavor. It is interesting, but not quite what I am looking for in an IPA. More towards an English style but not quite. Oh, I got it now, it reminds me of a New Zealand style IPA, see Hopwired from 8 Wired brewing. It is a nice hop mix but a distinct malt flavor that will not let the hops dominate, though they want to.

Mouthfeel: Normal thickness for an IPA but a little light on the carbonation front.

Overall: Troegs does many GREAT things. However this is not one of them, good but not great. I could not have more than one of these at a sitting though I would not turn one away. I like the idea of the Scratch Series and am glad they try many new things. Only the best of the best make it to their line up.

had this one with dinner after i got home from the tasting last night served cold and into a pint glass.

the pour had to be one of the best i have ever seen for the style with nice medium and bright amber color and a thick head of white lace that just would not leave the glass no matter what i did. this was seriously an impressive beer to say the least. aroma was a deep and resonant citrus, orange, tangerine, sweeter more then bitter hops here lended to a nice balance but still very hoppy air to it. rich and creamy with a smooth, profile. the hops hit you but do not destroy you by any means, in fact i was immediatly impressed with how smooth this really was. nice well rounded mid palate showed off the light sweetness from the malts and the overall finish was about as good as you can get.

a new favorite for me for sure. i would have no issue trying this one any day

IPA #3 of 4. Simcoe.

Poured into DFH signature glass. Slightly hazy orange body. One and a half finger white head. The head turns back at a decent clip. Fairly solid lacing blankets the wall of the glass.

At this point the hop aroma has receded a bit, but still very pleasant. Pleasant citrus aroma with a nice underlying pine scent.

The flavor presents a nice balance while maintaining a nice hoppy edge. Tropical fruit with a nice piney bite rolls out the glass and across the palate. Bready malt provide a rather clean base, I appreciate the lack of caramel.

Medium bodied IPA with lively carbonation. The beer is really tingly on the tongue. Rather dry finish.

I am impressed by this beer, my favorite of the series thus far. Flavors are very well balanced and the beer drinks well. Great showcase of the Simcoe hops. Easy drinking IPA.

Thanks to BrewerDan23 for this extra.

12oz bottle poured into SA perfect pint.

A- Pours a hazy tangerine orange with a small, one finger, head. The beer leaves some decent soapy lacing on the side of the glass.

S- A big amount of malt on the forefront. That combines with some nice piney-ness. There also seems to be a little sweetness almost like a cotton candy.

T- Starts off with a lot of pine and malt. There is also a little sweetness from the malt as well to go along with some cracker.

M- Medium bodied with some decent carbonation. Feels a little sticky on the sides of the mouth and dry on the finish.

D- I can't put my finger on it but there is something I really like about this beer. Good flavors and balance make this an easy drinker.

Thanks goes out to Hojaminbag for this brew.

Pours a very nice slightly hazy golden orange color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger creamy off-white head, with some very nice sticky lacing to follow. The nose is hoppy, with some nice malt notes, nice citrus notes. The taste is very nice, hoppy, sweet, nice malt note, very nice citrus notes. Medium Body, the finish has a nice bitterness. Very Drinkable, this is an awesome tasty brew. Thanks Ben.

12oz bottle into Gulden Draak tulip. Thanks goes again to a great trader, StormKing47.

A: Pours a tangerine amber with a couple fingers of bright white head that quickly faded into a thin oily film that left a thin network of lacing. The a couple dozen flecks of tiny sediment that came out with the pour.
S: Notes of exotic fruits including pineapple, mango and kiwi. There is also a fair amount of tea-like notes to the hops. As the head settles and the beer begins to warm notes of malt come through.
T: Very tea like flavors, more so than the nose. There is even a leafy hint of tobacco to the finish. Hops are citrusy and sweet with a touch of pine. Aftertaste has a good punch of bitterness to it but I'm not loving the flavor it leaves in your mouth.
M: Alcohol is just noticeable in the finish. Medium bodied, oily mouthfeel, airy carbonation.
D: Not a bad beer but overall it's a pretty mediocre IPA. I'm not loving the hop flavors that come through in this one, but maybe it's just not for me. For the most part though, I'm liking what I've had of the Scratch series. Thanks again Josh, keep 'em coming.