Portsmouth is a colonial era seaport town, so it goes to follow that sooner or later we'd brew an India Pale Ale as a tribute to those big, hoppy 19th century ales that made the long sea voyage from England's temperate shores, 'round the Cape of Good Hope, to the sultry climes of the faraway East Indies.
But there's another reason we brewed this beer, one that's closer to our home and hearts. Hopheads.
Ten years ago we brewed our first batch of Shoals Pale Ale, our American interpretation of the traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter) style. At the time, it was widely considered to be darned hoppy. However, a funny thing happened over the last decade - our Shoals Pale Ale didn't change; beer lovers did, and we started to hear more and more: "Why don't you guys make a really hoppy beer?"
You could say, then, that Smuttynose IPA is a physical salute to the glory of the American hop grower. The citrusy hop flavor coming from a mixture of Simcoe and Santiams is pleasantly balanced by a smooth bitterness from the Amarillo hops. The beer itself is light bodied and crisp with a golden color that will throw a slight haze, as we bottle it unfiltered. At 65 IBU's, this is definitely not a training-wheels IPA, but is meant for hop lovers looking to satisfy their craving in a way that's not easy to find. We think they'll be quite pleased.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by Timmyk77 from Overland Park, KS, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/19/2008 10:53:12 PM)
"From a bottle. Pours a hazy gold with a white head. Aroma is very light and unimpressive. Flavor is not very strong for an IPA. I'd consider it more of an APA. A good beer, but not for the style, in my opinion."
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[2] Review by thomassova4 from MD, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/17/2008 12:48:47 PM)
"This might be my favorite IPA - maybe a hair under the Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA. This beer was hazy, hoppy, and biting. The hops were hardcore and the beer was gritty - this could be the IPA standard."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $1.49 Unit Cost: $1.99 per Pint
[3] Review by chedderrob from Crofton, MD, USA who has tried this beer once. (1/12/2008 9:29:31 PM)
"An orange beer with no head. The aroma is powerfully hoppy combined with notes of alcohol. The flavor is sweet and very hoppy - just like eating fresh hops flowers - combined with notes of grapefruit and alcohol."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.8)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
[4] Review by Dansting from Overland Park, KS, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/11/2007 10:49:59 PM)
"Bottle. Poured a cloudy golden color with a medium white head. Strong lacing. Aroma of amarillo hops and citrus. Nice mouthfeel. Flavor is very bitter with a strong grapefruit flavor to it. Has a lot of pine in the aftertaste. Not one of my favorite IPAs."
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.8)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $2.5 Unit Cost: $3.33 per Pint
[5] Review by bobhopps from montreal, Canada who has tried this beer once. (11/20/2007 11:46:14 PM)
"Rusty color with floral and citrus aroma,grapefruit flavor all over with some resin good malt base as the base,definitely as goood as the great divide APA i would say like real twins..."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
10/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.6)
Sampled: Forced Draught Sample Size: 500ml @ $0 Unit Cost: $0 per Pint
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(3.5)
