20 Distro’d IPAs Blind Panel Tested & Reviewed

The Full Pint received positive feedback from our last blind panel test. This time, we decided to go with some suggestions and do a single style head to head for a blind panel test. The methodology is not much different from the previous panel test. In keeping with our last panel, we wanted this panel review to be relatively casual and we wanted to include a wide variety of palates. For this panel, we had 6 men and 5 women with only 6 tasters who were repeat members of our beer tasting group. Four were beer lovers new to the group and one was a wine enthusiast. I’ve written a very brief bio of the panelists below so you can put their scores into context. Participants were asked to rank their overall enjoyment of the beer on a 1 through 10 point scale with additional notes if possible on why they gave that score.

This time we asked our editor Danny to select an assortment of beers of his choosing to go through the gauntlet. These beers were shipped to the tasting venue and we had Helen, one of our hosts, open the boxes and wrap the beers in paper and label them with a unique number. Most of the beers were doubled up so that enough could go around for 11 participants. Helen is the only person who saw the beers beforehand, but since she is into wine and not in touch with the craft beer scene, we thought seeing the beers would bias her opinions the least. Helen did tell us that she was confident we would be trying all IPAs, which was news to us. A collective groan came out of the group as 20 IPAs back to back is brutal on the palate. We ended up taking breaks, had plenty of palate cleansers, and thankfully not too many of the beers we sampled were palate wreckers. Next time we are only doing 10 of one style! Covered beers were set up at different stations in the house as groups of 2 (one group of 3) made their way around to the stations to sample and evaluate the beers.

A few days after this event was complete, Danny informed us that his intention was to have us blind panel test and give feedback on 20 American-style or West Coast IPAs at the regular alcohol strength segment. We did not know this going in, so you will read feedback where panelists thought some beers were Session IPAs, Double IPAs, and NE-style hazy IPAs, which is interesting in of itself. You may notice along the way that some panelists did not score every beer. That is due to a mix of time constraints, palate fatigue, undecided opinions, and also limitations on the amount of beer available to sample. In some instances, we did not have enough of the beer to go around for 11 tasters due to the limited volume of a couple of beers.

Note from the editor in chief, Danny – We anticipate emails from our brothers and sisters who brewed these beers, asking us why we didn’t reach out for the freshest, most pristine rendition of these beers. It would have taken too long to wrangle all 20 of these from a single store or from a PR department and get all ten panelists’ schedules to lineup. Quite frankly, this lineup, with these date codes is the perfect snapshot of what’s on the shelf in 2018, this is what your average beer consumer is buying or not buying. For better or worse, this is probably the most accurate representation of the beer outside of the brewery’s tasting room. Some of the beers that we know to be great did poorly in this fairly controlled experiment. We would be more than happy to review a fresh “copy” of any of the beers in question, just reach out to us. I ordered these beers from a well known online retailer with a well established brick and mortar shop, who has a reputation for taking great care of their inventory, the finger can be pointed in many different directions on this one. Breweries and reps should read this piece carefully, this is your beer.

PANELIST BIOS

David: Veteran beer taster and hazy IPA addict
Eric: Veteran beer taster, homebrewer, geuze/lambic lover above all else, though recently has hopped on the hazy IPA train
Cerina: Veteran beer taster, lover of hazy IPA, sours, intense stouts, and other less bitter IPAs
Helen: Wine enthusiast
Tim: Thirsty
Elizabeth: New to the group, lover of all things Monkish
Ryland: New to the group, DDH IPA enthusiast, and lover of sour/wild ales, stouts, and experimental beers
Cee Dee: New to the group, eclectic taste and loves to write about beer
Basir: New to the group, enthusiastic dark beer lover
Whitney: Veteran beer taster with eclectic taste but not the biggest fan of IPAs
GT: Lead reviewer for The Full Pint, full bio and article on how I review beer

PANEL RESULTS – LISTED WORST TO BEST

BLIND ENTRY #2: Cigar City Jai Alai IPA

Freshness: Canned on 3/12/18 → 110 days old, 20 days outside the brewery’s recommended freshness window of 90 days
Product description: See our recent in-depth review of this beer

David: This tasted not so great to me and reminded me of homebrew. 5/10
Eric: This smelled old to me and tasted like homebrew. 3/10.
Cerina: Reminded me of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, sweet and sticky with pears in the aroma. 5/10.
Helen: Tasted like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to me. 4/10.
Tim: I wrote down “basic bitch” IPA with a nasty finish. 4/10.
Elizabeth: This was darker for an IPA, amber really, with a sugary aroma and a taste that left a film on the mouth. Sweaty flavors dominated. 2/10.
Ryland: I liked this one, it was traditional with your intense citrus peel and spicy hop character. 8/10.
Cee Dee: This was sharp and too bitter for me reminding me of an outdated IPA recipe. 2/10.
Basir: Traditional flavors with sweet fruit and big sugar. I thought it was middle of the pack. 5/10.
Whitney: This was solid in my opinion with mega grapefruit rind. 8/10.
GT: This smelled and tasted old to me. It was darker in color and tasted sweaty and nutty. 3/10.

Average Points: 4.5/10
Consensus: (high standard deviation of scores)
Debrief: I reviewed this beer recently, and thoroughly enjoyed it. But that beer was reviewed in April from a one-month old can. This can was packaged 110 days before sampling, so it’s not a fair comparison I think. Still, the orange peel flavor wasn’t a big hit with this crowd looking for more West Coast-style IPAs. Also, take into consideration that the consensus on this beer was weak, i.e. there was a large difference in scores for this beer. At least two of our panel testers, including one very experienced one, gave it high marks. We checked and technically this can is “out of code” (outside the freshness window recommended by the brewery) by more than 20 days. Since this was purchased at the same time as the other IPAs, there’s a blame game to pass around between brewery, distributor, and retailer. In addition, there was an even older IPA in this matchup that did relatively well.

BLIND ENTRY #10: Three Weav3rs Expatriate

Freshness: Canned on 4/10/18 → 81 days old
Product description: Our West Coast IPA is bright and laden with notes of tropical fruits. Brewed with two-row barley, a touch of English crystal malt and loaded with new age American hops. 6.9% ABV

David: This was light-bodied for an IPA, possibly in the 4.5% ABV range, with pilsner-like flavors. It’s possible this is closer to an IPL with its clean character. 6/10.
Eric: This one’s aroma was comparatively funky and bitterness with sharper making it less enjoyable than other. 4/10.
Cerina: This one was quite bitter with leafy, grassy hops dominating. It didn’t seem as well-balanced in that regard. 4/10.
Helen: This was extra bitter with leafy hops dominating. It reminded me of Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion with its bright clarity and powerful bitterness. 6/10.
Tim: This was unremarkable with no fruity hop character that I enjoy. The aroma was unpleasant with a dirty laundry tinge to it. 5/10.
Elizabeth: This one smells metallic and had a rough, harshly bitter finish. 6/10.
Ryland: This reminded me of a White IPA, light-bodied and crisp, with a slightly bitter flavor. 6/10.
Cee Dee: There was an odd aroma to this one with a boring flavor that wasn’t hoppy enough comparatively. 4/10.
Basir: Barely hoppy with a pilsner-like quality to the flavor. 4/10.
Whitney: This had an odd aroma like acetone that made it difficult to enjoy. 2/10.
GT: This had great clarity and was bright straw in color. It had a beautiful tropical fruit aroma but that devolved quickly to peanut shells (possible grist issue). The flavor brought spicy melon, good sugar for balance, and was soft-bodied for an IPA. The finish though was papery and relatively poor for this head to head showdown. 5/10.

Average Points:  4.7/10
Consensus: Strong (lower standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #5: Melvin IPA

Freshness: Canned on 3/28/18 → 94 days old (possibly 4 days out of code from the brewery’s recommended freshness window)
Product description: It’s all about the right hops, at the right time. This is how Melvin Grew Up. Fruity, Intense, but not bitter like the rest of them. 7.5% ABV.

David: I wasn’t a huge fan of this one with old grapefruit flavors dominating. 6/10.
Eric: This was comparatively bitter and boozy lacking the finesse of other entries. 5/10.
Cerina: Toasty malt and woodsy hops made this one stick out from the pack but in the wrong way. 5/10.
Helen: Sharper, perfumey hops dominated with something that reminded me of Nelson hops, which I don’t enjoy. 5/10.
Tim: Forgettable beer with darker malty flavors dominating and fully lacking aroma hops. A clean finish saved it, though. 6/10.
Elizabeth: This was sugary with orange flavors. The mouthfeel was heavy and rough going down. 5/10.
Ryland: This reminded me of New Belgium Voodoo Ranger. It was fruity but also chewy and darker for this style. 5/10.
Cee Dee: This was a simple beer comparatively with malt flavors dominating. It was easy drinking and not too sugary with a bitter finish. 6/10.
Basir: I wasn’t a big fan of this beer. It had a cooked peach flavor and was too dense. 4/10.
Whitney: The aroma brought fruity cantaloupe but only through intense nail polish remover/acetone. Clarity was poor and color was darker for this style. 4/10.
GT: I thought this beer was outdated in flavor. It was focused on orange peel and rough bitterness with a chewy body that made it difficult to enjoy. The color was also deep golden with moderate haziness. 2/10.

Average Points: 4.8/10
Consensus: Strong (lower standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #18: El Segundo Broken Skull IPA

Freshness: Bottled on 4/13/18 → 78 days old
Product description: A bad-ass 6.7% IPA designed by Steve Austin and ESBC for the working man and woman. It features Citra, Chinook and Cascade hops to deliver big flavor with an easy finish.

David: This was very average to me with spicy hops dominating and an oily, creamy mouthfeel. I scribbled down “gingerbread latte,” whatever that means! 6/10.
Eric: This was average tasting to me with nothing really of note. There was nothing offensive, which is nice. 5/10.
Cerina: Floral hops in the aroma were nice and the mouthfeel was a bit oily, which was off-putting for me. 5/10.
Helen: Similar take on this as Cerina, oily and creamy mouthfeel made this stand out but not in a good way. 4/10.
Tim: This was malty and quite bitter with a homebrewed DIPA flavor. 4/10.
Elizabeth: Sharper peanut shell aroma was off-putting to me. 4/10.
Ryland: Clean and bitter with similarities to blind entry #15. 6/10.
Cee Dee: This was relatively boring to me with medium bitterness and medium maltiness. Alcohol seemed higher around 8%. 3/10.
Basir: 5/10
Whitney: This was slightly sweeter than others with lighter bitterness and pears in the aroma. 7/10.
GT: This was clear straw in color coming out, which I like, with a sugary circus peanut aroma. The flavor ended a touch too bitter and it didn’t come together in the end. 5/10.

Average Points: 4.9/10
Consensus: Strong (lower standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #12: Knee Deep Sac Fly-PA

Freshness: Canned on 5/29/18 → 32 days old
Product description: This 6.5%, 40 IBU West Coast IPA is brewed with CTZ, Citra and Centennial hops, infusing piney and citrus-like flavors that balance out the light and crisp malt profile.  

David: This was overall a forgettable beer with nothing offensive but nothing that stood out in a good way either. 5/10.
Eric: This one to me had a sharper chemical flavor like chlorine. 5/10.
Cerina: Weak aroma comparatively with dialed back bitterness. 4/10.
Helen: I thought this one had a particularly odd aftertaste. 4/10.
Tim: I appreciated the lower bitterness on this one and inoffensive aroma. 6/10.
Elizabeth: This had a coating mouthfeel and neutral flavor with nothing stand out for me. 6/10.
Ryland: I thought this was dominated by cheesy, stinky hops but I still liked it. 6/10.
Cee Dee: This had a funky hop aroma but smooth, delicious mouthfeel. 8/10.
Basir: This one was fine but forgettable, 4/10.
Whitney: I was very unhappy with this one. The aroma was super cheesy and funky like stinky feet. 1/10.
GT: This was clear straw in color with an odd, stinky hop aroma. The flavor had some water chemistry issues with celery seed flavors and sharp bite to the water profile. It had an oily, coating mouthfeel with moderate bitterness. It didn’t come together for me. 5/10.

Average Points: 4.9/10
Consensus: Moderate (moderate standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #11: The Hop Concept / Alpine THC + ABC = IPA

Freshness: Freshest by 9/22/18 → We think this is <30 days old
Product Description: Collaboration with Alpine Beer Co. Dry hopped with Ekuanot, Denali, Comet and whole cone Citra. More about this beer here.

David: This was fairly neutral to me with nothing standing out. 5/10.  
Eric: Bitterness was 6/10 intensity and sweetness was 2/10 intensity giving it a hop-forward character was still relatively uninteresting to me. 5/10.
Cerina: Lighter bodied for an IPA with intense bitterness that would pair well with spicy food. 6/10.
Helen: Extremely bitter for this style making it difficult to enjoy. 4/10.
Tim: This was a 10/10 bitterness for me with essentially no sugar for balance. This was in-your-face aggressive. I scribbled down, “hates the world and wants to watch it burn.” Still, 6/10 for me!
Elizabeth: Sharply bitter grassy hops dominating with not enough body to balance. Still, I liked the aggressive nature and gave it 8/10.
Ryland: I thought this was lighter-bodied with little sugar and thought it could even pass for a session IPA. 6/10.
Cee Dee: I thought this was poorly balanced with bitterness off the charts and no sugar to the rescue. It reminded me of Stone Delicious IPA. 2/10.
Basir: Too overdone bitterness-wise in my opinion. 2/10.
Whitney: Yikes! This was over the top bitter with a stinky, footy aroma and traces of acetone. 2/10.
GT: This had a stinky overripe tropical melon aroma coupled with an aggressively bitter taste. But it was also crisp and clean with bright, grassy and botanical flavors. I loved the power of this beer, which stood out amongst the competition. 8/10.

Average Points: 4.9 /10
Consensus: Weak (high standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #3: Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

Freshness: Best by 8/31/18 → We assume the freshness window is 120 days for Deschutes IPAs, so this would be 60 days old.
Product description: This mouthwateringly delicious IPA gets its flavor from a heavy helping of Citra and Mosaic hops. 6.4% ABV, 60 IBUs.

David: This one tasted old to me in both style of IPA and the possible freshness of the beer. 5/10.
Eric: Inoffensive, chewy, bitter, amber IPA. 6/10.
Cerina: This was a touch sweet for me up front with sharp bitterness on the edges. 6/10.
Helen: Pear flavors dominated for me on this one. 4/10.
Tim: Sharp citrus bitterness dominated with a nice finish. 6/10.
Elizabeth: This had a hint of cat pee in the aroma to me with an apple and pear flavor. 4/10.
Ryland: I thought this beer was actually a bit sour and fruity and guessed it was a passion fruit IPA. 6/10.
Cee Dee: I thought this was an old-school IPA, sweet and citrusy and well-balanced. 7/10.
Basir: This was hop-forward but not too bitter for me and I really enjoyed it. 7/10.
Whitney: I thought this was fruity and only mildly bitter. 6/10.
GT: I did not enjoy this one at all. Green apple (acetaldehyde) killed the aroma for me. The amber color was off-putting as well and stuck out in this lineup. It had a papery, rough mouthfeel as well and was my least favorite of the evening. 1/10.

Average Points: 5.3/10
Consensus: Moderate (moderate standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #16: El Segundo Mayberry IPA

Freshness: Bottled on 6/10/18 → 20 days old
Product description: Mosaic hops take center stage in this truly West Coast IPA. Hops: Mosaic, Cascade, Chinook. 7.1% ABV, 51 IBUs.

David: Though the bottle was covered up in paper, I was pretty sure I knew this was an El Segundo beer based on the stubby, oddly shaped bottle. But I guessed it was their Simcoe hop forward IPA. This was clean and solid. 7/10.
Eric: Mild sweetness with moderate bitterness made this one pretty neutral, so it didn’t stand out for me. 4/10.
Cerina: I wasn’t a big fan of this one. The aroma was sharp and chemical-heavy, though the flavor was much nicer with good sugar for balance. 4/10.
Helen: This was smelled like chemicals like Pine-Sol. 3/10.
Tim: <no score given>
Elizabeth: This was sweeter and light-bodied with minimal bitterness. Overall inoffensive. 6/10.
Ryland: Clean with moderate bitterness made this highly enjoyable. 8/10.
Cee Dee: This was clean and lovely but ultimately too bland especially when compared to the others. 6/10.
Basir: I wasn’t impressed as this was just a “meh” beer for me. 4/10.
Whitney: This was a great clear IPA with a chewy body, piney hops, and an odd Vaseline nose. 6/10.
GT: This was solid. I like the clear straw color and the hefty sugar for balance. The aroma was similar to birthday cake with minimal bitterness. It was flawless but too sweet and not bitter enough in my opinion for this style. 7/10.

Average Points: 5.5/10
Consensus: Moderate (moderate standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #4: Karl Strauss Isomerizer

Freshness: Canned on 1418 (DDDY) or 5/21/18 → 40 days old
Product description: Isomerizer IPA has aromas of passion fruit, citrus zest, and grapefruit backed by subtle flavors of cracked wheat. Finishing dry and hoppy, this single hop American IPA proves you don’t need to be a superhero or a Brewmaster (wait, aren’t those one and the same?) to appreciate the isomerization of hops. Malt: Pale 2-Row, White Wheat, Caramel 20. Hops: Mosaic. 7% ABV, 60 IBUs.

David: This was a solid and grapefruit focused with lower ABV that I guessed around 5%. 8/10.
Eric: Slightly funky aroma with strong apricot. ABV was lower than expected at what I guessed was 4.5% and thus would place it as a Session IPA. 4/10.
Cerina: This had catty hops in the aroma that I could not get down with. I reminded me of something from Golden Road. 4/10.
Helen: I thought this was skunky and chemical in aroma with something gone awry. 2/10.
Tim: I thought this was more of a Session IPA with ~4% ABV and noted it was like the “Coors of IPAs.” 6/10.
Elizabeth: This smelled a bit artificial to me but it had a clean, floral taste. 7/10.
Ryland: This was clean, lighter-bodied, and overall very good. 7/10.
Cee Dee: This was a juicy grapefruit focused IPA with hardly any bitterness but I liked it. 7/10.
Basir: This tasted like a Session IPA me at 4.5% and a sweet and soft body and a touch of funkiness. 4/10.
Whitney: This had sharp bitterness and was one-dimensional. <no score given>
GT: I thought this beer was excellent. It had an odd aroma like pound cake and blueberry doughnut. The flavor was sweet and soft-bodied with mild bitterness. It had a delicate, clean, refreshing mouthfeel. 8/10.

Average Points: 5.7/10
Consensus: Weak (high standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #13: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Freshness: Multiple codes are on the bottom of the can, but none corresponded to a packaging date that I could decipher. We reached out to Bell’s directly and were told this was packaged in late February, which would make it the oldest IPA in the group at 130 days old.
Product description: Brewed with 100% Centennial hops from the Pacific Northwest and named after the Two Hearted River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, this IPA is bursting with hop aromas ranging from pine to grapefruit from massive hop additions in both the kettle and the fermenter. 7% ABV

David: I took a guess and thought this was Bell’s Two Hearted given the darker color and intense kettle hop character. 7/10.
Eric: This leaned towards the malty side for me but I appreciated the mouthfeel and overall experience. 7/10.
Cerina: This reminded me of The Dude’s Orange Julius IPA with heavy maltiness and some rougher bitterness in the finish. 6/10.
Helen: This was orange peel focused and not that interesting to me. 4/10.
Tim: I personally thought this was a malty, boozy mess. 2/10.
Elizabeth: This had a perfumey orange nose with a refreshing flavor that brought hefty sugar to balance intense orange peel. 7/10.
Ryland: Grapefruit focused. <no score given>
Cee Dee: I didn’t enjoy this one. It was malty up front and then overly bitter in the finish and came across as offensive over time. I wrote down “gross” and “disgusting” in my notes. 3/10.
Basir: I liked this one quite a bit. It had strong notes of grapefruit and even plum with intense haziness when held up to the light. 8/10.
Whitney: Bright golden in color, this was lightly fruity and doughy in the aroma with powerful grapefruit in the flavor. 8/10.
GT: I thought this was very old-school and it stood out in this group as being an outdated recipe. It was darker orange in color with good foam. The aroma was perfumey orange with something like fruit salad. The flavor was very sugary up front moving to bitter orange peel and sweet Mandarin orange. It had a great aftertaste. Still, I wasn’t a big fan. 5/10.

Average Points: 5.7/10
Consensus: Weak (high standard deviation of scores)
Debrief: Even though this sample of Two Hearted was hardly fresh, it still fared very well and is a testament to its class-leading shelf life. Cigar City’s Jai Alai was similarly “old,” but showed signs of age that many panelists picked up on.

BLIND ENTRY #8: New English Pure & Simple IPA

Freshness: <no bottling date found>
Product description: Pure & Simple IPA is an International Style IPA brewed right here in San Diego. A relatively new category this style relies on tropical fruit flavors and aromas to differentiate from more usual West Coast style IPAs. Malts: UK Golden Promise, Vienna, Carapils, light crystal. Hops: Nugget & Centennial (early kettle), Citra & Mosaic (late kettle), Amarillo (dry-hopping). 6.5% ABV, 75 IBUs.

David: This tasted more like a cream ale to me with powerful modern hops that reminded me of Simcoe. 7/10.
Eric: Clean bodied and strongly bitter. 7/10.
Cerina: This was citrus hop focused to me with an oily mouthfeel. 6/10.
Helen: I thought this was similar to a Sierra Nevada IPA with intense citrus hops in the body and an oily mouthfeel. 5/10.
Tim: This was unremarkable with a malty nose and a stale amber ale flavor for the body. It didn’t provide any interesting fruity hops in the aroma. 1/10.
Elizabeth: I thought this was a very interesting beer. The flavor was intensely bitter and the aroma had a coffee tinge to it. 9/10.
Ryland: This wasn’t too bitter in my opinion with citrus hops being the focus. I thought ABV was lower at 5% and that it could have been billed as a Session IPA. 7/10.
Cee Dee: This reminded me of Sam Adams Rebel IPA with heavy amber ale-like maltiness coupled with massive bitterness. 1/10.
Basir: I thought it tasted like tree bark but I loved it! 8/10.
Whitney: I liked this one. It had juicy citrus flavors and was lightly sweet with powerful bitterness. 6/10.
GT: I thought this beer was solid. It reminded me of something Firestone Walker would make. There was an odd cocoa butter tinge to the aroma coupled with bright lemon and lime. The flavor was loaded with biscuit and aggressive, sharp bitterness that made for one outstanding clear IPA experience. 7/10.

Average Points: 5.8/10
Consensus: Extremely Low (highest standard deviation of scores in panel test)

BLIND ENTRY #17: Pizza Port Swami’s IPA

Freshness: Canned on 5/22/18 → 39 days old
Product description: Swami’s IPA is a special beer to the Pizza Port family as it was the first IPA brewed in our original location over 20 years ago in Solana Beach. With a more traditional hop profile, this beer is the quintessential example of a West Coast IPA as it showcases the fresh bitterness of citrus and pine. Hops: Chinook, CTZ, Cascade, Centennial, Citra, Simcoe. 6.8% ABV.

David: Clean and no-nonsense West Coast style IPA. Bright and fruity. 7/10.
Eric: Moderate bitterness and substantial malty sweetness made this one very well-balanced. 8/10.
Cerina: This was straw-colored and tasted very fresh, but was not too interesting to me. 6/10.
Helen: Would like to see this have more carbonation but otherwise was solid and well-balanced. 6/10.
Tim: This smelled like a lager to me with weak sauce bitterness to follow. 4/10.
Elizabeth: This was clean and refreshing with a neutral, balanced taste. I guessed it was Golden Road Point the Way IPA. 7/10.
Ryland: <no score given>
Cee Dee: This was easy drinking with a Session IPA-like mouthfeel. Bitterness was too light for me and I thought the overall beer was relatively boring. 2/10.
Basir: 7/10.
Whitney: <no score given>
GT: Clear straw in color with good foam, I thought this was clean, refreshing, with good sugar to balance some moderate bitterness. 8/10.

Average Points: 6.1/10
Consensus: Moderate (moderate standard deviation of scores)
Debrief: Swami’s is near and dear to my heart – the gold standard for West Coast IPA in my opinion. I did an in-depth review of this beer earlier this year, and I’m happy to see I liked it in this blind test.
 

BLIND ENTRY #9: Eppig 10:45 to Denver

Freshness: <no canning date found>
Product description: Contemporary West Coast IPA that celebrates our town’s hoppy heritage and pays homage to the beers that helped define the San Diego brew scene. Intense aromas of danky Mosaic hops are backed up with pleasant pine and grapefruit Cascade notes. 7% ABV, 50 IBUs.

David: I thought this was inoffensive and neutral in flavor with a lot of wasted potential. 6/10.
Eric: Middle of the road for this segment and relatively uninteresting. 5/10.
Cerina: Pineapple aromas were very nice plus a creamier mouthfeel than others. 7/10.
Helen: Tropical fruits made from a great aroma but the flavor was relatively uninteresting. 6/10.
Tim: This was well-balanced with a very nice fragrant, floral nose. 7/10.
Elizabeth: Sweet melon in the aroma with a mix of old and new style IPA. Malty macro-esque aftertaste wasn’t to my liking, though. 5/10.
Ryland: Solid West Coast IPA with firm bitterness and tropical fruit. Very nice not to have another citrus forward IPA for once! 6/10.
Cee Dee: This was clean, crisp and not too bitter. 8/10.
Basir: Grapefruit forward bitterness with some sweet melon accents. 5/10.
Whitney: Pears in the aroma with green melon. The color was a bit dark for an IPA, though. Bitterness was subdued compared than others. 7/10.
GT: This was clear deep golden to almost amber in color with a very nice melon aroma. The flavor was malty up front with spicy hops dominating the mid-palate. The mouthfeel was oily and dense for this style with thick, chewy malt dominating. It was relatively uninteresting but had no issues. 7/10.

Average Points: 6.3/10
Consensus: Strong (lower standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #7: Karl Strauss Aurora Hoppyalis

Freshness: Canned on 1558 (DDDY) or 6/4/18 → 26 days old
Product description: Aurora Hoppyalis is our San Diego-style IPA brewed with Simcoe, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Citra hops. Robust flavors and aromas of tropical fruit, pine, and tangerine linger through a dry, crisp finish. 7% ABV, 60 IBUs.

David: Clean and no-nonsense, I thought this was Luponic Distortion by Firestone Walker. 8/10.
Eric: Big guava in the nose with a touch of funkiness. 7/10.
Cerina: Pretty non-descript vs. other IPAs in this lineup. 5/10.
Helen: This was boring in my opinion and tasted like it came from a macro brewery. 4/10.
Tim: This was crisp and clean with no fruitiness, and I appreciated the sessionable body. 7/10.
Elizabeth: This had a moderate grapefruit aroma with a refreshing, lighter body that was easy to drink. 9/10.
Ryland: I thought it was bitter and piney hop dominant. 7/10.
Cee Dee: Tasted like a Session IPA with a crisp, lighter body but was too empty for me with little appeal. 2/10.
Basir: Lemon and orange peel dominated in this easier to drink IPA. 6/10.
Whitney: Clear in color with intense pine sap bitterness and a chewy body. 7/10.
GT: I thought this beer was amazing. Clear, light golden in color, it brought white grapefruit in the nose and stole the show with its silky mouthfeel and delicious bitter melon rind aftertaste. 10/10.

Average Points: 6.5/10
Consensus: Weak (high standard deviation of scores)
Debrief: I need to start buying more Karl Strauss IPAs as I ranked both of their blind entries highly and don’t normally place them in the same company as my current favorite local brewery,  Pizza Port.

BLIND ENTRY #14: Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion #10

Freshness: Canned on 6/5/18 → 25 days old
Product description: The base beer of Luponic Distortion always remains the same, but each new release features a different hop blend built around emerging and experimental cultivars. The lead hops in No. 10 include cultivars from the Pacific Northwest, Germany and Australia, providing distinct qualities of mango creamsicle, peach ring and ruby grapefruit. 5.9% ABV.

David: At this point, I had consumed too many IPAs and just wrote down “laid back, chill, gin n’ juice.” 7/10.
Eric: Hop forward and clean but too many IPAs were running together at this point to write down anymore more specific. 7/10.
Cerina: This one had an odd oily, coating mouthfeel that I didn’t enjoy. 5/10.
Helen: Citrus hop forward with a richer mouthfeel. 6/10.
Tim: I took a stab at guessing this one and thought it was Grapefruit Sculpin. <no score given>
Elizabeth: Clear golden in color, this one smelled very nice with bready malt for balance in the body. 7/10.
Ryland: This was clean and light-bodied in the right ways. 6/10.
Cee Dee: This was so ruby red grapefruit forward that I thought this was a grapefruit IPA like Grapefruit Sculpin. 8/10.
Basir: Juicy, refreshing, and overall outstanding. 8/10.
Whitney: I thought it had a Vaseline aroma and was lightly bitter. 5/10.
GT: This was clear gold in color with beautiful cantaloupe and starfruit moving to orange marmalade in the aroma. The body was rich like a meal-in-a-glass. It was incredibly well-rounded with medium bitterness. 8/10.

Average Points: 6.7/10
Consensus: Strong (lower standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #6: Fremont Lush IPA

Freshness: Canned on 5/7/18 → 54 days old
Product description: Lush is brewed with a hand-selected blend of malts and lush, tropical hops reminiscent of lime, mango, and guava. Malt: 2-Row Pale and Honey malts with Citra, Mosaic hops and Citra Lupulin Powder. 7% ABV, 80 IBUs.

David: This had a more robust hop aroma than other reminding me of Nelson hops. The flavor was soft and mellowed out like an NE-Style IPA though this was clear. 8/10.
Eric: Smelled like a pilsner to me with a light, balanced flavor with moderate bitterness on the backend. 8/10.
Cerina: Lighter-bodied than others with a beautiful tropical nose. 6/10.
Helen: Pine was the dominant flavor for me with this beer. 6/10.
Tim: This was hop-forward and a bit hard to dissect. I scribbled down “war on my mouth!” 5/10.
Elizabeth: This was sweeter, fruity, and easy to drink. 8/10.
Ryland: Excellent pineapple forward flavors. 8/10.
Cee Dee: This was tropical hop forward with good sweetness in the center and a bitter finish. Hoptastic! 6/10.
Basir: Pilsner-like for me, clean and crisp, with good bitterness. 6/10.
Whitney: I loved the pineapple aroma and the clean palate. 8/10.
GT: This had intense fruity aromas to the point where it smelled artificial to me like syrupy canned pineapple and canned peaches. The flavor was sugary with no detectable bitterness. An oily palate moved to almost buttery and slick for me. I thought it went overboard on the sweetness and fruitiness to where it was barely recognizable as an IPA. But since I was asked to rate this just on overall enjoyment, I still gave it 6/10.

Average Points: 6.8/10
Consensus: Strong (lower standard deviation of scores)

BLIND ENTRY #1: Chapman Crafted Solo

Freshness: <no canning date found>
Product description: IPA Dry Hopped w/ Cryo Loral, Cryo Simcoe, Cryo Amarillo, Cryo Mosaic. For this brew we utilized Admiral Maltings: Feldblume. 7.2% ABV, 54 IBUs.

David: This is the hazy NE-Style IPA I’ve been waiting for all night. I was in love. 9/10.
Eric: I thought this was hazy NE-Style IPA that reminded me of Modern Times Avalon. 8/10.
Cerina: I thought this was higher ABV and pegged it as a DIPA and noted it was very hoppy with caramel in the flavor. 6/10.
Helen: I thought this was an extra bitter DIPA at 8% ABV. 4/10.
Tim: This smelled amazing and had a lighter, pleasant aftertaste. 6/10.
Elizabeth: I loved this one. It was super fruity in the aroma and the flavor was still nicely bitter. 9/10.
Ryland: This was bitter and clean but otherwise unremarkable. 6/10.
Cee Dee: This was a hazy IPA with citrusy, bright hops in the aroma and a smooth and sweeter flavor. 7/10.
Basir: A true hazy IPA with everything in sync. 8/10.
Whitney: This had a stinky, footy aroma at first that moved over to tropical fruit eventually. 6/10.
GT: This began with a super stinky fruit aroma like durian with stronger bitterness in the flavor. There was a watery mid-palate and the finish was a bit stinging for me. I guessed it was something new from Stone. 6/10.

Average Points: 6.8/10
Consensus: Moderate (moderate standard deviation of scores)
Debrief: I was the first person to sample this beer and when it came out of the can right after opening, it was a clear beer. Later tasters got a much more murky pour. This is not marketed as a New England-style hazy IPA, but since it is the most modern recipe of the beers we tried today with the Cryo hops (lupulin powder) used, I think many equated this with that beloved style.

BLIND ENTRY #20: Thorn Street Got Nelson?

Freshness: Canned on 5/9/18 → 52 days old.
Product description: This single hopped IPA showcases the incredibly complex and unique Nelson Sauvin hop from New Zealand. Notes of Sauvignon Blanc grapes and berries mix beautifully on the palate. 7% ABV.

David: This was fairly bitter in my opinion but with excellent mouthfeel. 7/10.
Eric: Bitterness was moderate with higher balancing sugar. 7/10.
Cerina: I loved this one! It had tremendous balance with even some lactic acid in the back of the palate. 9/10.
Helen: This was oddly tangy and slightly acidic but enjoyable for me. 8/10.
Tim: This had a clean finish with no lingering bitterness. Sugar was a bit higher for style. 8/10.
Elizabeth: I thought this had an odd peanut smell and taste. 5/10.
Ryland: <no score given>
Cee Dee: This had excellent balance with pleasant bitterness and good sugar in the body. 9/10.
Basir: <no score given>
Whitney: <no score given>
GT: This was a great beer flavor-wise, it was sweet and pleasant, but the aroma smelled like peanut shells to me hinting at some type of grist issue and bitterness was too low. 2/10.

Average Points: 6.9/10
Consensus: Weak (high standard deviation of scores)
Debrief: We only had x1 12oz can of this beer at the tasting, which our host Helen informed us about beforehand (not the name of the beer, but the fact that one entry had not enough liquid for all participants). Therefore, not everyone got to try this. Also worth noting, Thorn St does something I’ve never seen before, and that is put four beer names on the same can so that someone can perhaps circle in Sharpie the one that you purchased. We had no idea which one we drank even after the reveal, so reached out to our editor, Danny, to confirm that this was the “Got Nelson?”. 

BLIND ENTRY #19: Kern River Think Tank #16

Freshness: <no bottling date found>
Product description: Brewed with Idaho 7, Chinook & Simcoe, this is the 16th beer in our Experimental IPA Series! 7% ABV.

David: I thought this one tasted a little stale and wrote down, “old hops, bad hops.” 6/10.
Eric: This was decently balanced, perhaps on the sweeter side, but enjoyable. 7/10.
Cerina: This had excellent mouthfeel and was well-balanced. The beer was hazy golden coming out of the bottle. 8/10.
Helen: I thought this was a hazy IPA with a creamy body and nice lactic acid in the finish. 7/10.
Tim: This had excellent balance between sweetness and bitterness. 8/10.
Elizabeth: Darker in color and fully hazy, this was an old-school IPA, though, flavor-wise with citrus dominating. There was prominent sweetness and mild bitterness. 7/10.
Ryland: I thought this was slightly tart with apple flavors and higher bitterness. 7/10.
Cee Dee: This was a classic IPA in my book with great balance. 8/10.
Basir: This was clean with fruity hops including some grape flavors. Very good! 7/10.
Whitney: I picked up green apple in the aroma so knocked it for that. 5/10.
GT: This was hazy, deep gold in color with fresh orange juice in the nose. The flavor was old-school citrus peel with aggressive piney hops. It was bitter with a long aftertaste. 7/10.

Average Points: 7/10
Consensus: Strongest (lowest standard deviation of scores in the panel)

BLIND ENTRY #15: Pizza Port Pickleweed Point

Freshness: Canned on 5/1/18 → 60 days old
Product description: Brewed with oats and gives off tropical fruit notes. Hops: Citra, Motueka, Ahtanum, Melon Blanc. 6.5% ABV.

David: This tasted like a Session IPA to me with a beautiful mouthfeel. I could drink this for days. 7/10.
Eric: Solid and well-balanced and easy to enjoy. 7/10.
Cerina: This was well-rounded with excellent balance. I loved the silky texture to the beer. 7/10.
Helen: Balanced overall. 6/10.
Tim: Solid and very drinkable with no issues. 7/10.
Elizabeth: Bright lemon and white grape in the aroma coupled with low bitterness, higher sweetness and an easy-to-drink mouthfeel. 9/10.
Ryland: Bitterness was middle of the road. I just wrote down “meh” for this beer. 6/10.
Cee Dee: I thought this was solid – smooth and drinkable. 8/10.
Basir: I noted sharp lemon peel throughout. <no score given>
Whitney: Cheesy hop aroma with floral notes. This was lightly bitter and decently enjoyable. 6/10.
GT: I loved this beer. It was clear straw in color with a perfumey, bright aroma that brought you gooseberry and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The flavor was nicely sweet with lower bitterness. It was a great example of a modern IPA. Slam dunk. 9/10.

Average Points: 7.2/10
Consensus: Strong (lower standard deviation of scores)
Debrief: I did an in-depth review of this beer last year. It’s one of my favorite special releases from my local brewpub. I’m glad to see I also liked it in a blind tasting and that others enjoyed it too. Pickleweed’s unusual hop varieties stood out in a good way to the group. It was a super clean and refreshing take on a style that is too often sticky, overly bitter, and a chore to drink. To those who shy away from IPAs due to this stereotype, seek out these super bright IPAs like Pickleweed, which reimagine the style.  

CONCLUSION

Best of Show: Pizza Port Pickleweed Point
Most Consistently Enjoyed: Kern River Think Tank #16
Most Divisive: New English Pure & Simple IPA

David’s Favorite: Chapman Crafted Solo
Eric’s Favorites: Pizza Port Swami’s, Fremont Lush, Chapman Crafted Solo
Cerina’s Favorite: Thorn Street Got Nelson?
Helen’s Favorite: Thorn Street Got Nelson?
Tim’s Favorites: Kern River #16, Pizza Port Pickleweed Point
Elizabeth’s Favorites: Chapman Crafted Solo, New English Pure & Simple, Karl Strauss Aurora Hoppyalis, Pizza Port Pickleweed Point
Ryland’s Favorites: Cigar City Jai Alai, El Segundo Mayberry IPA
Cee Dee’s Favorites: Thorn Street Got Nelson? 
Basir’s Favorites: New English Pure & Simple, Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, Chapman Crafted Solo
Whitney’s Favorites: Cigar City Jai Alai, Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, Fremont Lush 
GT’s Favorite: Karl Strauss Aurora Hoppyalis

There may be a tendency for readers to glean from this that our methodology was unfair to the older IPAs in the group and that our panelists simply preferred fresher IPAs. Please remember that 4 beers, including our runner-up and 4th place winner, had no bottling or canning date to be found. Another had just the Best By date, which is totally useless unless you happen to know the brewery’s self-given freshness window. Also, the oldest IPA in the group, a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale from February, did relatively well. Even our poorest rated beer, Cigar City Jai Alai, still received positive feedback from two reviewers, including one very experienced taster. If anything, we can say that Two Hearted has superior shelf life to Cigar City’s Jai Alai at least from this test. Moreover, average consumers do not check the packaging dates. Indeed, many of these beers have the packaging date coded in a form unique to the brewery as was the case with Bell’s Two Hearted and the Karl Strauss beers, which alienates all but the most hardcore consumers. Therefore, this is not meant to be a controlled test in a sterile environment of the freshest IPAs in the world. This is a blind test of what is available right now to purchase. Right now you can go out and buy “old” IPAs. It’s useful to see what still holds up over time.

Please use the comment section below for general comments about this beer and/or my review. If you would like to see a specific beer reviewed or have general comments on reviews, please email info(at)thefullpint.com. For more information on how we review beer read here.