Coastal Fog Brewing: Coastal Fog IPA

So Bevmo had these at the end of the check out for $2.49, i'm thinking hey it can't hurt to try, might be a diamond in the rough, right? woof! by far the worst ipa i've had. It was very dry, flat, faint hops and malts. It's like someone took one of the big four light beers and mixed that in with the last few back wash swigs of a middle of the road IPA. $2.49 was way to good to be true. again, you get what you pay for.

1 out of 5

Meantime IPA

ABV 7.5%

I was visiting the great Jungle Jim's and saw this beer, noticed it had a good score on ratebeer.com, and snagged it.

This is a British style IPA, and while they claim it's hoppy, it has nothing on the bombs we brew here in the USA.

The taste is that of sweet malts, caramel, a little spicy, and some hoppiness to it. It's actually well balanced and a good beer.

3.7 out of 5

Brew Kettle Old 21 Imperial IPA

9.0% Alcohol 90 IBUs

I recently discovered Brew Kettle at a beer festival at Fatheads in Cleveland. I enjoyed their beer and it suddenly started popping up around Columbus.

Ohio has another good brewery. This brew has all Simcoe hops, and the pine is just as you can imagine, in your face and delicious. As soon as you take a whiff, you know the hops are coming. It's medium body, not as heavy as some doubles..

The way to my heart is a great IPA, and this is one of them. With so many excellent beers these days, it can be hard to differentiate some of them. All I can tell you that this is a great example of a double IPA. Grab it if you see it.

4 out of 5

Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout

ABV 9.2%

I had been saving this one for a few weeks knowing it would be a good dessert beer, and let me tell you, it may be the best one I've had yet.

The first whiff of this brew is a strong Creme Brulee scent, butterscotch, maybe a little nutty and some chocolate. Take a swig and you get the exact same taste that you smell, but it's so much more than that. I would have never believed this beer is 10%, it hides it very well until the end where you get some of the alcohol and bittery hop.

If you like Creme Brulee, Cream Soda, Butterscotch etc, then this beer is definitely for you. Give it a try, you will fall in love.

I give it a STRONG 4.5 out of 5. Beautiful.

Maui Brewing cocoNut Porter

Ok so i picked this up at the Red Carpet, it comes in a 4 pack for about 10.99. We at hopzombie believe you get what you pay for. (with some exceptions of course.)

This was very tasty, solid medium body,(expected) but at first whiff i noticed hints of coco, coffee and roasted malts, and a little bit of coconut, nothing overwhelming but always a nice addition to a porter besides the malts. At first i didn't notice the coconut until i had about 2 or 3 swigs, then i really came through and blended in with the rest of the flavors.

Coming from a guy who's not a coconut fan and associates anything coconut with mounds bars, i give this high marks. wish it came in a 6 pack for the price, it was very easy to drink and not heavy at all. I look forward to hearing what my associate has to say.

4.6 out of 5

Mission Brewery: Mission IPA

This was a solid IPA. The smell is very fruity and sweet when you crack it open. The mouthful is about the same but with a bit of a biscuit taste because of the malts, which i like. This almost reminds me a of a double because of the solid malty body. I could see this being a regular buy for me.

4.3 out of 5

New Belgium Brewing inc: Ranger IPA

You can't really beat the price at $2.99 for a bomber and it comes in a 6 pack.

This is a nice IPA to sit down on a warm summer day while grilling. It's very light and crisp, but that's about it. When you crack it open you can really smell the grass and pine hops with some citrus mixed in, unfortunately it smells better than the actual mouthful that has more of a light bitter dryness with little malt body to it at all.

This was enjoyable, but i can think of other IPA's i would get for a buck or two more that would be much better.

2.9 out of 5

Port Brewing 3rd Anniversary Ale

It's been a while since I had a Double IPA, and the smell from this when I cracked it open was a great reminder of why I love these brews. After I poured my first glass, I could smell the hops/fruitiness/caramel from over a foot away while I was taking the picture. A great sign!

Mixed in with those hops tastes like a loaf of bread mixed with maybe an orange peel, and a nice kick of alcohol. This one will warm you up real fast.

I don't know if it really separates itself from other great Double Ipa's, but it is a great one no doubt.

4.5 out of 5. Delicious