Florida Beer Swamp Ape DIPA

Firsthand accounts describe an intense beast with a potent aroma and bite. Proof that the elusive monster exists? Or proof that brewing with five distinct varieties of hops creates an unbelievable, relentlessly hopped India Pale Ale? One taste and you’ll know, Swamp Ape is for real.

Editor: if you have a black IPA in your hands, rate it under "Black Swamp Ape," not here...

283 reviews

Cape Canaveral, United States

Community reviews

3.0 Bottle from brads amigos florida trip...leans towards the malt side....ok not great.....

4.1 Poured from the tap into a pint glass. Aroma- Hops and some smoke with maybe some malt. Appearance- pours a clear yellow amber with a small off-white colored head. Taste- ops, wood and smoke, pretty good Palate- A medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Overall- A real good beer, I would drink this again

3.1 Pours a deep dark orangish amber color. Aromas of big hop action, sweet malts, and more hops. Flavor has some bready maltsy tastes with nice grapefruit and floral hop taste.

3.0 Bottle thanks to Ben. Pours a clear orange gold with medium creamy white head leaving sticky lacing. The aroma is floral and pine. Thick mouth, strong bitter hop bite, grapefruit, dank, lingering resin finish, good.

2.7 Thanks Kelly. This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a subtle transparent burnt golden/orange color with a slim finger’s head. Messy lacing is somewhat foamy and clingy. The smell has a ton of dried tobacco/leafiness over top of subtle dried floral over some caramel malts. Slight floral? Patchouli? Really? Is this some liberal hippie beer? The taste was mainly the dry tobacco flavoring. Definitely the dry tobacco aftertaste and finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a decent sessionability about it, if one can look past the dryness of it. Overall, hard to say if I’d try this again, maybe if I saw a date on this....not sure, I’m left scratching my beard.

2.5 Bottle in Miami. Clear amber color, medium-sized white head. Cardboard, sweet alcohol aroma in the nose. Medium-bodied, rich palate. Punch of alcohol, herbal bitterness, pine with long aftertaste. Grassy and grainy. This is quite heavy on booze.

2.7 High alcohol and strong pine hop makes this beer pretty one sided. Cloudy orange with a decent foam. Bitter and lingering.

3.2 12 oz bottle. Amber orange and cloudy with hop crud and a decent off-white head. Aroma is of apple juice, oranges, resinous, and caramel. Taste is of pine, grass, pear, lots of booze, citrus, melon.

3.0 Bottle. The look is a slight haze, off white head, lots of hop crud, orange colored. The smell is hops, grassy, fruit, earthy, and ok. The taste is fruit, pine, alcohol, cleaning solution, ok.

2.0 More mild hop smell than expected...almost none....slightly colloidal appearance..taste is strong hops and bitterness...in a weird way (unique hops?) VERY Floral....prob the most out of any beer I’ve had...not a fan off the bat but the floral buttery finish earns points on uniqueness...medium hot alcohol taste to boot

3.6 My beer of choice. Extremely underrated probably because of its extremely sharp bite. It is massively hopped: strong and bitter. But leaves a nice (if powerful) aftertaste. But forget the taste: this is the only beer that takes me where I want to be. Two of them, and I’m in a great place.

1.7 I’ve got to express some admiration. Swamp Ape comes at you with balls-out bitterness and alcohol. I just wish there was more style with all the substance. This is an uncoordinated attack. The resinous hops hit you at all full force and the malt backbone tastes off somehow - musty, maybe? That’s too bad, too, because the aroma is decent. On the nose, you get caramel malt and dank hops. I love my Imperial IPA’s and tend to think I’m an easy scorer on them. Not this time.

2.4 Bottle. A- Caramel, malty, hops. A- Amber color, hazy liquid, off white head. T- Caramel, bready, bitter, cigar smoke. P- Full body, average texture, average carbonation, bitter finsh. O- Not as bitter or nasty as most previous reviews seem to point towards. Yes, it’s bitter, but I think I must have had a bottle with some age on it because a lot of caramel and malty backbone came through. Not bad, but I don’t want another.

4.1 12oz Flasche. Dunkle orange Farbe mit flachem Schaum. Extrem wuchtiges Hopfenaroma. Citrus, Marakuja, Kräuter, Karamell. Komplexer bitterer Geschmack, leicht alkoholisch. Nichts für Anfänger!

1.6 Pours a clear bright orange. A very weak double IPA. A faint citrus and sugar/rum aroma. A weak taste of citrus, hops, pine, and some spices. No lingering bitter hop aftertaste.

1.9 Bad double, good name. Heavy handed...too Boozy, too bitter, too sweet, slight metallic off taste. Yuck.

1.8 This IPA poured a medium,cloudy Amber colour with a big,beautiful cream coloured head. Scents include cream, spice, grass and hay. First swig was a kick in the face with hops. Way too much so. Bitter finish and way too over-hopped.

3.0 Dry hopped. Cloudy copper color. Uses 6 different hops, Including Mandarina Bavarian. Has citrus and honey on the nose. Not bad.

2.9 Absolutely the strangest 2XIPA I’ve ever had. Actually doesn’t taste like an IPA at all, besides some hop bitterness. I get banana, bubblegum, and Belgian yeast. Reminds me a boozy Belgian Golden Ale or hoppy Tripel. Weird.

2.9 Bottle...Pour is golden with a white head..Nose is bitter, brash, grain, sticky, biscuit...Taste is biscuit, harsh bitterness, spice,pine....

1.1 From a bottle. Pours a golden amber. A lot of sediment in the glass; not aesthetically pleasing. Aroma is nonexistent. Taste is bitter and boozy. Palate is more of the same. A horrible DIPA.

3.5 Bottle. This is a big bold brew with lots of interesting hop and sweet malt notes going on.

3.5 Bottle, 33cL. Home. Gift from Marielle ! Merci encore :) A yellow orange - light opaque - beer with a small white head ; medium retention. Fruity aroma (orange, tropical fruits), resin, herbs. Medium sweet balanced with medium to heavy bitter ; dry ; warming background. Full body, medium texture, average carbonation, dry bitter finish ; warming background. Overall, a pleasant "fruity" bitter powerful beer ; "close to leave the road" but that’s OK !

2.9 Bottle poured a clear orange amber with a small lingering amber head. Aromas of bread, candied orange and a hint of earthiness. Palate was medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of bread, earthiness and light grapefruit with a smooth dry lingering bitter finish.

3.0 Bottle shared with Seb and Alex A: citrusy, grapefruit, caramel app: hazy copper small white t/p: full body with long bitter finish.sticky. O: average. Too big not hoppy enough.

3.2 Bottle shared with Jo and Seb. Aroma: caramel, pineapples, oranges. App : hazy orange, hops in suspension. Taste and palate: medium body, medium long bitter finish. Overall: got some crumbs of hops a few times, not really appetizing. Aside from that, not so bad. Was expecting something bad but aside from those solid hops in mouth it was an ok double IPA.

3.2 Tap. Pours a hazy amber with a thin layer of off white head. Aroma and taste of unifying bitterness, slight bread malt, and lots of booze.

3.1 Bright orange, thick pour with a thin but long lasting white head. Pleasant, hoppy aroma with a very hoppy bite & vodka like alcohol presence in the finish. Tasty at first but a very thick palate & harsh finish makes this less than ideal to enjoy drinking. Overall ok but could have been better & made more drinkable.

2.9 Hazy muted copper.some lacing that looks like little waves. Sweet fruity nose. Body seems stuffed into itself. Single strong hop tone surrounds all. Yeah this is a big critter. Much like the fabled swamp ape, this beer is a bit ugly.

3.5 Tap @ Pour. Golden with white head. Smells dark fruity, caramelly, and warm. Very sweet then bitter. Almost syrupy but then finishes bitter and dry.