Smuttynose / Stone Cluster's Last Stand
POST- PROHIBITION BALLANTINE IPA RECIPE RECREATION USING PERIOD-CORRECT HOP VARIETIES. BREWED IN COLLABORATION WITH STONE BREWING CO.
Old, new? It’s all the same, really. Cluster’s Last Stand defies the commonly accepted notion that strong, hoppy beers are recent arrivals on the US beer landscape. Smuttynose has teamed up with Stone Brewing Company to recreate the original, post-Prohibition Ballantine IPA recipe. That’s right; strong, 60 IBU beer was brewed in the 30’s. How do we know? We read it in Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele’s excellent and well-researched book, “IPA, Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale.” The only difference between this beer and more contemporary IPAs are the hop varieties: Cluster, Brewers Gold, Bullion and East Kent Goldings. None of these are trendy and we were a little surprised to find out that all four were readily available. The result is a rich, copper-colored ale with a strong, refined hop profile of spiciness with a hint of grapefruit.
Old, new? It’s all the same, really. Cluster’s Last Stand defies the commonly accepted notion that strong, hoppy beers are recent arrivals on the US beer landscape. Smuttynose has teamed up with Stone Brewing Company to recreate the original, post-Prohibition Ballantine IPA recipe. That’s right; strong, 60 IBU beer was brewed in the 30’s. How do we know? We read it in Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele’s excellent and well-researched book, “IPA, Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale.” The only difference between this beer and more contemporary IPAs are the hop varieties: Cluster, Brewers Gold, Bullion and East Kent Goldings. None of these are trendy and we were a little surprised to find out that all four were readily available. The result is a rich, copper-colored ale with a strong, refined hop profile of spiciness with a hint of grapefruit.
3.6
232 reviews
Hampton, United States
Community reviews
22 oz. bottle from The Party Source. Pours slightly hazy orange amber color with a medium sized off white head. The aroma and flavor have pale malts, caramel, resiny,and citrus hops, lightly toasted, moderate bitterness, nothing fancy other than a nice, basic ipa.
Bottle from Rehills, Newcastle. This is a hazy golden amber beer that pours with a thin white head of foam. It has a zesty bitter orange marmalade flavour, blackcurrant and slight tart topical fruit flavours with pine and slight peppery woody hops on the finish. Superb!
Very nice IPA here. Pours deep translucent orange-amber into the glass, with a thick, pocked eggshell head that reduces to chunky lacing. Lovely orange and floral nose. Flavors have orange, grapefruit, tangerine and nectarines in the mouth, finishing with a touch of pepper and light pine resins. The mouthfeel is bright but substantive, with a juicy palate, soft carbonation and a medium body. Extremely enjoyable, complex with a super easy quaff. Love it!
Bottle at home. Clear golden beer with an offwhite head. Hoppy, citrus, fruity aroma. Hoppy, citrus, fruitya and caramell flavour.
Bottle split at LKS Towers, thanks to Leighton Calrisian, 05/05/15.
Golden orange with a decent off white covering.
Nose is biscuit, caramel, light hop, tea leaves, straw, bitter orange.
Taste comprises caramel malt, earthy hops, sweet licks, mellow tropical fruit, melon, light bread dough.
Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close.
Ok - can get the old school English stylee IPA vibe.
Bottle share, thanks to Leighton. Hazy orange, lightly sparkling, small foamy white head. Aroma is tangerine, soft pine, caramel. Body is medium, foamy, tingly carbonation. Taste is sweet caramel, orange, noticeable alcohol drying things out, soft bitterness.
Bottle shared at Leightons place. Thanks to Leighton. Light hazed orange, golden coloured pour with a halo of white head. Aroma is spicy pine / grassy citrus, light caramel malts. Flavour is composed of light biscuit malts, citrus, light pine, orange citrus. Palate is semi sweet, moderate carbonation. Firm fruity hop bitterness. Solid beer. Little metallic.
Bottle 650ml. Orange / golden, nice creamy head. Sweet aroma, hoppy, honey, mamelad, peach. The taste begins with a sweet tropical fruit flavors and finishing with bitterness from citrus peel and pine needles. Also some booze in the ending . Slightly unbalanced between sweet and bitter tastes, it becomes a struggle between malt and hops where nobody wins.
Bottle shared in London - picked up at Cotteridge Wines. Pours totally clear gold with a lasting, foamy white head. The nose has some perfume, citrus, orange, light pine. Medium sweet flavor with some oily pine, floral hops, pale bread, orange rind. Medium to full bodied with fine to average carbonation. Finishes with jammy citrus, bitter pine needles, slight grass, bread. Quite solid on the whole.
Bottle thanks to Leighton. It pours hazy orange-amber with a decent white head. The nose is sweet, oily, juicy, musty, toasty grass, big oily orange and marmalade. The taste is crisp, bitter orange, minerals, some booze, light caramel, touch of spice, toasty, wood, oily action and marmalade with a dry finish. Medium+ body and moderate carbonation. Nor bad.
Clear copper colour, thin white head. Malt lemon aroma, strong carbonation. Pine, citra, hop taste. Dry Hoppy finish
22oz bottle. Cloudy dark hay color with big white head. Light lemon yellow straw aroma. Grapefruit bitterness, lemon, pine dry finish. Interesting label; no mention of style or ABV, marketing screams; for the beer geek that has the beerbuddy app on their phone or has been looking for this specifically (guilty of the former).
66 cl. bottle @ Yespr. Clear golden colour with a white head. Aroma and flavour of malt, caramel, hops, fruit, spice and pine.
Bottle at yespr.
Hazy orange colored with a small white head.
Sweet and fruity aroma of caramel, cookies hops and pine needles.
Fruity flavor of hops and pine needles with notes of zest.
Dry hoppy finish.
Bottle@yesper - fuzzy golden pour with white head. Aroma and taste is tropical and citrus fruity, lots of grapefruit, satsuma, pine needles, would not have guessed such a high abv, went down very well. Lovely.
22 fl oz bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with a small off white head. Aroma is pine and light grapefruity hoppy. Mild soapy, pine and grapefruity. Solid dry and bitter. Light fruity. Crisp bitter and fruity finish.
Arômes de malt sucré, diacétyle, poivre, résine de pin et un côté plus fruité rappelant l’orange, abricot et jus d’ananas. En bouche, pas vraiment de changement. Le palais est assaillit par des saveurs fruitées et très amères. Heureusement, le diacétyle perçut au nez ne semble pas se dévoiler. Très résineuse, pamplemousse, zeste d’orange et plutôt poivré. La finale est très sèche et astringente, sans saveur. Se boit bien mais on sent que les houblons sont fades et effacés. Je soupçonne un manque de fraicheur mais comme il n’y a pas de date d’embouteillage, je ne chercherai pas d’excuses.
Tap / Tirador.
@ XXXII The Great Power of Beer & Wine.
A: Light amber / Ambar claro.
T/S: Hops, resinous, citrusy / Lupulo, resinoso, citrico.
650 ml. Clear amber body with a creamy quarter inch of spongy foam. Aroma is florals, toffee, resin, soap. Tastes of toffee, resin, citrus, tea leaf, mint and wood. Medium body has smooth medium carbonation and is well balanced.
Bomber from Bine & Vine. Pours translucent copper with a creamy beige head. Aroma is fruity/earthy. Med body at least. Flavor is fruit and earth. A little citrus. Tasty with a clean hoppy finish that is decently bitter.
Bottle shared by bhensonb. Pours orange copper with an sttractive beige head and a floral citrus aroma. There is a medium-bodied pale malt flavor with lots of fruit and a dry earthy finish. Nice hopping.
Cloudy golden color, medium white frothy head. Sweat fruit aroma. Medium body with a medium malt flavor and a light finish.
Good beer. Poured from a bottle. No real head. Cloudy orange-yellow color. Great fruity aroma, hides the strong, well balanced alcohol taste. Yum.
Excelente expresión de lúpulos americanos, con color dorado-cobrizo, espuma cremosa y paladar suave con amargor elegante pero bien balanceado. Aroma espectacular de Lupulo especiado, floral y de perfume herbal y cítrico apenas una puntita de rasposidad final.
Aroma is pine and malt with an sort of earthy feeling to it. The taste is sweet and malty and has a sort of gentleman feeling to it. Yeah, that’s it, it’s like a blend of old English IPA and American IPA. Pretty good and slick brew, but no world changer. Glad to have tried it though.
Poured from bottle, slightly hazy amber with medium off white head. Aroma with notes of caramel, apricot, citrus and pine. Taste is bitter with a medium body and a fairly long bitter finish. Taste is hoppy with notes of bread, honey, fruit and resin.
Hazy orange gold color with a firm orange-tinged head. Aroma nice and floral with notes of pine. Taste firmly bitter, clean, and hoppy, with a crystal malt note to give it a little body and a nice finish.
Lightly hazy dark orange body, thin off-white head, minimal lacing. Orange rind, resin, a fair bit of sugary cereals. Medium to full bodied, assertive bitterness in the finish, semi-sweet throughout, moderate carbonation.
Pretty nice, but the Elysian space dust I just had was a little better. Still good citrus and integrated, well hidden booze. Pours amber with good head and lacing. Medium bitter finish. Some grapefruit peel. Tap at Black Squirrel.
Keg at sheffield tap. Hazy orange with small white head. Aroma is malty bread and cereal, resiny woody hops and some lemon citrus. Taste is spicy from the abv and bitter. Nice oily mouthfeel. Nice malty ipa.