To Øl Baltic Frontier Seabuckthorn IPA
This puppy is an IPA beaten with juniper berries and sea-buckthorn and trashed with hops. It is a celebration of a potent beer culture shared between scandinavia and the baltic region.
Ingredients: Water, Malt, Seabuckthorn, Hops (Centennial, Columbus and Cluster), Juniper Berries and Yeast.
Ingredients: Water, Malt, Seabuckthorn, Hops (Centennial, Columbus and Cluster), Juniper Berries and Yeast.
3.5
265 reviews
Svinninge, Denmark
Community reviews
This is a grapefruit fruitbeer. I would only really enjoy in very warm weather. Too sour for me.
Bottle at home, hazy orange beer, medium head. Aroma is hoppy, berries. Taste is sour, grapefruit, berries, fruit, hint of bitter. nice one
Bottle. Dark amber, hazy with white head. Aroma of berries, peach then buckthorn. In taste acidic in fruity way with berries and probably buckthorn. Medium body, moderate carbonation, finish is bitter and slightly sour. Quite nice, fruity beer.
Many modern Scandinavian craft brewers have developed a sense of ’terroir’ and are making use of local ingredients or ingredients which have been used in their traditional beers for ages; with this one, To Ol connects this terroir with the wave of New World hops, with the traditional Scandinavian factor being represented by sea buckthorn and juniper berries (of which the latter have been used in both Scandinavian and Baltic beer traditions for centuries, hence the connection with the Baltic as well). Interesting concept, carried out at the Proef, like so many of To Ol’s beers. Label depicts a piece of birch bark, a tree with a certain iconic status in Scandinavia and even used in both traditional and (post-)modern Danish cuisine so in reference to Scandinavian terroir, this is again no coincidence. Thickly cobweb-lacing, dispersed, yellowish white head, retaining well on the edges and in patches in the middle; immediately cloudy and even somewhat ’milky’ appearance, deeply peach blonde in colour with a somewhat pinkish hue. Aroma of lemon zest, lime juice, dried mango, juniper berries very noticeable, dust, dried radish, old bread, raw chicken, green peppercorns, bitter honey, dried moss or hay, old cheese. Vividly fruity onset, wry berries which must represent the sea buckthorn dominating but hints of unripe kiwi, green plum and grapefruit as well, tart with a thin sweetish edge to it, medium to sharpish carbonation, malt sweetish (bready) and slightly grainy middle, sea buckthorn berry tartness slicing through the whole while the resinous, somewhat peppery, drying spiciness of the juniper berries comes up and adds another layer of flavor, tartness still dominating the finish blending with the spicy juniper effect and with bittering, grapefruity, resinous hops which are accentuated by the juniper berries. Bitter and tart ending, but traces of malt sweetness as well; very yeasty too. Dry and juicy at the same time, a malt sweet core made sourish by the buckthorn, spicy by the jupiner berries and bitter by the combo of American hops, this is, in all, something of a fruit IPA which, contrary to most others, does not emphasize sweet orange and mango flavors with actual sweet fruits, but makes a turn to the dry, spicy, sour and bitter. Not the easiest beer to appreciate or even comprehend, but not too harsh (contrary to some other Danish spiced ales) due to redeeming malt and fruit sweet accents, and for me personally, the combination works well. I can imagine something like this will divide opinions, though.
33cl bottle from Beer52.com. A murky amber pour with a loose cream head; sour and fruity aroma; extremely sour fruity taste - that will be seabuckthorn I guess; not a fruit I’m familiar with; the sourness continues, grapefruit-like, into the finish, which has a touch of sweetness and some spicy warmth. An interesting but rather challenging beer, I won’t be looking for another one in a hurry.
Cloudy yellow color, averaged sized white head. Aroma of peaches, berries, sour notes. Taste of sour grapefruits, berries, lots of fruitiness. Solidly sour, dry finish. Interesting sour IPA.
-- rated with beerbasher/winphone
Bottle 0,33l from Pivoljub beer shop in Ljubljana. Hazy yellow color, white head. Sour fruity taste, herbs, grass, citrus. Medium body, light carbonation.
Fajne choć nie do końca jest to owocowe piwo. Dla mnie to IPA. Fajna gra i rownowaga miedzy slodycza a chmielnoscia a zwłaszcza kwaskowoscia która pochodzi z rokitnika. Ten dziki i kwaskowy owoc w drugiej fazie i daje uczucie kwaskowosci delikatnej bo słodycz rownowazy to uczucie. Dlugi finisz kwaskowo slodki. Chmielnosc dodatkowo w aromacie, grejfruty wyczuwalne daja wrazenie ze to piwo owocowe. Dla mnie to hybryda lambicka z IPA. ale tylko smakowo i zapachowo. Rokitnik dobrze znam i jego walory zdrowotne dlatego polecam to piwo dbającym o zdrowie.
33cl bottle at home. Hazy orange with a medium white soapy head. Medium body with moderate carbonation. Bitter with quite some sour tones. Citrus, juniper, yeast, grapes, berries and herbs. Quite nice.
330ml bottle @Lawendowa 8 Gdańsk. Aromas of berry fruit, grass, some tracing herbs and caramel. Reminds me a little about wet forest. Pours orange gold with white head that stays a while and leaves some lacing. Taste is tart, with medium bitterness - mostly caramel, herbs and berries. Doesn’t feel full nor empty, medium, on the lower side. Overall interesting, may try it again later.
Aromat średnio intensywny, owoce tropikalne, cytrusy, trawa, karmel. Kolor pomarańczowy, mętne. Piana niska, drobna, szybko znika. W smaku umiarkowana słodycz, średnia pełnia, lekka kwaśność, owoce, przyprawy, karmel, trawa. Goryczka średnia, wysycenie niskie.
Bottle. Teku. Dirty amber, highly hazy with medium, dirty white head. Good Head retention and lacing. Aroma is very fruity - mainly berries, peachy, like cold ice tea, somewhere in the background tropical fruits. Taste is acidic (fruity) and moderately bitter and tart. Medium body, creamy texture, average carbonation, finish is acid and tart. In overall very nice fruit beer, refreshing.
On tap. Orange color, cloudy liquid, white head. Taste is medium sour, light bitter. I haven’t distinguished much in aroma as nothing was really dominant there. Acceptable, but overpriced.
Floral, citrus and resin aroma - really quite refreshing. Colour is spectacular, deep orange with a solid, white head. Sour and bitter flavour, both citrus, grapefruit and orange. Medium body, quite lively, sour finish. A very interesting beer, definitely not your average IPA.
The aroma is that of centennial: resin above all (just adore it!), citrus, some tropical fruit hints... It’s just like smelling some fresh hop. Hazy light amber color, medium white foam. I can’t smell the juniper berries but they show up while tasting with their peculiar sour character (which I actually don’t love in a hop-forward beer). Medium bitterness, lightly sour, medium body, thin feel, lively carbonation, astringent finish.
I think it would’ve been better without the berries since they don’t give any complexity but they just increase the sharpness of this beer.
0,33L bottle from Craftissimo at Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Appearance: Pours a hazy, orange colour (from the seabuckthorn?) Medium and foamy white head which slowly fades away and leaves lacing on the glass. Aroma: Blossom and floral aromas from the Centennial hop. Refreshing berry smell from the juniper with notes of peach, tangerine, grapefruit and pine. Taste: Fruity and zesty flavour at first. Then the powerful sourness and bitterness from the seabuckthorn and juniper dominate the rest of the taste. Palate: Medium to full body with sticky mouthfeel. The carbonation is moderate with sour and bitter juniper aftertaste surrounding the mouth and throat. I am totally amazed by the juniper and seabuckthorn flavours which have blended in perfectly with the Centennial and Columbus hops to provide subtle bitterness and rich aromas. They have elevated this fruity IPA to another level. Looking forward to tasting more innovative and mind-blowing beers from To Ol.
Pours a cloudy pale orange. Aroma is filled with flowery hops and sour berries. Has a full mouth feel. Hop grapefruit bitterness quickly subsides to sour berries. Interesting and refreshing.
Bottle, 330 ml from Pivoljub, Ljubljana. Shared with Miro. Pours orange with medium white head. Sourish fruity, grapefruit, bit zesty. Bitterish finish. Refreshing.
Hazy blond colour. Intense aroma. Fruity, zesty a little bit herbal. Flavour has tart berry and grapefruit juice and a bitter pithy finish. Complex interesting and very intense.
Tap at pokhoi. Dark orange colour with white head off. Aroma of citrus fruits, spicy. Taste of orange, grapefruit, sour body, light bitterness.
Unique tart bread dough aroma in a cloudy amber pour. Taste is totally different from any IPA I’ve had before - with tart berry, wood body and dry finish. Variety is the spice of life for sure. I like, no, I love.
On tap at B’s Craft Beer Lounge, pours s cloudy opaque yellowish orange with a tiny head. Aroma is quite dry, with lots of pithy notes from the seabuckthorn, tart citrus and light hoppy astringency. Flavour is fruity and tart, with pith upfront from the seabuckthorn, tartness from the berries and medium funk. Not terribly cohesive, with a lot of earthy yeast ones. Not great.
Bottle - Bright sour citrus peel. Cloudy gold with a small white head. Herbal and bitter tart peel. Herbal and tart, but not great.
Very hazy orange color with white head. Aroma is tart berries and yoghurt. Taste is an immediate sour and bitter kick, like a seabuckthorne yoghurt (never had one, don’t even know if they exist, but this is how I would imagine one). Finishes rather weak. I am generally a fan of these modern sour fruit IPAs, but this is hardly IPA at all. It’s more like a bitter berry yoghurt. A bit disappointing
The tartness is from the juniper which seems to add a fruity thing too. Not sure I got what seabuckthorn is or does. Hazy orange beer, with no head or lacing. Initial shock of bitterness and then it just ends up as a slightly tart sour beer of little merit really. Sometimes these things are a revelation, this one wasn’t
Jeez that?s a strong fruit aroma. Like a very tart fruit. I?m awful at identifying fruits, so I?ll look at the bottle. Okay, juniper berries makes sense. I?m going to toss those in my next ipa, now. I have no idea what the other thing is. Sea Buckthorn Juice? Danish people are weird, and have weird stuff. And I?m like, .25 danish. That doesn?t sound real though. Pours cloudy with an OK head. Taste is like tart juice. Seriously. I don?t taste malts or even hops. Is this beer? If you told me it had Brett in it I would totally believe you. Calling this an ipa is a very bad decision. Let?s start over. Cloudy pour, tart fruit aroma. Has a fruity, not kind of tart taste. Feels like a wild ale. There?s kind of a muted bitterness as an aftertaste that lingers. Also a bit chalky. Thick body. Each sip is a little different. I like it, but it?s confusing. As my expectations lean towards a wild ale, it feels less complex. Confusing, ultimately. I feel like it?s label is confused and it should?ve used a different yeast. At least I had a strong reaction to it!
orange color
light aroma
sour flavor, hint of fruit
clear aftertaste, medium to light body
Botella. @180, Oviedo. 05/01/2016 Color amarillo turbio, aroma frutos rojos, sabor frutal, cuerpo medio.
Pours a hazy orangey color, topped with a medium sized and medium lasting whit head. Strong herbal aroma, citrusy notes. A combo with a strong soury feel. Taste is strongly soury, herbal quality. Mildly bitter. Slight fruity feel, but more or less bittery herbs with lots of soury notes. Interesting, something different.
Bottle from Luvians. St Andrews. Cloudy. Ruddy orange. Nice fluffy head. Aroma is interesting. Plenty of dank hop character. Tropical fruits on the turn. Some very over-ripe oranges. Something a bit like rotten seaweed but not entirely unpleasant! Some left-out, sliced pineapple. Bit of guava. Can’t detect the addition of juniper here. Taste is shortly sweet with a sharp twist. The sharpness has length. Medium sourness. Lactic notes. Cleans the palate. Not much malt coming through. Again, can’t taste the juniper. Medium bitterness. Creamy carbonation. No real signs of the alcohol in aroma or flavour. Bit confusing but I’m enjoying the challenge!