Scott's Big IPL
Karl Strauss Brewing Company

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Beer Geek Stats:
American Imperial Pilsner
Needs more ratings
3.99 | pDev: 11.28%
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
California, United States
Retired (no longer brewed)
View: Beers | Events
Reviews: 5 | Ratings: 7
Photo of Cinderbike
4.23/5  rDev +6%

Served on-tap at the Costa Mesta Karl Strauss brewery/restaurant.

A - Golden, clear, with a fluffy head that didn't last very long.

S - Smells like biscuits and HOPS. Much maltier than I'd expected.

T - Hop forward with a malt backbone. For an 'IPL' I was hoping for more aggressive hopping, but it's still quite enjoyable.

M - Medium bodied, with a fairly high carbonation. Nothing extraordinary.

O - I had the 'original' homebrew version of this beer, and it was MUCH better - less malty and with more aggressive hop flavor and aroma. The Karl Strauss version, while inferior, is still probably the best beer they've ever made and I hope that they make a batch 2 - but closer to the original.

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Photo of ehammond1
4.03/5  rDev +1%

On Tap

Urge Gastropub
San Diego, CA

Clear golden and amber with a thin white head that lasts and lasts, then leaves messy spiderweb sheets of lacing down the glass. Spectacular.

A well-balanced yet strong aroma consisting of bready malts, some earthiness, and some definite hop (pine) punch.

Well balanced between bready and somewhat sweet malt character and some biting, piney hops. A great balance. Great with food.

Medium bodied.

A big beer with incredible balance. Plenty of hops but enough malt to balance things out extraordinarly well.

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Photo of SuperWhip
4.53/5  rDev +13.5%

Had this on tap at the La Jolla
The India Pale Lager (IPL) is a clear, amber colored beer. With it's beautiful color tones, it's like pouring a sunset. The first impression in the nose is of a rose. Then the IPL opens up to a leathery aroma as it warms. While it's still cold, it hits your tastebuds with a solid bitterness -- the characteristic from which the IPL derives its name. As it warms, the flavor rounds out with a big mouthfeel and the distinct slickness of the malts. Also at this temperature, the hops step into the background. If it gets a chance to warm even more, the bitterness returns and makes a nice balanced lager -- the only lager that doesn't have to be drank cold. Overall, the IPL is a well-crafted lager and more interesting to drink than most of its cousins.

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Photo of StarRaptor
4.18/5  rDev +4.8%

Had on tap multiple times at the Costa Mesa location as well as pro brewers night at the AHA Conference.

This beer was the pro version of their Pro-Am competition for

A: Nice golden orange color with a frothy white head. Lacing remains well through the glass

S: Good hop aroma, I would have excepted more with it being related to an IPA but this is a Karl Strauss beer. I'm picking up Simcoe

T: More East coast then West coast and tasted more Ale then a lager but overall I it had a very nice flavor that I enjoyed greatly

M: Solid monthfeel with good carbonation.

O: A good representation of a non existent style. On of the best Karl Strauss beers I've had in years

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Photo of HopHead84
2.98/5  rDev -25.3%


On tap at URGE. An India Pale Lager (according to Scott).

A: Amber with no head. I'm not sure if the lack of head is the fault of the brewer or bartender.

S: Bread and biscuity malt with faint floral characteristics. Orange is light and there's a touch of pine. Malt dominates.

T: This is very malty, and I was expecting little malt and a lot of hops. The malt tastes of bread and biscuit. There's a lower moderate bitterness with light pine and orange notes. The beer is lightly sweet and the finish is clean.

M: Moderate carbonation with medium body.

Overall: This is not an IPL. Think of it as a malty amber ale with a little more bitterness than usual. Pass on this. Sorry, Scott.

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Scott's Big IPL from Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Beer rating: 3.99 out of 5 with 7 ratings