Brewery: | Right Brain Brewery |
Location | Traverse City, MI |
Style | American IPA |
ABV | 5.5% |
IBUs | 70 |
Best Quote During Tasting
He wasn't skinny...he was more your build.
Justin:
Aroma - Caramel sweetness from the malt is what you get first. Some bread notes and floral hops can be found. Small amounts of orange zest and grapefruit are found if you look for them. |
Score: 9/12 |
Appearance - Cloudy with an orange/gold color. The head on this one is tan and thin. |
Score: 3/3 |
Flavor - This beer is much more flavorful than it smelled. It's got citrus (grapefuit and orange like crazy), it's got pine, it's a little dank and it has a great malt backbone. |
Score: 16/20 |
Mouthfeel - Medium carbonation, medium body and a light creaminess. Finishes sweet. |
Score: 4/5 |
Overall Impression - After smelling this one, I was sure this was going to be your average IPA at best. I was delightfully wrong. The aroma definitely doesn't do this beer justice. All the flavors I was hoping to find in the aroma, but didn't, I ended up getting when tasting the beer. The balance was one of the best parts because with all that hop flavor, a strong malt backbone was needed and it was definitely there. |
Score: 8/10 |
Blake:
Aroma - Floral and citrus hops with a nice caramel sweetness and bread notes from the malt. |
Score: 9/12 |
Appearance - Golden-orange with a light khaki head. A little cloudy. |
Score: 2/3 |
Flavor - Toasted grains pair well nicely with grapefruit and resiny hops. A little astringent at times, but overall a very pleasing flavor. |
Score: 15/20 |
Mouthfeel - Low to medium carbonation with a medium body. |
Score: 3/5 |
Overall Impression - I thought this was a pretty good IPA, not perfect, but it's always nice to get a taste of something you can't get here. It might not be a beer I go out of my way to get, but if I'm in Michigan and I see Dead Kettle, I'll likely order a pint or two. |
Score: 7/10 |
Dead Kettle IPA Final Score
- Aroma
- Appearance
- Flavor
- Mouthfeel
- Overall
3.9

Justin Phelps
Co-Founder at Saint Brewis
Justin Phelps is a Certified Cicerone® who was born and raised in St. Louis. His passion for beer goes beyond just drinking it as he is also an award-winning home brewer. While he may be a marketing professional by day, he's a blogger, brewery hopper, and beer enthusiast by night.

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