I've liked everything I've had from this brewery, so I hope this hasn't been sitting in the cellar too long. From what I remember, I got it in Nebraska about a year ago.
Pours a cloudy deep amber with a pillowy light tan head that thins fairly quickly to a sheet. Big grassy hops smell, with a sweet malt and a slight hint of alcohol. 8% ABV is bigger than most, but not too big for a DIPA.
Whoa. It has such a big scotch hit to it that I had to look this beer up and see if it wasn't barrel aged. It wasn't, as best as I can tell. And the description from the brewery throws in just about every fruit they can think of as taste descriptors, and I just don't get it. I can taste the grapefruit in the mid-aftertaste, but the biggest thing about this beer is the oak taste, followed by the solidly bitter hops.
Good beer. Wish I'd had a warning about the scotch, but it's pretty good nonetheless.
Showing posts with label DIPA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIPA. Show all posts
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Great Divide Brewing Company's 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA
This is one of the first breweries that I remember being different. And although I traditionally don't like wood aged beers because they're overdone with scotch, I'll try everything Great Divide makes.
Pours slow, with a ton of body. That's a good sign. Deep amber with a huge tan head and a great smell. Slight vanilla that comes from the oak, but mostly floral hops and a slightly sweet malt.
Tastes about the same. Solid body and a great bitterness that isn't affected by the oak, which isn't too scotchy like some brewers try to make it. Good stuff, and another reason this brewery has set itself apart from the start for me.
Pours slow, with a ton of body. That's a good sign. Deep amber with a huge tan head and a great smell. Slight vanilla that comes from the oak, but mostly floral hops and a slightly sweet malt.
Tastes about the same. Solid body and a great bitterness that isn't affected by the oak, which isn't too scotchy like some brewers try to make it. Good stuff, and another reason this brewery has set itself apart from the start for me.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Harpoon Brewery's Leviathan Imperial IPA
I've heard a lot about this beer, but couldn't find it in Texas. Finding any Harpoon beer was difficult, but this one was pretty much nowhere for me. So, I was glad to see it at Spec's today.
Pours a light amber with a large-celled tan head that sticks. The color and clarity are disappointing for an imperial IPA, but the big head that doesn't thin tells me there may be more to it than the rest of the appearance would indicate. Almost no carbonation, and what there is is very slow so there might be more body than the looks show.
Great grassy hops smell. definitely bigger than a standard pale or IPA, and it's clean. Not muddled, it's a crisp, bitter grassiness that fades a bit to reveal a slightly sweet malt.
Surprising. Aside from the head, it looks wimpy. But uber-filtration aside, this beer is a great example of the style and lives up to its hype. One of few beers that I can say that about. You get a solid bitter zap that is slightly grassy, a heavy feel to the body, and a sweet malt backbone to finish it off. Probably the most surprising part is that even as it warms, which brings out the sweetness in the malt a bit more, there is almost no hint of the 9.3% ABV that many beers would be absolutely unable to hide. Many imperial stouts with a huge roasted or coffee flavor can't hide the alcohol this well.
Great beer. I had one or two set aside to give to a buddy, but no more. I'm keeping them.
Pours a light amber with a large-celled tan head that sticks. The color and clarity are disappointing for an imperial IPA, but the big head that doesn't thin tells me there may be more to it than the rest of the appearance would indicate. Almost no carbonation, and what there is is very slow so there might be more body than the looks show.
Great grassy hops smell. definitely bigger than a standard pale or IPA, and it's clean. Not muddled, it's a crisp, bitter grassiness that fades a bit to reveal a slightly sweet malt.
Surprising. Aside from the head, it looks wimpy. But uber-filtration aside, this beer is a great example of the style and lives up to its hype. One of few beers that I can say that about. You get a solid bitter zap that is slightly grassy, a heavy feel to the body, and a sweet malt backbone to finish it off. Probably the most surprising part is that even as it warms, which brings out the sweetness in the malt a bit more, there is almost no hint of the 9.3% ABV that many beers would be absolutely unable to hide. Many imperial stouts with a huge roasted or coffee flavor can't hide the alcohol this well.
Great beer. I had one or two set aside to give to a buddy, but no more. I'm keeping them.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Laguinitas Brewing Company's 2009 Correction Ale
I have to agree with the concept behind the name, 2009 was the year the market finally corrected a bit. Anything over 7,000 on the Dow is inflated to me, but hey, I'm a lawyer not an investment broker. Looks like I'll get to sue a lot of them, though.
Pours a clear, bright, orangish amber with a great large-celled and fluffy tan head. Good, slow, carbonation.
Huge grassy smell. So much so that there's not much else to the smell. It smells a bit like a Bigfoot without the malt.
Wow, big beer. I was less than impressed with the Hop Stoopid, because it was all hops and no cattle. This one has the malt backbone to back it up though. Big grassy bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste, with a sweet malt behind it that means the body keeps up with the taste.
Very good beer, and I'll look for more in the future. I think it was only about four or five bucks, making it a steal.
Pours a clear, bright, orangish amber with a great large-celled and fluffy tan head. Good, slow, carbonation.
Huge grassy smell. So much so that there's not much else to the smell. It smells a bit like a Bigfoot without the malt.
Wow, big beer. I was less than impressed with the Hop Stoopid, because it was all hops and no cattle. This one has the malt backbone to back it up though. Big grassy bitterness that lingers well into the aftertaste, with a sweet malt behind it that means the body keeps up with the taste.
Very good beer, and I'll look for more in the future. I think it was only about four or five bucks, making it a steal.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Laguinitas Brewing Company's Hop Stoopid
I can't find a style category for this one after a very brief search online, but at 102 IBU's it can't be anything less than a DIPA.
Pours a clear and somewhat bright orangish amber. Huge head that almost gets in the way. Makes you think that it's throwing off too much of what would otherwise be in the taste. Good carbonation.
Strong grassy hops overpowers any malt smell, and it has an odd hint of dill pickles. This beer tastes like a combination of Bigfoot Barleywine and Indian Wells Orange Blossom Amber. The huge grassy hops are very similar to Bigfoot, and the odd twang and lack of real body remind me of Orange Blossom Amber.
All in all, this beer is a good example of how too much of something can throw a beer out of balance. Big hop presence, but no body to speak of. Certainly not one that a beer this hoppy should have. Think of a Budweiser Barleywine, and you'd have this beer.
Pours a clear and somewhat bright orangish amber. Huge head that almost gets in the way. Makes you think that it's throwing off too much of what would otherwise be in the taste. Good carbonation.
Strong grassy hops overpowers any malt smell, and it has an odd hint of dill pickles. This beer tastes like a combination of Bigfoot Barleywine and Indian Wells Orange Blossom Amber. The huge grassy hops are very similar to Bigfoot, and the odd twang and lack of real body remind me of Orange Blossom Amber.
All in all, this beer is a good example of how too much of something can throw a beer out of balance. Big hop presence, but no body to speak of. Certainly not one that a beer this hoppy should have. Think of a Budweiser Barleywine, and you'd have this beer.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Boston Brewing Company's Long Shot Double IPA
First off, congratulations to the home brewer who won this year's Long Shot. I can only imagine that having your beer adopted like this is something to brag about. And I'm sure your version that you sent in was better than what Sam Adams did to it.
It had to be, because as a general rule Sam Adams beers are complete bullshit. Barely better than Coors, except with the claim that they're craft beers they actually fall far short of what we all know Coors to be. If Coors claimed to be craft, they'd be a bigger liar than Sam Adams, but they don't. So Sam Adams is the biggest liar in the beer world.
I'm sure you disagree. So go write your own blog about what an idiot I am.
The reason I know this beer was probably better before Sam Adams got hold of it is that in some ways it's pretty darn good even after they did their thing to it. It pours a loosely filtered deep amber that is mostly opaque with a decent tan head. It's not as big as a beer this malty should be and it fades faster than it should, but it's at least there, which is unusual for a Sam Adams beer that's not in a TV commercial.
The heavier than average malt gives it a smell of a darker type of bread and it has a good grassy hops smell as well. If it tasted as good as it smelled, it would be a beer to look for again. But, of course, anything run through BBC (or more likely, one of their macro contract brewers), puts up a false pretense. It has an odd twang that shouldn't be here, and the grassy bitterness that starts out fairly strong disappears in a flash. You're then left with a cardboard type of bitterness that's indistinct and honestly just not where it should be for a DIPA.
There's a reason I avoid Sam Adams, except for the Long Shot beers, and this beer almost puts itself into a better category than BBC beers are in. It smells and initially tastes good, but in general suffers from the lack of follow through and substance that Sam Adams beers all have. Decent appearance... until the head disappears. Decent smell... until it warms. Decent taste... but just for a second.
Again, I would love to try this one out of the brewer's kegerator and it's a step up for Sam Adams. Maybe they'll hire this home brewer to give some substance to their regular offerings. Or at least stop lying about being a craft brewer.
It had to be, because as a general rule Sam Adams beers are complete bullshit. Barely better than Coors, except with the claim that they're craft beers they actually fall far short of what we all know Coors to be. If Coors claimed to be craft, they'd be a bigger liar than Sam Adams, but they don't. So Sam Adams is the biggest liar in the beer world.
I'm sure you disagree. So go write your own blog about what an idiot I am.
The reason I know this beer was probably better before Sam Adams got hold of it is that in some ways it's pretty darn good even after they did their thing to it. It pours a loosely filtered deep amber that is mostly opaque with a decent tan head. It's not as big as a beer this malty should be and it fades faster than it should, but it's at least there, which is unusual for a Sam Adams beer that's not in a TV commercial.
The heavier than average malt gives it a smell of a darker type of bread and it has a good grassy hops smell as well. If it tasted as good as it smelled, it would be a beer to look for again. But, of course, anything run through BBC (or more likely, one of their macro contract brewers), puts up a false pretense. It has an odd twang that shouldn't be here, and the grassy bitterness that starts out fairly strong disappears in a flash. You're then left with a cardboard type of bitterness that's indistinct and honestly just not where it should be for a DIPA.
There's a reason I avoid Sam Adams, except for the Long Shot beers, and this beer almost puts itself into a better category than BBC beers are in. It smells and initially tastes good, but in general suffers from the lack of follow through and substance that Sam Adams beers all have. Decent appearance... until the head disappears. Decent smell... until it warms. Decent taste... but just for a second.
Again, I would love to try this one out of the brewer's kegerator and it's a step up for Sam Adams. Maybe they'll hire this home brewer to give some substance to their regular offerings. Or at least stop lying about being a craft brewer.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Great Divide Brewing Company's 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA
I don't usually like wood aged beers. They usually fall into two groups that either taste like someone added vanilla extract or like they added bourbon. In other words, too much of a good thing. But I have yet to have a Great Divide beer that wasn't excellent, including Oak Aged Yeti, and this was a unique beer that I hadn't even heard of, much less tried, so I jumped on it.
Pours a deep reddish amber, like a hugely malty barley wine. Great tan head that gets pillowy and stays. Smells like a mellow pale. The oak apparently evens it out quite a bit so that it doesn't hit you in the face with a bread smell that most beers with this much malt would have, and there's just a trace of hops that wavers between floral and grassy.
Huge body, and while not as bourbon-y as many oak aged beers, it's still a little too much bourbon flavor for me. The 10% ABV is well hidden. The aftertaste is amazingly peppery. I think this is the first time I've really had that stand out in a beer, although a few have it listed as a characteristic. Gets more bourbon flavor as it warms, and the alcohol gets more noticeable in the smell as well.
I hoped for a little less bourbon, along the lines of the smell. Still, a very good beer. You can taste the Denver Pale Ale in it.
Pours a deep reddish amber, like a hugely malty barley wine. Great tan head that gets pillowy and stays. Smells like a mellow pale. The oak apparently evens it out quite a bit so that it doesn't hit you in the face with a bread smell that most beers with this much malt would have, and there's just a trace of hops that wavers between floral and grassy.
Huge body, and while not as bourbon-y as many oak aged beers, it's still a little too much bourbon flavor for me. The 10% ABV is well hidden. The aftertaste is amazingly peppery. I think this is the first time I've really had that stand out in a beer, although a few have it listed as a characteristic. Gets more bourbon flavor as it warms, and the alcohol gets more noticeable in the smell as well.
I hoped for a little less bourbon, along the lines of the smell. Still, a very good beer. You can taste the Denver Pale Ale in it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Avery Brewing's Ale to the Chief
I know, I know, drinking this one on Inauguration day is gay. Still, I had to.
Pours a great coppery amber with a huge tan head. This is the first head on a pale of any type that I've ever seen cascade (like Guinness, for those unfamiliar with the term), and then it gets pillowy before it slowly fades. Moderate carbonation with big bubbles that slowly rise, a sign of a heavy bodied DIPA, I'm hoping.
Great grassy smell with a big, bready malt backbone. Not complex, but right what it should be.
Huh. Falls kind of flat on the taste. The grassy hops hit you right up front, but then quickly fade to a muted grassy-sweet flavor. Goddangit, it has Belgian dubbel traits that really bring it down for me. It mutes the taste and dulls the feel. I expected more of a fresh hop taste out of a dry hopped beer like this, especially a DIPA. The bitterness fades quickly, then finishes with a tart sweetness. Fairly substantial body, but the taste is relatively dull, moreso as it warms.
Great day, mediocre beer. About average for Avery.
Pours a great coppery amber with a huge tan head. This is the first head on a pale of any type that I've ever seen cascade (like Guinness, for those unfamiliar with the term), and then it gets pillowy before it slowly fades. Moderate carbonation with big bubbles that slowly rise, a sign of a heavy bodied DIPA, I'm hoping.
Great grassy smell with a big, bready malt backbone. Not complex, but right what it should be.
Huh. Falls kind of flat on the taste. The grassy hops hit you right up front, but then quickly fade to a muted grassy-sweet flavor. Goddangit, it has Belgian dubbel traits that really bring it down for me. It mutes the taste and dulls the feel. I expected more of a fresh hop taste out of a dry hopped beer like this, especially a DIPA. The bitterness fades quickly, then finishes with a tart sweetness. Fairly substantial body, but the taste is relatively dull, moreso as it warms.
Great day, mediocre beer. About average for Avery.
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