Karl Strauss Big Barrel Double IPA

Brewed by Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Diego, California USA

Bottle. Pours with a clear orange body and a massive off-white head. Aroma of orange, light tropical fruits, caramel, a bit of pine and a touch of lemon. Taste is herbal and citrus (lemon). Odd battle with the nelson and the warrior. Caramel, stuffing (of all things). Bitter, clean finish, but odd flavors. Dry. Creamy carbonation.

Picked up this bottle while in San Diego. Pours copper with a white head. Nice strong hoppy aroma with lots of citrus. The 9% ABV is well hidden without being overly sweet. Great citrus flavor. Nice work.

Very tasty and off the beaten path of most Double IPA’s. Reminds me of Firestone and Mikkeller hopped beers. Heavy bitter but really tasty. The description nails it.

Very nice beer! Aroma: Hoppy, citrus. Taste: Citrus, grapefruit, grass. Overall: a wonderfully delicious beer.

Bomber from Beverages 4 Less ($6.99). I had heard about this and saw the pretty good reviews here. I had to try it and see if Karl is finally ready to join its fine San Diego brethren and make some real beer. Pours a clear amber with two fingers of frothy white foam. The head has quite good retention and leaves some nice lacing. Nose is mellow and lightly sweet with citrus (tangerine, lime) and grass aromas. Flavor is initially more bitter than I would have thought considering the nose but it mellows out with a nice bit of sweetness near the end. Hop flavors abound (tropical fruits, pine) with a sufficient amount of malt to take the edge off. The 9% is well concealed. This brew really ups Karl’s ante in terms of both ABV and IBU. It will be interesting to see if this starts an overall move for Karl toward bigger and better beers. (226, 48)

Got to try this thanks to, "hannont". I must say, I was wary of anything from Karl Strauss as my only experience with their beers was their hideous amber lager which I paid $8.00 for in Disney’s California Adventure because I was desperate for a beer! I later found out I could get some decent craft beers or imports at Uva Bar in Downtown Disney (Whew!). Colour... amber-orange with a thick white head. Nose... sweetly hoppy and quite resinous. Palate... lightly cloying, with pineapple, stone fruits, candied citrus, grapefruit zest and a medium length finish

On tap at the Old Columbia brewpub. Has a sweet honey aroma, also some butterscotch to the scent. Light amber with a thin white head. The flavor has delicious hop citrus grapefruit and mango. This beer has an intense malt flavor. A very classic IPA-like palate. It’s good beer but it’s not great.

Nice 1/2 inch ivory head tops a liquid tangerine body and leaves moderate spotty lacing on the inside of the glass. Aroma delivers traditional citrus and pine but is overly dominated by caramel malt. Similarly, too sweet for the style. Candied hops might be the best descriptor here. Wouldn’t pass on a glass but not the Southern California profile I look forward to.