Barrel House Boss Cox Double Dark IPA

Brewed by Barrel House Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Cincinnati, Ohio USA

From on tap at the 2006 "Taste of Cincinnati" festival - This one pours a dark brown liquid with a lasting tan head and a sweet (?) aroma. Tastewise, this one’s much more of a doppelbock than an IPA, although the hops are forward in the taste... interesting, and a good beer, but not a favorite.

The Pour is deep mahogany, with a big bubble tan head. The aroma is strong. The fruity hops are readily noticable, with hints of apricot. The flavor is right in line with the aroma, the hops are big and fruity, not very piney which is what I had expected. The malts are heavy and sweet. the finish is long and satisfying. Very enjoyable beer.

Bottle. Pours muddy, hazy brown with light tan head. Sweet aroma with caramel and pleasant malt blended in. Taste is more of the nose with some very bitter hops and an overall bitter taste, very full and almost a little hard to get down. Something seems a little off here. The malts seem to balance the hops to the point that neither dominates, and with this being labeled a DIPA I expected to see a more dominant hop character. I see it is labeled an American Strong Ale on here, and that sounds a little more spot on with what I’m tasting. A slight hint of alcohol comes through too. This is pretty heavy and full, nothing I would call terrible, but I’d have a hard time getting another bomber down without sharing. Definitely not what you would call a DIPA, if that’s what you’re expecting.

pours dark brown with hearty beige head. Aroma is malty and bready with some dried fruit, not very hoppy. Flavor is smooth and sweet to begin, followed by a mild bitter hop presence and a bit of alcohol. Creamy and smooth body help this brew. If you are looking for an IPA look elsewhere, but if you are looking for an unique micro strong ale this one might be worth a try.

Bottled. Poured cloudy brown, with a dense tan head. Malty nose and a roasty, malty taste, slightly sweet. Hopp, bitter finish, slight hint of alcohol. Flavorful, but certainly too sweet for the label’s claim of an IPA. An OK strong ale.

Draft at the Taste of Cincinnati festival. Dark brown body topped by a thin but creamy head. Inviting, malty aroma. Flavor like crystal malt, caramel, soft hops. Very creamy, goes down incredibly easy. A little darker and stronger than typical IPAs. I had never heard of this brewer or beer before and decided to try this on a whim. Was very pleasantly surprised. Highly recommended.

Good india pale ale with okay flavor. Very hoppy with some malts. Easy to drink.

Draught at Knoxville Brewer’s Jam ’06. What a fantastic start to the day! Pours ruby in color, with a nice beige head. Aroma is strong citrus hops, balanced by sweet caramel malts, and even some chocolatey notes. Flavor was much the same, with the hops being present enough to cut through the otherwise sweet beer. Very enjoyable and unique.