Beer Works Mad Hops

Brewed by Salem Beer Works
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Salem, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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on tap-pours a big retaining creamy tan head that laces and cloudy brown/copper color. Aroma is bitter grapefruit hops (cascade). Taste is bitter grapefruit hops, nice medium malt backbone. OK carbonation.

On tap from Canal Street Beer Works. Pours a dark copper color with a small thin head. The Aroma was very bitter with some floral notes. Very impressive IIPA here. Grapefruit, hops and spices take over the palate. Best beer on tap here, got a growler to go...could be a tipsy weekend.

Hazy dark amber-brown beer with an off-white head. Aroma of sweet cascade-type hops, grapefruit and loads of sweet malt. Caramel, toast and a bit of dried fruit as well. Grape/raisins along with some sweet breadiness as well. Flavour is more American Strong than IIPA. Sweet bready malt flavour, some toastiness, fruity malt and fruity cherry esters. A fairly hoppy flavour that shows off grapefruit, pine, and some earthy/woody resin as well. Fairly assertive bitterness on the back, but it lacks the big hoppy aroma/flavour that makes a great IIPA.

Draft. Caramel brown with 1 finger cappucino-link foam. Hoppy to the nose, with hints of blueberry and floral scents. Smooth, creamy teaste. Full body throughout tongue, throat, nostrils. A quality brew-pub beer. Salem Beer Works, Salem Massachusetts

Dark amber/copper in color with a small white lacing. Malty,hoppy (spicy,citrus,floral) aroma. Flavor is of caramel malt and hops.

Tap@ Fenway location. Good nose, one of those subtle IIpa’s, Toffee, grapefruit and orange, pine. Hazy brownish orange color, Small beige head that faded quickly. Bittersweet flavors Same as aroma. Maybe a tad metallic.Medium bodied, syrupy creamy mouthfeel. Bitter linguring finish. Finally able to catch this one. Right up there with thier Hercules strong.

tap. cloudy amber, off-white head... grassy/hoppy aroma and flavors... bitter aftertaste but still nicely balanced...

Art of Beer Festival 2004: Hazy brownish orange with a creamy head. Sweet pine/spruce aroma, full bodied and a bit too fizzy, starts and ends bitter with a long bitter aftertaste.

AOBF ’04: Nice ruby amber hue. Creamy beige head, slight lacing. Dirty, resinous, sticky hops and grapefruit in the nose. Light malt backbone which can barely support this medium bodied hop attack. Sticky piney, citrus lingering hops. Not a bad IIPA...but nothing significantly extraordinary.

UPDATED: MAY 31, 2007 AOBF 04 Draught. Good light raspberry red color with some lighter oranges. Good beige head and lacing, and decent cloudiness. Aroma is fresh and inviting. Lots of soily, earthy hops, probably some centennials and maybe fuggles. Not a tremendous amount of PNW hops so that was a nice change of pace. Flavor is bold and body is medium-full. No wateriness or thinning. I can’t believe it, but this is the first double IPA i’ve had fresh on tap. And what a treat it is, a nice coarse, lightly gritty mouthfeel complements of the unfiltered quality. The hops take center stage but are backed up by a good supporting malt, which is dry and lightly toasty. Some light red fruit flavors, quite earthy and just very fresh tasting. No astringency as Steggie points out. I’m very impressed. Not the most complex double IPA, nowhere near, but still very well-made and wonderful when tried fresh.

Finally get to try this again. Man has it been a long time. I really enjoyed this last time I had it and it actually beat my expectations now. Very fruity nose has much of the California hop bouquet. A bit of dry, grainy maltiness creates some hardness in the nose that cuts the hop nose off a bit short, but the start is delightfully full of cherries, magoes, limes, sweet grapefruit and more. Medium to medium-high strength of aroma as well.
Hops continue their dominance, but again, the malt is well-balanced and provides light caramel sweetness. Some mouthfeel problems from the malts used, as it ranges from a bit dry to a bit too sweet/sticky. But the low carbonation was excellent and the beer was flawless. Cool.