4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
12 oz bottle courtesy of hopdog. Hazy pale golden-orange beer with a thick white head. Heavy layer of sediment on the bottom of the bottle. Fresh orange aroma, lemon and grapefruit citrus as well. There is also a floral/fruity flavour in this as well. Fresh pine and spruce sweetness. There is also a lightly caramelly maltiness that adds a sweet touch to all of the juicy hops. Flavour is very hoppy, sweet grapefruit, orange and apple sweetness hiding behind all of the tropical orange/mango/pineapple hops. The alcohol is barely noticeable except as a cooling sensation. Awesome.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: FEB 19, 2008 Batch 8277 sampled a few times within two months of its release: Has a bigger fresh piny grapefruity hoppy nose than I remember from the first release. Sweet pale and caramel malts provide good balance to the sticky bittering hop resin and crisp, slightly warming bittersweet finish. A very nice double IPA that I wish I had a few more bottles of.
First bottled release sampled on 11/22/06 (8,3,7,4,14): Pours a transparent golden bronze with a thin, lightly-lacing white head. Aroma boast a lot of fresh grapefruity and piny hops along with a touch of toasty pale malt. Body starts with some sweet caramel before being overrun by resiny sticky citrus bittering hops. Plenty of hops in this and a good amount of malt that hides the alcohol well, but it’s still not as balanced as some other double IPAs.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
A golden amber DIPA with a thick light moka head. Loads of citrusy hops come through in first whiff, followed by tangerine pulp, lightly sweet, resinous and pungeant. In mouth, a nice meaty malt with loads of pinhey hops well balanced with the biscuitty malts, sweet and hoppy, quite nice. Goes well with an old gouda. Bottle via Sammy...
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Hopfiger Antrunk, der vom Alkokhol leider etwas eingedämt wird. Dazu passend, vielleicht minimal zu stark, süß. Ab dem Mittelteil zunehmend bitter, im Abgang stark bitter. Ausgeglichen, interessant ist das Bier eher im hinteren Teil. Auch hier etwas sscharf alkoholisch, was das Vergnügen mindert. 11/10/9/10/12/10
3.9 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Slightly hazy orange beer, with yellow-orange tinted fluffy head. End of bottle opaque. Very citrussy nose, with fresh lemon, orange and grapefruit; very fine, flowery, fruity and juicy. Perfect. Well - otherwise said, hops. Hoppy taste (well, you guessed that) with citrus and (less) resiny. Finish is more hopbitterness, slightly burning. One almost imagines drinking added hopoil. Very oily, near syrupy but not cloying MF. Very good, aromatic aftertaste despite the near-metallic bitterness. Very nice, top IIPA, Kalamazoo worthy.
Big thanks, David (and Liza).
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
UPDATED: FEB 12, 2008 Rich cloudy creamed orange body, almost hefeweizen-like in appearance, with a properly firm creamy layer of white foam sitting on top. The pungent grapefruit, melon and maraschino cherry hop nose is exactly what I dig in IPA. I certainly dig a nice dank, grassy hop nose, but the sour grapefruit sugary nose on this is even better. I can’t think of anything I like more than the smell of this beer. Perfect. Amazingly creamy and smooth, with a moderately thick body, consumed in melon and grapefruit sour hop flavors, rich in every way. This beer is good, but when warmer the nose tends to get a little boozy, smelling like dirty vodka. If this were around 8% it would be pure gold.
3.9 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
My Bottom Line:
A bursting hop perfume shields the nostrils and tastebuds from most of life’s inanities. Resinous miracles, citrusy authenticity, and wooden wisdom ride the lean biscuity maltiness for a highly invigorating Imperial IPA.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam surrounds the clear honeyed golden.
-The hop profile is definitely reminiscent of Dreadnaught’s, which I adore, but its malt character is drier and less developed, focusing on quenching, whereas Dreadnaught would be chewy and crunchy (in my book).
-Its bubbly presence helps alleviate the bracing wooden, resinous hop bitterness.
Bottle; no date. Thx Eric!!
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: JAN 31, 2011 Bottle thanks to ucusty. Bottle marked 8277. Pours with a small white head covering a hazy orange body. Some good lacing. Aroma of citrus hops (mainly orange), and a large caramel back bone. Taste is very malty (drinking a winter bottle in the summer). and some slightly orange hops in the finish. Creamy mouthfeel lively bubbles. Would not age too well.
AR:8AP:4F:8P:4O:16T.S.:4
Re-Rate:
Batch 8907. Pours with a huge, fluffy off-white head with tight bubbles. Clear golden body underneath with a few particles. Great lace and retention. Aroma is quite strong and room filling. Pungent with pine, melon and honey. Alcohol and caramel on closer inspection. Dank C-hops. Taste is big and hoppy with orange and citrus bitterness up front and through the mid palate. Finishing with lingering notes of honey, caramel and floral hops. Silky mouthfeel. Really good! -
March 09, 2009.
Batch 10127 (Bottled Jan 11th, consumed on the 31st). Pours with a lightly hazed golden body and an off-white head that sticks (4). Aromas of dank, pine, tropical fruits (nice and hoppy), further and lighter notes of honey, pine and citrus. (9). Flavors of hoppy citrus, a bit of a strong grainy/biscuit/hay note (that I do not remember from previous batches). Not quite as dry or as much as a hop explosion as I am use to. Still pretty solid though (7.5). Pretty dry. Lively carbonation. Alcohol is there, but not a dominating presence (ala PTY and Maharaja) (4). Good beer, but I have founder memories of it (15). (4.05)
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