 kepano (239), Meudon, France
Mar 21, 2008
Three-in-one shampoos and six-bladed razors, step aside! Twenty-nine different varieties of hops in one beer, it must be some kind of record! Please read the sarcasm. Truthfully, I wouldn’t say Bristol chases gimmicks, but even without professional experience twenty-nine surely sounds excessive. Nonetheless, this double IPA is off to a good start. The thick yellowish cream forms spongy craters above while the dark and misty body below reminds of a harvest moon. Juicy, explosive, but deep, there’s a surprising balance among these hoppy scents. Sweetened ruby grapefruit and viscous pine sap form the prominent hop tandem. Gooey strings of caramel, luscious honey, it’s a sticky smell. Pleasant aromas of white chocolate, macadamia and vanilla lend subtle strokes of complexity. Finally, hints of musky white pepper, pineapple and strawberry add further enhancements. The flavor begins with a creamy hoppy popsicle flavor, which suggests "Hopsicles" would be a successful venture. I expected oppressive hops, but found instead a smooth bitterness that relies on well-structured malts. Soapy mango is the resurgent fruit component of this hop cocktail, added to the common pine, cedar and buttered toast. Residual bitterness is quenched by a finishing hit of honey leading to a biscuity aftertaste. My conclusion is that the premise has more to do with spring cleaning than genuine art. But I’ll be damned, Bristol has crafted the first Dadaist brew – and hey, it’s not bad. (11/05/07)
mgumby10 (1815), West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Aug 1, 2008 Pours a cloudy amber orange color, with a medium, frothy, light tan head. Smells of piney hops, butterscotch, dark malt, and grapefruit citrus. The flavor is almost barleywine-like, some bready yeast, piney, juicu hops, and a prfound bitterness in the finish and lingering aftertaste. Not a great double IPA, seems like it might have sit for too long, or it could just be not that good.
pintsize (1042), Austin, Texas, USA
Jun 4, 2008 5-23-08 bottle
Cloudy orange with a good head. Smell is slightly medicinal and funky with some metallic hops. It tastes like this has been sitting on the shelf for about 3 years just waiting for someone to pick it up. Flavor is medicinal as well and a bit unfresh.
lb4lb (1945), Austin, Texas, USA
May 30, 2008 Bottle from a friend as a gift. Pours bright orange with a lasting head and some lacing. Smell is astringent, metallic, funky and lightly of feet. Taste is chalky, battery like metallic flavor and bad, odd, hops. I didn’t enjoy this one at all.
jrob21 (1136), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Mar 7, 2008 Hook up from beerandblues from some time ago. Sorry Matt couldn’t hold onto this anymore. As it is the hops are already a little subdued. Aroma is of slight molasses and piney hops (but those are faint). Flavor is medium bodied with a bit of an uninspired watery finish. Slight syrupy sweetness and bitter hop finish. Plum and red fruit flavors. Decent double but nothing to write home about. Should have had this a little more fresh I think so I’ll blame myself and not the brewer. How’s that for diplomatic. Pours a murky, cloudy, orange almost red color.
Glouglouburp (2573), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Feb 21, 2008 In short: Below average characterless IIPA.
How: Bottle 22oz, consumed 2 months after receiving it from BeerandBlues2 (thanks a lot Brad!). Shared at a tasting session with Montreal crew
The look: V cloudy orange body with a small beige head
In long: Thankfully a little less yeasty and more malted than their IPA. However the problem with this one is a characterless hopping despite the “29 hops variety”. Light caramel, pineaples and generic citrusy flavours. Lack of intensity and complexity. Short bitterness. Warming alcohol presence. Felt like a common regional brewpub IPA with alcohol cranked up. Not bad but below average for the IIPA style. 29 types of hops for that? When I cook I use about that many spices. That’s what bad cooks do when they do not master the basics.
beerbuzzmontreal (2849), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Feb 20, 2008 Cloudy amber pour with a thin white head. Aroma of fruity, resinous hops with perfume. Flavor of fruity, resinous hops with perfume and a bitter finish. The body is light with a liquorous texture and moderate carbonation. As with the IPA, a sturdy toasted malt would have been interesting.
MartinT (4781), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Feb 19, 2008 My Bottom Line:
Wooden resins delve into a sand pit, as fleeting citrus fruit complete the forceful hop explosion. This is a Double IPA which will please those in dire need of an American hop fix, but which might bore those who were looking for something nearly as good as the best examples in the country.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A sheet of foam protects the cloudy amber.
-This is very similar to their regular IPA in its simple flavor approach.
-The body is svelte, but not well sculpted; these malts do not offer much flavor either.
-Alcohol is ably concealed underneath all that hoppiness.
-Why in the world are there 29 hop varieties in here? Finishing off leftovers?
Bottle.
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