 krisbierjaeger (837), dolores, Colorado, USA
Jun 8, 2006
this is a barley wine to the bone-- this is so strong i drank it and my SISTER in massachusetts coped a buzz. wow. it’s an incandescent copper, like a penny about to be liquified by a blow torch. a thin head scuds over the surface like threadbare clouds wincing under a parching sun. the aroma is at once as hard as body-armor, gossamer as lingerie. a delicate slightly sour citrus peel is grated into a oily pulp, while the alcohol is as solid and imposing as a battleship gun turret. nice and strong. (i let my trained beer-sniffer dog snorky have a go at it, and he promptly keeled over and temporarily had his feet in the air and little cartoon ’x’s over his eyes). very rich hop jelly aerates over a cauldron of steaming caramel, with as always an overlord of alcohol. sweet with sassy carbonation, the hops bite fast and hard, leaving a numbing venom of bitterness and tongue-numbing potency. in short, you provide the ass, it kicks it-- pleasantly so.
mgumby10 (1662), 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 <br />
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 (1605), 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.
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)
jrob21 (969), 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.
|
