Firestone Walker Double Jack IPA

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Paso Robles, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Sampled on tap at 1702, Tucson; December 2010
Arrives from the tap with a hazy, gold copper hue and it is topped by a frothy, almost one finger thick, pretty long lasting, light tan colored head that manages to leave some nice lacing on the sides of my glass. The aroma smells nice and hoppy with concentrated notes of lychee, tangelo and kumquat zest that is backed by a little bit rougher notes of essential citrus oil. The nose is definitely expressive, but manages to be smoothly hoppy with out the sharper focus of pine and herbal notes often found in the style.

Oh yes, hops indeed, it is likely sucking on sweet hop nectar; definitely sweet tasting from both the supporting malt character and also the ample fruity hop notes. The fruitiness is so tropical and vibrant in character with huge notes of lychee, a sort of mango / guava thing, softer tangelo zest notes, ripe kumquat freshly zested with essential oil bursting forth, . The beer finishes with a softly biting bitterness that is quite a bit softer than a beer with this much hop character usually is and there is a light, sort of green, lightly herbal hop note that is just suggested. In the long finish though, there is a note that reminds me just a touch of garlic chives, though this is fairly subtle. The body of this brew definitely has some heft to it with a viscosity that sticks to the palate as the beer slides across the tongue, the linger bitterness helps to was this clean after each sip though & this is definitely appropriate for a Double IPA, though I might wish for a touch more lightness in the body; still this is quite drinkable & truthfully the fullness from the residual malt sugar also contributes to the huge expression of hop fruit character that this beer achieves. The malt plays a clearly supporting role, but the sweetness is definitely an important part of this character (and in truth much of the sweetness comes from interaction with the hops rather than overly residual sugar levels) and it also contributes pale biscuit / cracker like malt character that is at times noticeable underneath the hop onslaught.

I am really enjoying the vibrant hop focus of this beer. I really like that the nose is completely focused on this character and that the flavor has just a touch of bitterness and hop-herbaceous character to add a needed balance. A definite pleasant surprise, for some reason I wasn’t expecting too much from this beer, despite really liking fresh Union Jack. At this particular moment the fruit focus this beer has is definitely quite appealing, though I could see this being a bit too fruity and cloying to some (even to myself under a different situation).

perfect orange with about two fingers of creamy white head. Grapefruit, tangerine, maybe some peach and pine on the nose. Medium mouthfeel. Fruity notes from the hops are present, but the malt is shown nicely as well. No note at all of the 9.5%, this is a fantastic double IPA.

Just when I thought I was getting sick of IPA’s... Aroma is citrus and spice with a huge hit of hoppy pineapple and grapefruit Taste is much like the aroma with a sweet malt background. I won’t call it a backbone but it’s there. Palate is dry and thin, refreshing. Overall: Some of my IPA love returned to me with this bomber.

Clear pour, sticky head, golden color. Smells of pine and citrus hops. Grapefruit notes for flavor. Nice bite on the finish, disguises the alcohol. One of my favorites.

Bottled. Pours orange red with a clean head. Hops pine resin aroma. Similar taste with some grapefruit and malts. Pretty good

Appearance: A gorgeous deep amber and super, super clear. Just amazing. This color knows what it is and states it proudly. There’s a tall three finger head that takes it’s time dissipating. Quite a time too. Smell: Tangerine jumps to the front with orange and lime backing it up. Citrus dominates the aroma profile and it’s all the I can get to here. Mouthfeel: Syrupy but carried extremely well by the alcohol and carbonation. It’s refreshing but heavy. It’s light but strong. It’s delightful. Taste: Burning hops step to the top and like Hoptimum, you need a few sips before you can really start to judge the beer. There’s a distinct bready character that lies underneath helping disguise just how alcoholic this beer is. You really have to be careful with this brew. Lime and tangerine start to appear next and are helped along with a sweet, juicy fruit flavor. Almost like mango or passionfruit. There’s a very clean finish Overall: This only gets me more excited about the Sucaba barleywine sitting in the cellar. Firestone-Walker has impressed me on their first showing. I’ll definitely be back for more based on this and I suggest any hop fans head out and pick this up. Not for the hops (there’s hoppier stuff out there) but for the balance here. This is a really great Imperial IPA example and everyone should get a chance to enjoy it.

Picked up a 22 oz. bottle from my trip to Bert’s Better Beers today. Had to see what the hype was about. Smells mostly pine with a good bit of citrus lemon and grapefruit. Medium-heavy body with medium carbonation. Oily, syrupy texture. Fruity, resiny hops in the flavor with plenty of malt to help balance it. Bitterness is there throughout the sip, yet it has a short pine abrupt finish. For 9.5% the alcohol is pretty well hidden. Well made.

Bottle. Pour is bright orange. Aroma is strong with hops and fruit. Very good smell. Taste is borderline amazing. It has bitterness, but not too much. A very good beer and has a lot of fruit. Some bitterness in the aftertaste, but not much at all. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Pizzeria Paradiso, Alexandria tap ($8): Pours an orange with a white head. Aroma is grapefruit hops, and some more hops, and a well-balanced malt backbone. Taste is normal DIPA, but done exceptionally well. I don’t think that this beer breaks any boundaries, but it does successfully make a very well-crafted and, more so, well-balanced DIPA.

Medium head. Crystal clear with a golden hue. Citrus and hoppy nose. Medium carbonation. Slightly sweet with bold hop flavor. Long dry and bitter finish.

On draft. Incredible hop aroma of grapefruit, pineapple, peach and other citrus with a little pine. Tastes like it smells but it’s incredibly easy drinking at 9.5%. One of the best IIPA I know of.