Frog Island Castle Bravo

Brewed by Frog Island Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Ypsilanti, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Picked this up randomly at Siciliano’s in Grand Rapids. Deep, dark reddish pour with a tan head. Aroma of spruce, pine, some citrus. Mild sweet fruit notes. Mild grass and jungle notes as well. Flavor is mildly sweet, strong fruit notes. Specifically, cherries and plums, mango, pineapple. The fruity profile is interesting and different for the DIPA style. Medium bitterness accompanies the strong fruity notes. Not sure if this is a DIPA or a Barley Wine. It unfortunately becomes a bit harsh as it goes on. Regardless, it’s enjoyable though not life changing.

Pour from a 22oz bomber. Deep copper colored brew with off white head. Aroma of alcohol, plums, a bit of hops. Taste is sweet, boozey, ample hops and dry finish but with an off balance flat bitter finish. Yeah its strong and yeah its hoppy but if it ain’t yummy it aint worth it. Yo, Frankenstein - get back to the lab...

Bottle… Cloudy caramel-colored ale with a mid-sized, fluffy, white head. The bouquet is so very fruity and sweet – crazy honey and nectar. Medium-bodied with prickly carbonation. The flavor is balanced perfectly. It may have been bitterer when absolutely fresh, but this doesn’t hurt my feelings since I’m not much of a hophead. It’s good and fruity now – almost nectar-like – without being cloyingly sweet. Finishes bittersweet and a touch dry with a lingering whisper of rindy bitterness. Kudos to dmschefke for shipping this bottle my way!

22oz bottle. Poured a cloudy mahogany, almost brown, color with a large sized off white head. Not a gusher, but some foam crept out of the bottle. Aromas of floral hops, citrus, some rinds, pine, and toasty. Tastes of citrus, toasted caramel, pine, and and malty. Alcohol content well hidden for 11%.

bottle... wow this is a dark ipa, medium copper with a faint amber/orange hue, light tan head races to the edge for a ring, ok lace about a finger around the body... I’ve got a feeling this is old but with no date I have no clue... the aroma is very strong and malty, molasses, cedar, pine, and alcohol, kind of works... while I can tolerate the smell, the taste; not so much, not a very good ipa, malt on steroids with a weird wood note again that’s just not right... not very good

Beautiful cloudy, unfiltered, dark amber. Very malt forward sweetness, with modest hop bitterness. Medium head, with rich mouth feel. Touch of sour, rather than bitter in aftertaste. High alcohol was not evident. Seemed more like a barley wine rather than a DIPA to me.

22 oz. Bomber from Champanes, has a hazy medium red pour with half a glass of an off-white head that sticks to the edges of the glass and lowers over a few minutes, even after ten minutes, the head of this IPA2 is one to two fingers high and clings to the edges of the glass, there is a steady stream of bubbles in the glass, also, I see a few specks on the bottom of the glass when held up to a light, the lacing is very nice and sticky, and the bottom of the bottle is covered with a dark sediment that is semi-fluid when the bottle is tipped (non-filtered), the aromas are citrus fruit-orange and grapefruit, toasted malt, some caramel, cake and bread like sweetness, a little grass (late hopping?), but this beer does not have a big hop punch, the flavors consist of grassy, citrus and pine hops with some bitterness, there is toasted malt with some malt and bread like sweetness, orange and grapefruit citrus flavors, the finish is dry with some grassy hops, this beer does not have a big hop bitterness before or after the finish, there is a little alcohol flavor/warmth in the background but it does not grow as the ale warms up (which is good), the alcohol is hidden well for a 11% ale, mouth feel is medium maybe a touch more but it feels light/airy for a IPA2 ale, there appears to be generous carbonation on the palate, possibly a little more than what is needed, the carbonation gives this drink a lighter feel than I would expect from a IPA2, the alcohol warmth and hop bitterness do mix well, and this beer is a sneaker alcohol wise. The nose is not that big but the hops is sort of there on the palate, not as big IPA2 as some of you better IPA2s, but the presentation is nice with all of the foamy, clinging head and it is a little hard to believe this beer is 11% alc., a nice, smooth drinking IPA2.