3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bomber from a while ago. Good smell, plenty of hops here with a light alcohol presence. Taste is hoppy and kind of sweet, easy to drink with a good citrus flavor. Not bad, but in the huge world of Double IPA’s, it does little to stand out.
3.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
22.
NOTE: the bottle I am rating is a cellared 2009 vintage of this beer, so adjust for aging accordingly!
Flavor has concentrated considerably with age. I drank another bottle of this when it was fresh, and I recall it being super in-your-face resiny & bitter, almost undrinkably so. I’m a hops fiend and I could barely finish it.
Woody dry finish, thick caramelly, almost bourbony malt profile. Tastes more like a 9% barleywine than a IIPA. Definitely worth cellaring vs drinking fresh.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle. Hazy amber pour with small quick soapy white head. Aroma is spruce and citrus caramel with some florals. Taste is lemon and citrus with some caramel and pine and spruce (resinis). Palate is medium feel with a fizzy chaulky finish. Enjoyed!
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
Hazy amber color; medium sized creamy head. Nice malt and hop aroma, balanced. Caramel flavor, and malt, strong and quite sweet, with toffee and an impression of liquorice; strong bitterness; now the hop carries evident resins. The final is powerful yet balanced. Maybe it lost in hop freshness, but there is good balance in this (bold) brew.
Unfortunately, another bottle that I spoiled, keeping it too long (since Oct ’09), waiting to share it...
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Tap @ Parkway. Clear amber pour with a short white head leaving a moderate lace. Orange nose, medium heavy body with a toasty malt sweetness. Strong bitter citrus hop middle and finish, ending with a more resinous hop flavor. Medium, fine carbonation. If you like IPAs and want an IIPA with all the hoppiness of an IPA, then you’ll like this FS offering.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bomber from Pacific Liquor in North Park ($4.99). Pours a clear orange-amber hue with one finger of white-ish foam that quickly dissipates. Aroma of sweet malts, weak sweet citric hoppy notes, and a hint of booze. Flavor also of sweet caramel and only a very mild hop presence with notes of tea and citrus and no bitterness. More sweet caramel in the finish. I’ve sat on this for several months, so maybe the hops have mellowed out a lot. This comes across as a slightly hoppy amber ale or a weak barley wine, but definitely not a DIPA. (293, 404)
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bomber. Reddish orange in appearance with a thin layer of resinous head and nice lacing patterns around the glass. The aroma is mostly caramel, hops resin and dried mango. The taste starts with sour ruby red grapefruit and toasted malt flavors along with herbal hops, oranges, caramel and alcohol toward the end. The mouthfeel is slightly syrupy with medium carbonation and an astringent, citrusy finish. Being that this bottle is at least 7 months old, it’s not surprising the hops have faded a bit. At this point, the sour citrus and caramel malt dominate the overall flavor. Not bad but probably better fresh.
2.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
(bottle, sampled 3/4/10). Clear light copper color. Medium off white head. Earthy/grassy hop aroma. Spicy hop flavor. Avg duration. Moderate bitter finish. Slick texture. Moderate carbonation. Fair lacing.
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