4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20bottle into big sam adams glass. Amber straw ale w/ average white head, looks innocent. Nose is fucking thick & oily. Citrus, grass, pine, everything- at once. Carbonated yet syrupy mouthfeel that puckers and lasts. There are a shit ton of malts to pull this off, but all I can focus on is the hops (of course). Herbal, sticky, acidic hops. What separates this 100+ IBU IIPA from the rest though, is really how deep & unrelenting the bitterness digs. You hit so many different flavors: lemons, limes, & grapefruits. Pine needles between teeth & sap on fingers. Diesel herb & Lemon Head candy. Great beer!
Rant: How does this beer NOT have a 100% style rating??? Oh, & I just lol’ed at so many ratings like ’not even as hoppy or a palate wrecker as -insert whateva’ your favorite/typical amazing 7% IPA is-’.......Yeah, OK.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Hazy golden with a thick white head. Aroma is big grapefruit hops. Flavor is big hops and a lot of grapefruit. A little oily in the finish. Overall, it delivers what’s promised. Big hops, not much balance. But, if you are craving a hop bomb, this one is quite good.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Chewy wintergreen citrus hop flavor with dry crisp finish and alcohol presence in the palate. Definitely west coast!
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
On tap @GarricksHeadPub. Just as the name implies. A huge West Coast hop bomb lacking any attempt at balance or subtlety. All citrus and resiny bitterness. Medicine for hop heads.
4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Poured from a bottle. Clear copper with a big fluffy head and good lacing. Aroma is outstanding - lots of pine and citrus, a little tropical fruit. As promised, taste is strongly bitter throughout - piney with some grapefruit. The finish is dry and the bitterness lingers. Solid mouthfeel. Overall, a really interesting brew, but it’s one of those that make you pucker up, certainly not a session beer.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Amber beer with a thick, beige head. Nice lacing. Aroma is all hops. Flavor has a good malt backbone, caramel flavors, with tons of grassy and hay hop flavors and a burst of pine. Finish is dry and bitter. My kind of beer.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
My Bottom Line:
Sand, sugar and alcohol are amazingly whipped up into a coherent whole in this very bitter, resinous strong ale.
Further Personal Perceptions:
-A creamy head of foam covers the misty pale amber.
-The soft, natural carbonation provides a surprisingly fluffy, comfortable mouthfeel. A godsend for such a rough flavor profile.
-A few sulphur-y edges are found in the aroma.
-Hops could have been brighter. This is not of the same caliber as their other IPAs.
-An appropriately-named strong ale which offers all the flavors you want from a SD IPA, but in a coarse manner. And sometimes, that’s plain fun.
Bottle.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
On tap at Tap an Mallet. They ran out of Stone IRS, so I tried this. Clear copper pour with a thin white head. Piney, grapefruit, citrus, and earthy hoppiness with sweeter caramel malt backing it. Hops bitter the front of the tongue with citrusy grapefruit, light peach with caramel malt mid palate with a bitter end. Great stuff.
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
pours cloudy orange with pilllowy, long-lasting white head. aroma is overwhelmingly hops (spruce, pineapple, candied citrus) with some malty sweetness in the background. oily and resinous - it immediately coats the inside of your mouth. intensely bitter from start to finish. it’s unique, but not my favorite in this category.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at Sweetwater. Clear burnt orange pour with a white head. Pine/grassy hop aromas. Big fruit and grassy hop notes. Bitter and robust. Good mouthfeel, body, and balance.
3.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 14/20
This beer’s aroma is strong with a combination of citrus and resin hops, and the appearance has an orange color with a medium white head that fades to a thin layer. The taste is VERY bitter with a slight sweetness to it, which creates more balance than what you expect from the name, but the medium body, sticky texture, bitter finish, and soft carbonation are exactly what you expect from an Imperial IPA.
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