Hopworks Galactic Imperial Red

Brewed by Hopworks Urban Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Portland, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Single bottle purchased from Kensington Wine Market on 06/15/2012 in Calgary, AB. Colour: Dark brown with beautiful creamy light brown head. Nose: A gorgeous blend of mustard, hazelnut, medium toasted malt, roasted barley and cracked pepper - all with a caramel drizzle. Taste: Medim-light sweet, medium bitter, medium-light sour. HUGE nutty presence blended with swirling toffee and perfectly bbq’d grain and hop. The high ABV goes nearly un-noticed making it very drinkable. Superb balance throughout! Well done!

Tap. Very deep red with small off white head that disappears very fast with no lacing. Huge floral resinous hop aroma. Flavor is nice deep caramel with big hops still going on, slightly piney. Finish is smooth and easy for nearly 10%, the alcohol is very well hidden.

Bottle from Brewery Creek, Vancouver
Dark amber color, hazy, with compact head. The aroma is very nice: caramel, hops, oranges, a hint of orange flowers, some sweat from the hop. Lean body, very good caramel flavor, with moderate residual sweetness, and a delicious touch of fudge; also some vanilla oak; perfect bitterness level; the hop provides a lot of soft resins and bitter orange character; long final.
Wonderful balance.

650ml bottle from Bottleworks in Seattle. Pours a clear, dark amber with thin cream head. Aroma is lush with piney hops and a solid caramel backbone. Taste is indeed more floral and citrus (as advertised) and the malt slips into the background. Really tastes more like a solid IIPA than an American Strong but I do sometimes find the styles overlap. Mouthfeel is excellent, slightly thick and moderately boozy but really quite wonderful. Finish is remarkable with the hops allowing the malt to re-surface near the end. Delightful.

Nice ruby brown pour. Very nice malt base, with a twinge of sweet caramel. Unusually hoppy for a red ale, and has a wee bit of lingering bitterness. Nevertheless, solid and good! ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Had this a couple months ago at Hopworks. Colour... a moderately deep reddish amber with a thick head. Nose... decidedly resinous and piney! Palate... coating with lots of piney hops and caramel followed by hints of clover honey, grapefruit sirop, granulated sugar and looooong sweet finish.

Bomber from Malt & Vine. Pours a very dark ruddy copper/amber with a bubbly off-white head. Aroma is warm cooked light fruits and roasted caramel. Near full bodied. Flavor is roast malt, very smooth, and a lot of hop. I’m calling a mix of citrus/floral/resin. It has no harsh character. The hop is not excessively bitter - but it is extremely strong. 100 IBU is believable. There’s a lot of malt sugar, but the hop is so strongly present that sweet does not seem to be in it. The edges of my tongue are curling up in luxurious bitter, but the palate is balanced. I call complexity and brilliance on this ale.

On tap at the brewpub. Gorgeous deep ruby pour with a thin off-white head. Aroma was citrus and floral hops. A bit of pine resin in the background. Monster hop notes. Flavor was similarly hoppy with a good malt backbone. Beer was sticky. Mouthfeel was a little sticky. Hops just oozed out of this one. Tasted blind I would have guess a Double IPA. nice beer.

Draft at BikeBar. I’m not usually a fan of red ales, but this one was more than a cut above the rest. Pine aroma, and a spicy caramel taste with a dry and bitter finish.

Bomber. Pours a dark ruby red color with creamy off-white head. The aroma is a fragrant blend of floral citrus, hops oil, caramel and malt. The taste begins with ruby red grapefruit and bitter hops resin upfront followed by toasted malt, pine, dried mango and a slight alcohol kick at the end. The body is creamy with adequate carbonation and a ripe citrus finish and sharp bitter aftertaste. Overall, a surprisingly smooth blend of rich caramel malt and aggressively bitter citrus hops flavors.