3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bomber poured into pint glass. I recognize the aroma of the Nelson hops, but this is more pungent on the nose than other Nelson hopped beers I’ve had. Its really cloudy (where Alpine Nelson is perfectly clear) with a mandarin orange color. Malty taste and chewy texture. It is a decent beer but wont hold up to other exceptional Double IPA’s.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
New, on tap at the brewery in La Jolla. A fantastic double IPA that puts the others on tap to shame. Light color but busting with flavor. Plenty of hops and a citric taste that lingers forever. A delight.
3.5 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
bomber. Shared by zinister. Pours amber with an off-white head. Nose is of orange rind. Taste is like artificial-flavored citrus. Yuck. Mouthfeel was bitter, yet sweet.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
bottle thanks to bman. poured light gold with a white head. aroma was pine and butterscotch. flavor was pine and resin with a light and fizzy body.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Aromas of rose petals, caramel and alcohol, hint of toasted nuts. Appearance is copper/amber colored brew with thin head and semi clear color in the light. Taste is initially sweet from lots of malted barley, but not crazy the first of the taste is sweet brew and 3 seconds later the hops come to the rescue and even out the sip. Leaving a slight layer of spice and earthy hop on the tongue. Overall its not bad, well crafted and balanced but it needs a little something its overall sweet but nice to sip.
3.4 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
on tap at Karl Strauss, very fruity and citrusy, smells like pine. medium sweetness, lightly bitter, full body, average carbonation,
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle from Zinister.
Pours an average cheddar orange with a nose of lightly malted grapefruit and organic pine. Flavor is bready grapefruit banana. Oily mouthfeel. Not bad.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Cask @ Churchill’s Pub and Grille, San Marcos, CA. Pours a dark amber color with a longlasting off-white head. Has a fruity malty hoppy aroma. Fruity malty hoppy bitter grapefruit flavor. Has a fruity malty hoppy bitter grapefruit finish.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Pours hazy auburn with a thick white head. Dank hops with wood, wet leaves, and grapefruit in the nose. Sharp, biting herbal/peppery hop bitterness up front that rapidly shifts to a bitter grapefruit flavor. I was torn on this one; some sips were great, others were grainy and musty. Rating may not be as high as my 3.4, or it may be too low. The beer is too inconsistent to rate.
3.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
February 12th, 2012 - The draw with Karl Strauss’ Big Barrel Double IPA is the strange and exotic hops that the brewers brought to bear on this tall hop bomb. It’s a clear and bronze brew, like so many other hoppy beers, but a study of the carbonation is a little disquieting. Too few bubbles suggests a heavier, murkier palate and too little shielding from the wave of IBUs about to crash into my palate. The aroma is strikingly fruity and piney, with juicy touches of mango and, strangely, even some cacao nibs. The folks at Karl Strauss weren’t kidding when they said the addition of New Zealand hops would give the Big Barrel a tropical air. A lot of this South Pacific bliss disappears in the flavor, where the Big Barrel takes on a milder, slightly sweet yeasty and bread profile, more like a saffron roll than a drinkable hop cone. Still, that aroma is something I’ll remember for a long time to come, and a mild IPA is always welcome on my beer shelf.
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