Kern River Winter Ale (2012-)

Brewed by Kern River Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Kernville, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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Big thanks to Exiled for sharing this bottle. This is a beer I have been looking forward to trying. The beer pours an orange color with a white head. The aroma is awesome. I get a ton of tropical fruit notes with some bread from the malt. The fruit I get includes papaya and pineapple. The flavor is also extremely fruity. I get a ton of papaya, mango and pineapple with some bread notes. There is some nice hop bitterness but the majority of the hop character comes through as fruit. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. An awesome beer.

Bonus 22ozer from Richard the IrishBoy. Thank you sir. Minimally hazy amber orange with a one finger creamy off-white head, pretty good retention. This beer seems to be just a little past its prime, but not too terribly so in the nose. The aroma of tropical fruit and pine hops is right up front, followed by some old hops. Some honey and sweet malts finish up the back end of the aroma. Flavor is more herbal with a little bit of dry hopping as well, backed up by some florals. Not much in the way of malts other than a tinge of honey and light caramel malts. Actually reminds me of Dreadnaught a little bit. Bitterness peaked at a 6-7 in the earthy dry finish, some alcohol showing its presence. Smooth medium full body with creamy low carbonation. Wonder how much better this fool was when it was just put on tap at the brewpub. Another winner from Kyle. I believe that Falconer’s Flight is a blend of known hops, but which ones, I don’t know. I want to know now.

Quite simply the most enjoyable beer I have had in a LONG time!! Last week a friend of mine and I had this after a few others and thought "wow this is incredilbe!" so I bought 2 more bombers and now I open one alone. The aroma is only outdone by its crazy dark orang cloudiness. Taste is PERFECT for my tongue, huge bitter citrus twang with a creamy malt balanced finish. I can’t recall when I loved a beer this much since Pliny T Younger a few years back.

Appearance: Pours a deep amber orange with a retaining white head. Leaves behind spotty lacing.

Aroma: A humungous grapefruit, tangerine hop nose. It invites your nose as deep as you can place it within your glass. Just amazing.

Taste: Orange zest, grapefruit, mango, pineapple, dry spicy malt. Finishes with earthy bitterness that doesn’t linger that long. I can only think some Citra was used, as it’s bitterness falls off that quick, at least for me.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, average carbonation. Slightly rough/astringent.

Overall: Pretty amazing. I had it on tap first at 38 degrees, then at ColLAboration 2 in Hollywood. The second time around had a way bigger hop nose, with all other things remaining the same. For Kern River fans, I would put this brew slightly above Citra DIPA, which I gush about as well. It’s a bit more bitter than Citra DIPA, and has a better malt profile compared to Just Outstanding IPA.

Pretty good. I had a glass (thanks, JD) after a few pints of Pliny, and it was tasty. I’m not a sophisto, by any means, but I’ve had a few IPAs in my day. This stuff won’t keep me away from my Pliny, my Alesmith, or my Just Outstanding IPAs, but it is an interesting diversion. Too bad it costs so much.

Kern River knows IPA. Though this isn’t a double at all. Very aromatic. So smooth. Citrus everywhere. Mostly grapefruit. A nice hearty bitterness here.

Draft at bruery anniversary party. Medium gold pour with a slight haze and white head. Citrus, pine, resinous hops, grapefruit, tropical fruit, lightly malty and floral. A very nice fresh DIPA, tropical hop bomb, tasty.

A: The pour is a nice golden amber color with a rather large, fluffy whot head. Lots of sticky lacing to go with it. S: Intense nose of pine, grapefruit, tangerine, and orange peels. Almost no malt character to it at all. There is a nice floral quality to it as well. Perhaps even a bit of perfume. T: The bitterness almost dominates the flavor. There is a nice grapefruit flavor to it and plenty of pine, too. A decent enough citrus character and a light floral note. M: Medium in body with a medium to high carbonation and a lingering bitterness. O: This was slightly disappointing. It was certainly good, but it didn’t blow me away.

Sample at the Bruery 3rd Anniversary. Rating #4. This was one of the top 3 beers of the day for me. Lots of citrus, big floral aroma and a real nice well balanced flavor, very well done. (1756)

Poured from a 22oz bomber. Pours a golden orange with some nice white head and decent lacing. The dank aroma hits you right from the start and doesn’t let go. Pine, pineapple, citrus, all there. The taste is "just outstanding"x2. Pine, extremely light malt and some orange flavors mixed in with the overly hopped explosion. This is how a DIPA should taste! Fresh hops make this beer and I sure hope it isn’t left out too long and mellow/malt out for anyone in the future. Drink this in the next month or not at all.