Mammoth IPA 395

Brewed by Mammoth Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Mammoth Lakes, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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UPDATED: NOV 15, 2011 One of my favorite IPAs. One of my favorite beers period. It pours a darker, hazy maize, very strange for an IPA. Nose is sweet hops, lots of citrus. Depth of flavor is absolutely incredible... it gives you a sweet kiss at the beginning, then citrusy and floral hops hit you, then the finish is a perfect balance of sweetness, malt, and bitter hops. It’s a long finish, but nothing insanely long. Mammoth has created a beer that could easily have been WAY too complex, and muddy, but they have executed it with grace. This is a wonderful beer. Even those that don’t like IPAs will enjoy this.

I owe this beer to the old beer crew at Hi-Times/ Costa Mesa, Mike and his guys for turning me onto this, the new guys are a little weak i must say. Overall this is a big beer, smell, taste, finish, it is all dominated by that friggin juniper, and it all works. This has taken the IPA thing and moved on from the citrus to another shrub and it is refreshing. This beer alone is good stuff, but beyond that not so much, not very drinkable after the 22.

Pours a dark reddish, amber color with an off-white head. Aroma is an odd mix of juniper, sage, and sweet malt, with the hops taking a definite back seat on this one. Despite the odd aroma, the herbal flavor works. Lots of sweet malt and juniper up front with the hops coming through on the finish. Nice medium body, with average carbonation. Overall, not one I would drink everyday, but I am glad I tried it.

Beer from kupros. Taste like juniper. Not a fan but can drink. Fresh gum taste... Decent beer.

Bottle. Pours dark clear amber with a thin tan head that dissipates quickly with good lacing. Aroma has strong notes of pine and citrus hops as well as toasted malt / caramel. Flavor is well balanced; initial blast of citrus hops, followed by strong roasted malt character, finishing extremely bitter into the aftertaste. Alcohol is well masked in this complex beer.

ok. first things first. This tastes more like a barleywine than a lot of the barleywines I’ve had. I am not sure what makes this an IPA. I guess the IBU’s are right but the malt here is huge. Anyways. Aroma: INCREDIBLE Juniper, sage, malt, hops, herby, spicy. really amazing Appearance: Beautiful clear reddish brown with a big velvety tan head that lasts. Nice lacing Taste: big malt, complex malt, juniper a hint of sage and a nice hop linger but really the malt and the juniper play here so nicely Palate: a bit thin for all that flavor. Overall a really great beer. A great idea for those familiar with Highway 395 it really sums up the journey. A great use of local ingredients and an outstanding ale.

Reddish color poured from a bomber I got from Mammoth on a ski trip a couple of months back. A bit of sweetness, not as crisp as my favorite IPAs. Good, but a cut below the best.

Picked up at Total Wines in Roseville, Ca. Pours a coppery amber color with a light cream head that dissipates fast, but leaves a ring at the water line for the duration. Smells of alcohol and malt. Tastes very similar to a barleywine. Not what I was expecting. Especially just after a Pliny. The flavor of alcohol is somewhat strong, and it’s a little buttery. No real aftertaste. Not bad, but not complex either...

Poured into snifter glass. I can’t smell much of anything as my senses are still fairly blinded by KP’s possum 5-alarm chili. I think it smells good. Nice blend of hops, but not huge. Light carbonation. Slightly sour, mellow aftertaste.

22oz bomber poured into a tulip glass. Bought last week but no other freshness info. Very deep, dark amber color, like the color of bourbon. Nice head formation but it disappears quickly. No lacing. Smell is malty sweet, then slightly hoppy before quickly transitioning to a, for lack of a better word, "musty" sage scent. Carbonation is a little low and the overall mouthfeel is pretty thick, more so than I like. Goes down like a big, heavy beer. The taste is interesting and complex. Mostly sage and roasted malt on the palate up front but I still get a decent sense of the hops. The juniper kind of comes through at the end adding an extra dimension to the hops. I’d like the hops more at the fore especially since they still leave a nice bitterness even after having to overcome so much else going on. Overall, a unique interpretation of the style but the excessive malt makes it come off like a bitter amber ale and the sage just doesn’t present well in this beer.