Marin Eldridge Grade White Knuckle Double IPA

Brewed by Marin Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Larkspur, California USA

Bottle from Ross (Thanks!). Pours a murky, no doubt unfiltered, reddish orange with a nice white head. Nose is similar to ipa’s I have smelled before--generous with the malts, but just the right amount of tasty citrus hops in there to balance it out. Flavor is similar, mildly (but not too) sweet malts followed by distinct hops. Similar to the town hall masala mama now that I think about it. This is different from some of the double ipa’s I like, but I still really enjoyed it. Pairs very nicely with a bowl of beasters. Chewy and delicious.

Bottle shared with Hogtown Harry, Blankboy, and Jerc, Harry’s bottle. Soapy, hoppy aroma. Neat cloudy brown, white head. Great taste - lots of hops, lots of malt, rich bready hops. Very drinkable. Excellent.

Draft at Toronado in San Francisco, CA. Poured a hazy orange color. Head was thick and white with good retention and lacing. Attractive grapefruity hop and malty caramel aroma. Flavor was similar with a warming alcohol presence and moderate hop bitterness throughout. Slightly sweet on the tongue, chewy, and oily. Good beer.

Bottle from Richard, thanks. I have wanted to try this beer for the longest time, and sad to say I was disappointed. Pours out a dark red color with a nice long lasting head. It smells weird, like honey, some citrus and pine notes too, not as many hops as I was hoping for. Taste is sweet and weak, and not hoppy at all. Perhaps this bottle is older? Or perhaps I just had overly high standards due to the Pliny we had just consumed. Thanks for letting me try this one Richard.

22 oz. bomber shared with Ross, this beer poured out brownish red with a big white head on it. The aroma was a little strange, yes the hops were there, yes there was some citrus and pitch smell to it but something sickly sweet almost like honey was dected by both Ross and myself and it didn’t sit well with me. Taste was hoppy and piney of course but weaker than expected for a IIPA, there was also a nasty astringency about that I didn’t care for either, overall somewhat of a dissapointment.

22oz bottle, courtesy of tever. Thanks, Tom! Pours a hazy, yellowish-rust color; white head with large bubbles and web-like lacing. Plenty of grapefruit and citrus hops in the aroma; hints of pine; suggestive of chewy, resiny goodness. Full, chewy mouthfeel: grapefruit, pine, and citrus hops, well-balanced by a candy sugar and maple syrup maltiness; pleasant citrus acidity, with lots of resins; very tasty, but I couldn’t drink a lot of this. Medium, bitter and slightly dusty finish.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, tupalev & jerc -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a hazy amber-orange with a large lasting fluffy off-white head. Aroma is both nice and odd: It’s really hoppy but it also smells of milk, some paint and...I don’t know, maybe it’s a little past it’s prime. Flavour follows the aroma, quite bitter along with the aforementioned oddness. Medium bodied. I think this was a little past it’s due, It’s probably usually hoppier then this, but it was still very good.

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, jerc and tupalev, my bottle via trade with DarkElf - thanks, Stephen!. Poured cloudy orange with a huge foamy/creamy lasting beige head (4+). Rich aroma of herbal/resin hops, quite lactic and an odd note that reminded me of acrylic paint. The taste was quite bitter, a medley of hop bitterness, still the paint, the malt seems a tad stale. Chewy mouthfeel, straw-like astringency, not much alcohol presence for 8% - a solid, classy I2PA that might be a bit past its prime, but well done, nice complexity.