3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20Pours a slightly cloudy orange/amber color with a bubbly white head that doesn’t stick around very long, but leave lots of sticky lace on the way down. Smells of pine and citrus, some caramel and brown sugar in the background. Taste is much of the same. Malty with a resinous citrus hop bite and an astringent almost phenolic finish. Carbonation is a bit high, mouthfeel is resinous, body is medium. Not that hoppy for an Imperial IPA! Except for the finish I thought this was a pretty good IPA, but that astringency killed this one for me.
4.5/4.0/3.0/3.5/3.5
Re-sampled 5/12/2010
Pours a clear orange amber color with a smallish bubbly white head that dissipates quickly. Smells of pine and citrus, a hint of mineral and a bit of a caramel malt backbone. Taste is pine with a hint of citrus and a smattering of caramel and brown sugar. Syrupy mouthfeel, medium body and carbonation. This is a really good IPA. I still think its a stretch to call this a DIpa. This sample tasted much better than the last and gone was the astringent harsh bitterness that I remembered. I still think McNeil’s bottled product sucks for consistency, but this time I got a good bottle. My score reflects this sampling.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Golden color with incredible white lacing that completely coated the side of the glass and hung on forever--remarkable. Wonderful floral aroma with a medicinal/fruity/floral flavor that ultimately settles into a rather more standard hop profile. Rather good, pleasing, and somewhat impressive. (on tap, Groveland Tap, St. Paul)
3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
22 oz. bottle from Gary’s Beverage for $3.99. Color is an interesting orange hue with soapy head. Light retention. Weak aroma of caramel malt and some fruit. Flavor has a good amount of fruit hops, pineapple, mango or tropical fruit. The bitterness of this brew hit me right away. I sip this with my dinner and it appeared that it got gradually bitterer as I drank. The caramel malt I smelled didn’t help balance it. A bitter, bitter hop bomb.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle: Dirty amber, moderate to large sudsy creamy colored head, fairly nice lacing. Herbal hop like nose, a little piney and pithy. Stale citrus, soft leafy hops on the tongue. There seems to be more there as this is one of those beers that you keep sipping to figure out. Lots of subtleties. Body and mouthfeel are moderate. Finishes with soft hops, citrus peel, tea leaves, moderately malty, and with a sweat pithy tinge. Better than I expected. Thanks Bob!
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Bottle. Sweet buttery caramel malt, orange hops, and biscuit aroma. Hazy orange amber with an excessively large ivory head. Burnt caramel malt, resinous orange hops flavor. Very sweet and heavy. Full sticky body.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
22 oz. bottle. Pours amber with a creamy sudsy off white head that settles to a soapy film and sticky lacing. Aroma has sweet sugary malt and faint floral hops. Taste is bitter calm hops and sugary malt. Palate is full slick and dry. Easy drinking with a little too much sweetness, not bad.
2.9 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 12/20
Draft sample. Orange in colour with medium carbonation. Somewhat muted aromas of orange, herbs, and caramel malt. Flavors are of earthy, grassy, and orange like hops, along with heavy pale and caramel malt. Heavy on the palate too, with not quite enough bitterness to balance. To me, it seems to be a better fit in the more generic "American Strong" category.
3.5 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
bottle: Copper coloured pour with a thick off white head.
aroma is caramel and citrus up front with some resinous hop backing.
flavour is cardboard and caramel maltiness. Kind of flat palate wise. some fruit and pine hop backing that. The alc is certainly blended well though.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle. Pours hazy copper with a small white head that leaves a lot of lacing. The aroma is citrus forward with some pine following.. A little alcohol. The taste is malt forward with some big caramel sweetness followed by a hop bite.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
Really good! Drank this in Brattleboro. Heavy, hoppy and delicious!
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bomber from Whole Foods Market, Paramus. These guys’ labeling practices remind me of Legend in Virginia. That is not a complement. hazy amber color with a thin frothy white head. Decent head retention. Aroma of big toffee malts with floral, citrus, resin and candied citrus hop notes. The taste is big toffee, berries, citrus, resin, peaches. Medium-bodied, lingering bitterness, fairly well balanced, a bit of heat. This is a big bold DIPA, Nice.
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