Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA

Brewed by Ninkasi Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Eugene, Oregon USA

Pours a dull hazy gold with a bit of lace and a thin layer of foam. Nice medicinal hops, sudsy malt aroma. Fusel hoppy taste, medicinal hops again, very astringent and odd. Good carbonation and decent body. Nice, but a bit off-putting with the medicinal qualities.

On tap at Naked City. Pours copper with a decent off-white head. Grapefruity hops in the nose. Very hoppy citrus taste with adequate caramel malt backing.

Orange in color and hazy with a small white head. Strong grass and floral hop aromas. Taste is strong hops with a very dry palate.

Bomber from Enniskillen shared by my son in law. Nose of grapefruity citrus hops, and lemon zest. Orangey copper with a big glass lacing pale orange head. Flavor was bitter with a touch of sweet and a little orange taste. Finish is hoppy bitterness.

(22oz bottle) Courtesy of IrishBoy. Thanks Richard! Pours a frothy large white head atop an unfiltered, high sediment filles orange body. Nose is very hoppy with the centennial and cascade variety, some iodine in the background. Flavour is so orange and piney. Lovely beer. 8/5/8/4/17

Frothy head leading behind some clumpy lacing. Pours a clear golden color. Aroma is a bouquet of hops, heavy on grapefuirt and floral. Loads of cascade usage perhaps? Nice citrus touch on the hop taste flagging into a well balanced bitter end, all with a solid enough malt backing to avoid it seeming like just hop water. Really nice body and does not feel its 9% weight at all. High marks.

22oz Bomber This was thrown in as an extra in a box I recieved today from msbulldog25, thanks again Brian! Ninkasi’s Tricerahops enters the glass a hazy apricot orange that glows when the beer is backlit. A soft pour didn’t produce much head so I sped things up on the second half of the glass and was met by a dense three finger ecru head. The head slooowly fell to a finger and left sticky webbed lacing all over the glass on its way. I don’t see much carbonation rising to the surface but what’s there crawls very slowly. This is how an IIPA should look! The smell comes across with a solid spattering of grapefruit rind. A few lightly sugared grapefruit segments here and there compete with alcohol soaked apricots, both finishing nose to nose. There seems to be a little earthiness flashing through along with a squeeze of orange oil. The malts show signs of caramel, orange blossom honey, and a cake like sweetness that stays where it should, in the back. The flavor seems to follow the aroma closely. The flavors in this beer are mellow and come together very nicely. The hops are the main point in the flavor profile and come across as grapefruit, both sweetened and bitter. The quick apricot zing flashes through and orange peel shows itself throughout but stays back enough to let the grapefruit do its thing. Caramel maltiness lays down the base and tries to balance this beer out but falls just short. The grapefruit tends to linger on the swallow just the way I like it. The body of this beer is close to perfect for the style and something I don’t come across too often in IIPAs. The mild carbonation and moderate weight make the body of this beer slide through the mouth like velvet. It’s incredibly silky smooth. The drinkability for the style is high. I have to force myself to slow down with this glass but I keep picking it up regardless. This drinks more along the lines of an IPA which could easily get me in trouble. Ninkasi makes a damn fine IIPA. I wouldn’t mind having a couple more of these. It’s not as big and bold as others of the style but that’s part of the reason it’s so refreshing and a nice change of pace. I’m digging this one. Thanks Brian! Serving type: bottle 7/11/08

22oz bottle courtesy of Reino poured into a pint glass. Pours a slightly hazy deep amber with a huge three-finger head that recedes to a small cap leaving tons of lacing. Great looking beer. Aroma is dominated by citrus hops, fruits of all kinds - grapefruit, lemons, apricot, oranges - all of which are decidedly sweet in the nose. The malts are present but light in the nose with a faint biscuity presence in the background. The taste follows the aroma with a juicy explosion of sweet fruit, especiallly grapefruit and maybe some apples and apricots. The malt profile is also sweeter with some caramel underneath the hops. The finish brings on a healthy dose of non-abrasive bitterness but still with some sweetness to balance. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and thick with fruit and hop juice. The carbonation is fairly high but soft on the palate. This is a very good DIPA from the West Coast that succeeds at being much sweeter than most from out that way. Highly recommended!