Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA

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

(draft). Cloudy copper color. Medium off white head. Hoppy citrus aroma and flavor. Avg duration. BItter finish. Slick texture. Moderate carbonation. Fair lacing.

22oz bottle from Liquid Solutions. Pours a mostly clear golden orange with a frothy 2 finger thick off white head, great lacing. Nose of bright citrus with tangerine being the dominate fruit. I could also pick up some toasted malts in the background. Flavor was intently bitter then gives way to fresh citrus fruits and faint malts, finishing with medium bitterness. A nice fresh IIPA with the 9% very well hidden.

22oz bottle thanks to BrewDad. Pours a clear amber color with a medium white head. A sweet nose of earthy citrus hops, rich caramel as well. The flavor actually leans toward the caramel malt side, sweet and light bitterness, lots of pine and grapefruit. The caramel and sweetness is dominant. Tropical fruit. Enjoyable. Very smooth and no notice of 9%.

Pours golden, silky off white head. Super hoppy aroma, massive grapefruit aroma – almost peppery. Smells like hop resin.
Tropical fruit initially on the flavour, interesting that the bitterness comes very late and is quite subdued for style. It does build a little, becoming grapefruity on the finish. It really grows on me after the first few sips – which come off too sweet. After a few it seems a lot more balanced.
Intriguing and perilously drinkable, a fruity hop bomb.

Bottle – Shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad! Orangey copper, off white creamy head. Soft honeyed mangos and grass ride lighter currents of citrus and pine. Fruity pineapple-floral hop flavors balance on a touch of sweet earthed malt. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, bitter fruity finish. Very enjoyable, but certainly not mind blowing…

23/09/2009. Wow! Beautifully balanced combination of malt, hop and alcohol. The malt and alcohol sweetness alongside the citrus of the hop give this beer that "screwdriver" character that a lot of good strong American hoppy ales can take on. There’s a tropical fruit and sweaty chartacter about it that makes me think of New Zealand hops but I doubt they are used in a beer that’s so close to the centre of the hop universe. Dangerously drinkable. Good name, good packaging, great beer.

Sampled a casked version of this at Horse Brass Pub in Portland. I was kind of disappointed. Blond color with a thick foamy head that oozes bright citrus aroma, but the body isn’t very well balanced. I wanted more of the citrus to come through in the body, but found it to be too sugary sweet instead of rich smoky sweet. Finish is dry, alcohol is noticeable.

Draught at Henry’s 12th Street Tavern. Fruity sweet hop aroma, with big cherry and gumball, earthy and sweaty. Interesting earthy hops flavor, slightly funky and sweaty, though interesting. In the end, though, a bit dull and lacking crispness.