Port Brewing Hop 15

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Marcos, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

UPDATED: DEC 24, 2004 This was really an amazing beer. Aroma was overwhelmingly fruity with papaya, mango, and passionfruit. Palate had the pefect viscosity. Taste was orange and grapefruit with a slightly toasted, medium to strong bitterness. It had a nice creamy finish. Color was a rusty-orange. It left really nice lace, and every time I gave it a swirl, it foamed up and released a really strong aroma burst. Rerate 122404: Oh sweet nectar! I just love how it borders a double IPA and a barley wine perfectly. I sked the guy at Pizza Port if it was the same recipe as the summer version. He told me that the intern messed up the hops on the summer release. Both version are similar but I think I prefer the last version better. It seemed to have an oilier mouthfeel. This is one of the most perfect double IPA’s period. In fact, I’m in love.

Really, the only thing that isn’t that good on this is the aroma. Little floral or citrus, mostly it just smells strong. The flavor however is all that is great about San Diego/SoCal IPAs. Very hoppy, crisp and tasty. Love it.

Pours a light amber body with nice offwhite frothy head. Aroma is rich of citruc fruit, pine, sandlewood, allspice and some earthy tones. Flavour is rich and hoppy but nicely balanced with sweet malts. Ends with a nice dry bitter touch. A very solid DIPA.

UPDATED: JAN 13, 2005 Rerate DraftThe bottle version is nothing like the draft version. Clear copper decent white head. Syrupy caramlel malt and grapefruit aroma. Beautiful falvor profile, sweet, alcohol, tons of citrus, fruit, and floral, then the big hop bitter bite. Damn fine! Medium crisp body with a very pleasing and refreshing finish. Out of 15 big hoppy beers tried on this night, this (and the Stoudts IIPA) were far and away the winners.(old - 7/3/7/3/16)(rerate 11/3/03 Bottle #379) Immediately upon popping the cork you are hit by the aroma of hops. Very nice ruby aroange color. Carbonation consists of very small bubbles that produce very little head. What head there is laces quite nicely, however. Aroma is maltier than I expected (especially compared to the draft version). The hops are there, don’t get me wrong, but the malt aroma is there also. Flavor is strong bitter hops. Huge pine flavors. Body is full but lack of carbonation makes it seem a bit thin. The draft version is IMO much better than this bottled version.

(old notes 7/23/03 - draft) Minimal head and lacing. Very chewy mouth-feel. Very hoppy but yet also a sweet malty taste. Alcohol flavor is masked by the hops and malt. Seems like an odd cross between an IPA and a barley wine.

UPDATED: OCT 28, 2004 Rerate: Bottle. This has aged wonderfully. Nicely mellowed. Wow this this jsut excellent...I’m missing spening time at the brewpub about now. On tap at Solana Beach. Orange-ish color with perfect (although quickly dissappearing) head. Aroma is like a grapefruit cocktail with the perfect balance of sugary sweetness. Flavor is bitter but malt sweetness is surprisingly evident. Excellent beer.

UPDATED: DEC 26, 2009 Bottle. Orangish color, thick hop aroma. Huge hop presence throughout. Deep resinous chewy mouthfeel. Plenty of malt carrying the hops, but never getting in the way. Good hop bitterness, not overwhelming though, just consistently delivering hop yumminess, start to finish. Excellent.

UPDATED: NOV 13, 2005 Lychee, toffee, grapefruit, orange, pine, resin, caramel, lemon, pepper, vanilla aromas... something new with each sniff but all go together very well and despite the obvious hoppiness of the nose, no particular characteristic is dominant. Opaque amber-brown body is topped with a large, off white, fine bubbled head that recedes slowly to a lasting cover with plenty of intricate lacework. Lychee, pear, apricot fruit esters, caramelized strong, sweet malts and leafy, resinous, citrus-grapefruit hops amuse the tongue. Strong bitterness is very well balanced by incredible, thick, malty sweetness. Lively carbonation awakens the tastebuds. Full body is fairly dry in character despite obvious sweetness. Fair alcohol warming though alcohol is never apparent in flavour or nose. Bottle (marked #147 but no year apparent although I assume 2004 or 2005, trade, May-05) savoured with MartinT and Olivier_MTL. Thanks, DarkElf!!!

22 oz bomber. Pours a cloudy orange caramel with a medium white-beige head. Intense west coast pine and grapefruit aroma with a hint of pineapple. Taste is very hoppy with strong notes of pine, grapefruit, caramel, orange with a slight alcoholic finish. Very piney. Superb.