ReaperAle Sleighor Double IPA

Bottle (650ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, tupalev, Dave B and R - my bottle. Poured cloudy orange with a decent straw-coloured head. Aroma - hops! - citrusy full-bodied hops, with some malt, quite dry, and I got an interesting hint of the ocean, iodine or salt. The taste is almost entirely hops - starts strong and builds from there ... and builds, and builds - aggressive grapefruit pith hops. Mouthfeel is acidic, juicy and the very long finish is quite dry, I really needed water after my sample. It’s pretty much one-dimensional, but who cares - underrated IIPA.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, tupalev, Dave B. & R. - courtesy of HogTownHarry. Slightly hazy amber with a small head. Aroma can only be described as WOW! - big, big hops with some dry woodiness. Flavour is hops upside your head - juicy and grapefruity, bitter as hell. This is a beer that makes no pretense at being balanced, but it’s great just the same.

Hugely sweet aroma with plenty of phenols, evoking nail polish in the aroma. Some nutty marzipan character beneath. Phenols appear to be quite volatile though never dissipate completely, leaving behind citrus, vanilla and soapy lavender. Opaque broan body is topped by a decent, off white head that recedes to a lasting cover with some light lacing. Strong bitterness in the flavour with a nutty malt character and strong citrus and herbal hops. Phenols creep in at the finish and last in the aftertaste. Lasting sweetness. Medium body is chalky with fairly lively carbonation. I don’t seem to have enjoyed this nearly as much as those I was drinking with and not very much at all compared to the site’s consensus. Oh well. Bottle (trade, May-05) sampled with beerbuzzmontreal, MartinT, Oliver MTL, Rastacouere and Yowie. Thanks, DarkElf!

Opaque reddish brown pour with a medium light brown head. The aroma is unattractive, there is some fruity sweetness but mostly it’s nail polish or some other chemical product. The flavor is better but not very good, again the fruity sweetness is there, the nail polish is also there but more mild, it feels very phenolic. The palate is interesting with a medium body and creamy texture, the carbonation is lively. There seems to be a problem with the bottle since most rating are very high.

Bottle. Pours copper with thick, cream colored head with great retention and lacing. Aroma is pure floral hops. Flavor is citrus, flowery, with mild malt sweetness and bitter finish. This is a good beer.

Green Flash in Vista had this in their tasting...I guess the contract it now. Draft. Just as it says,"The intense hop bitterness, flavor and aroma will dominate at first. To complement, the body has a complex blend of malt and alcohol flavors. The ABV is 9.1%, and the IBU’s are pushing the mid 80s. This is an awesome big Dubble IPA worth Dubble its price in the 12 gallon jug I bought at the Green Flash. Perfect Palate

Any first impressions?
-An enormous head lasts over opaque reddish hues.
-Aroma is dusty, chemical, yeasty, and therefore mostly unattractive.
-Grapefruity and floral hops convince the palate to give it further inspection.
-The rich mouthfeel is rather sugary.

What if you dig deeper?
-The chemical nature of the aroma seems to dissipate with time, but not fully.
-Berries frolic around the hanging acidic character.
-Citrus fruit nicely come up after you get used to the phenols.
-Alcohol is well-hidden for its size.
-A problematic brew, but quite flavorful, so it is saved this time around.

Bottle; no date.

Just what the doctor ordered tonight. I was in the mood for something hoppy and this delivered in full. Very bitter, with a malt backbone somewhere to back it up. Nice aroma of Northwestern hops. Slightly high rate of carbonation, but I like a good head so pour vigorously. Hops on display with no shame in the lupulin gland.