ReaperAle Sleighor Double IPA

Brewed by Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Davis, California USA

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.

2005 bottle, a VERY generous bonus (1 of 7 bonues) from FlacoAlto consumed on 1/1/2006 with OldGrowth.
Deep copper, bottle conditioned appearance shows light haziness. Light amber-candied orange color with an off-white head that is very well-retained and laces quite well. Smells fruity (cherries, juicy pears, apples) and citrusy, with sweet caramel blending with the cascades to give a clean candied-orange note. Distinct amarillos continually impart a playful fruitiness and profound juicy green hoppiness that tugs at the nostril, almost magnetic, really. Flavor is BITTER at first and makes me sit back and let my palate adjust for a half a minute. Very piney, leafy and fairly acidic loosening, at length in to some light caramel sweetness. Warming and breathing (and most importantly, adjusting to the bitterness) a hop fruitiness abounds with light melanoidins, moderate resin. Bottle conditioning and lower than average filtration gives it a frothy, tightly carbonated mouthfeel and lightly chewy texture. Fruits, pine, grapefruits, floral notes all evolve in one way or another over the course of the beer. Dry, bitter pine on end, with light pale malt sugariness. No yeast, surprisingly; very clean. For what I’d expect, the acidity is surprisingly well-controlled, especially considering the style. Alcohol concealed well too. Thanks so much Sebastian!

Bottle, provided by ClarkVV. Great nose. Citrus, orange, pinneapple, Some floral notes. Clean classic copper orange, good head and good lacing. Bittersweet flavor. Here’s where the grapefruit kicks in. Found some toffee/caramel in there. Medium to thick body, oily viscous mouthfeel, bitter citrusy finish. WOW, this one is a real pleaser. This is how I like them. Thanks Clark!!!