Steamworks Conductor Double IPA

Brewed by Steamworks Brewing Co. (US)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Durango, Colorado USA

750ml bottle from GBBF, shared with tashi, 2nd Sept 09. Hazy amber, small magnolia head. Booze-laden hop aroma. Rich, with decent amount of malt to balance the piles of hops. Almost syrupy in terms of palate. Doesn’t feel "double" - just feels like an IPA with more alcohol. Really naff bottle too.

[Nitro @ Teresas] Amber with a creamy, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of floral hops, pine, citrus, toast, and toffee malts. Taste of pine, citrus, toffee, spruce, with caramel malts, a grapefruit and alcohol finish.

Bottle:   Amberish, golden hue, moderate to large frothy off-white head, sticky lacing.   Resiny nose, some citrus peel and hops.   Minor alcohol.   Malty start, semi-sweet, tangy, definite citrus zest.   Has a bit of a twang on the backside, but its not too heavy.   I wouldn’t say this one is not clean, but it has a little fusel alcohol to it.   Happy this one isn’t just hop sided, but has some malt backing to it.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate to full.   Some candied citrus peel lingers after the finish.   Not biting whatsoever.   A little heat lingers.   Better than I expected.

650ml bottle from Utobeer, thanks to Tom for buying this with me. Hops hit you as you pour it. Hazy orange gold. Lasting thin white head. Piney resiny aroma. I rather like the aroma. It doesn’t have some of the syrupy malts of some of the double IPAs. Malts are there but are a little understated. It’s decent and solid. Not overwhelming. Not showy or blow your socks off, but decent and has some good balance. Touch of heat on finish. Hops are good, but the rest lacks a little.

Cloudy orange with a small off-white head. Intensely hoppy aroma of peach and pine. Very sweet with juicy hop flavour, but not enough bitterness to balance

Bottle. Pours orange/amber with a creamy thin off-white head. Aroma of piney hops, caramel malts, citrus and floral notes. Flavor was caramel malts, piney resin, grapefruit and some light fruit with a dry and bitter finish.

Basically this beer rocks. Looks the business in the glass, great creamy beige head, hazy copper glow to the body, I would have given it a 5 for looks, but the head started to dissipate quite quickly. Aroma is classic, quite mellow, lots of caramel and honey with the hops definitely there, but shrouded in a sweet malty richness, some orangey, tropicaly fruit there as well. The flavour is spot on for the style, lush malt backbone with well controlled hops, rich body with the alcohol giving an almost sweet liqueur effect, hops remain with a blood orange feel, tangerine and mild spiciness. Finish is nicely dry but not too much. I can’t seem to break this beer down, it’s not massively complex but it is very well balanced and that makes it a pleasure to drink, and therefore not overly nesacery to break down. The bottom line is, it’ everything I’ve come to expect from American Micro-Brewed DIPA’s but it’s at the top of it’s game in this style with the right amount of sweetness and bitterness, leaving you thinking: "Is this sweet or bitter?" but yet leaving you unable to decide, which to me means it is in perfect harmony. My first bottled Steamworks Beer, and I’m very pleased to have made it’s acquaintance!

Bottle 65cl.
Alc. 9.24%. Unclear medium orange color with a small to average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, moderate to heavy hoppy, pine, grapefruit, orange, mandarin. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20090806]