4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at Barley Johns. "Imperial Red" would likely be the slot to file this one under. Lovely in the glass, projecting an ambient caramel orange glow with a bubbly tan top. Sweet honey hops speak of amarillo and simcoe sentiments. Sugary smooth grapefruit channels up the nose and cherry amaretto toffee takes center stage. All in all, this nose is a glorious, sugary starfruit assortment. Bitter flavor abatement christens sweet honeydew and amarillo bliss. Buttered rum with grenadine. Furious indeed. Cherry grahams from sweet cobbler, spiked with bitterness beyond belief. Sharp and synoptically sweet, drumming out some sharp alpha acids at the edges. Hints of superlative caramelized scotch traits gives a desirable spicy background. Fuller bodied with epically balanced and spicy-sweet sables, and a hop agenda that inserts new enthusiasm unto whatever category it gets filed under. Honeycomb and grapefruit encrusted with rock candi sugar close the door on an extremely enjoyable ale.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours a nice deep reddish amber, with a short, taciturn head of sudsy foam. Okay head retention, pretty good lacing. Citrus hops are very noticeable in the aroma - very IPA-like - with a mild malt presence well in the background.
If the aroma sounds unbalanced, rest assured that the flavor is exceptionally well balanced - lots of hops and lots of malt. Both of which are fresh and delicious. Hops are citrus all the way, with bitter orange and lime flavors. Well, okay, there is a touch of pine in there too. The malt is a caramel-toffee blend, sweet, robust, and delicious. A perfect combination. The body is just north of medium, and generous carbonation rounds out a fantastic brew. Twenty minutes after finishing a second pint, I could still conjure up citrus bitterness in the aftertaste.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
CT7 Can shared by jsquire. Orange pour with a white head. Aroma of tropical fruits, caramel malt and light pine. Flavors of tropical fruit, citrus, pine and carmel malt holding it together. Medium bodied witha nice bittersweetness, bitter finish. Great stuff!
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Cask at Day of the Living Ales, Tea-bagged version. This won the festival last year, and it was my vote this year (or at least in my top 3). It’s just a really great IPA that is really great on cask, and really awesome with the addition of the tea bagging. Remarkably round - an excellent compliment between malt and piney hops. Complex but not contrived.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
A: Bold red/amber colored body with a fluffy 1/2 off-white head. The body is crystal clear and looks great when held to the light. This is one of those beers that wears f*ck-me pants.
S: Hops, hops, hops, and malt. The hops have a bunch of pine and citrus and there is some caramel malt also.
T: The flavor is thick with hops. It is good and bitter with mostly pine and grass. There is no citrus flavor. The malt just barely pokes it head through yet it is still balanced.
M: This beer is pretty thick for it’s color. The hops really weight this down.
D: The bitterness on this is great for 16oz, but it might be a bit much for a couple of them.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Pours a translucent amber, with a good sized off-white head. The aroma is an explosion of grapefruit and other citrusy hop aromas, with a hint of smoke. The palate is an explosion of bitterness, that is nicely balanced with a citrus and a hint of sweetness that is anything but malty. This is a hop lovers dream, and if you like your hops this is worth the trade. This beer has a permanent spot in my fridge (thanks Omar for canning) until the darkness hits a can.(wink wink)
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: APR 8, 2008 I crack open the can and take a quick smell.......whoa! A strong smell of pineapple and piney hops. Pours a dark amber color with a thin foamy head which made me check whether this was really an IPA. Lots of sticky lacing. Upon first tasting it is rather smooth and citrusy (orange/pineapple). It then finishes with a piney bitterness with some roasted malts in the background. Has a nutty touch to it. A great IPA.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Thanks to RagallachMC for the can. Clear orange with a large head. Good retention. Fair lacing. Heavy aroma of fresh citrus and pine hops. Taste adds the caramel sweetness which was covered in the aroma. Also tastes some burnt malt. Ends with a big, bitter bite. All so very fresh. I really gotta hand it to the canned angle.
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