bretupdegraff (172), Fishers, Indiana, USA Dec 11, 2008 clear copper-amber pour. off-white head - aroma of sweet hops- taste is strong grassy hops followed by a mild-sweet malt flavor - well carbonated mouthfeel - aftertaste has some spice to it. Nice flavor! Strong Hops! Yum HonkeyBra (1262), Lemont, Illinois, USA Nov 26, 2008 Updated: Jun 6, 2009Got it on tap. Nice look to it, with a frothy, white head and a dark golden color. Aroma had some citrusy piney hops. Flavor lacks the in your face hops usually in Doubles, instead has a subtle, citrus with sweet, sticky malt. Medium body. I wish it had more hops. Meh.
ReRate 6/6/09: Fresh, the hops are much more prevalent and tasty. Upped the score. IlanMan (816), Appleton, Wisconsin, USA Sep 14, 2008 Poured from a growler: Pour was deep golden. Aroma was fresh hops and pine with some sweet malt. Flavor was dominated by sweet sticky malt and tons of hops with a hint of citrus. Pretty well blended brew. Alcohol was noticeable but not dominant. Good brew. tmgiddings (6), , Indiana, USA does not count Aug 27, 2008 I love the presentation of this beer. A three-finger, snow white, frothy head cascades to an eighth of an inch leaving soft thick lacing down the sides of the glass. I was extremely surprised by the large amounts of sediment floating in the dark red, brown body. The nose is dirty pine and powerful hops with an undercurrent of sweet malts. A medium-full bodied brew with a slight creaminess, and surprisingly well-balanced. The hops are dominant, but the backbone is sweet, solid malt. BrotherGrendel (545), San Diego (La Jolla), California, USA Aug 23, 2008 On cask at Clark St Alehouse in Chicago.
Appearance is a clear dark red hue, modest soapy layer of foam, watery lacing runs down the glass.
Smell is big, bold hops, mostly fresh/grassy/earthy/pine, scent is similar to evergreens and x-mas trees, pale malts in the back.
Taste is dominant hops, sweet cotton candy and orange peel with grassy/piney hops, finishes dry and bitter.
Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, creamy texture, mild carbonation from the cask.
Drinkability is moderate, one of the most "green" and tree-smelling DIPAs I have had, smooth, creamy, and delicious with well-masked alcohol, would probably only drink in smaller amounts. RagallachMC (631), Cleveland, Ohio, USA Aug 5, 2008 22oz bottle. Thanks to miketd for sharing. Aroma: Sweet maltiness really dominates. Caramel, cereal grains, pine and citrus, some light spicy notes. Appearance: Dark orange in color and slightly hazed. Off-white head was small and creamy with good retention. Fair lacing. Flavor: Lots of malt up front with notes of caramel and breakfast cereal. Hops start with a nice dose of pine and citrus and finish with a bit of floral and spice. Bitterness can’t seem to outweigh the maltiness. A medium-dry finish. Palate: Medium-full bodied. Medium carbonation. Alcohol was well hidden. Overall: I don’t like IIPAs that don’t bring the hops, and this one didn’t. Malt forward with the hops unable to balance. Beerman6686 (1263), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Jul 23, 2008 Poured a nice hazy bright orange color with a big white head. Aroma is of a lot of citrus hops but also pretty sweet and malty. Flavor was much the same, lots of hop flavor, but maybe a bit too sweet and malty for a DIPA. Pigfoot (2226), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Jul 21, 2008 Ruddy peach color, cloudy as heck, nice 1/4" creamy white head..
Juicy, piney, grapefruit, fresh and hoppy, vibrant.
Big, tart bitterness on the palate....caramel malt creeps in, spreads around...citric hops pop up and pucker the place...then all eventually fades back and rounds out...softly departing the tongue.
Taste again, and it’s back, this odd, potent mix of some sour funky stuff and an out-of-whack hop attack...plenty malt balance, but maybe too much for a 100 IBU, 10 % DIPA...I need it fresher, bitterer, maybe a little punishing....that’s what it’s about, man!
Although the alcoholic content does indeed start to creep up, this feels like a very hoppy IPA, but still doesn’t seem enough...at least not enough to match the Stone-like boasting on the label. "Don’t come crying to us if it’s too much for you;t his is for hopheads only!"
Yes, it is, I can concur, but yet it’s not as big as all that, and I know Two Brothers can do better
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