blklab2007 (932), Connecticut, USA Aug 28, 2009 bottle poured an orange amber in color with a thick one finger head that retained well. aroma has resiny pine hops, citrus, plenty of malt, sweet caramel, and loads of wet floral. medium mouth feel that is smooth but coats well with a nice chewiness. flavor has a firm bitter pine hop, citrus, resins, hefty malt core, and a honey topped floral sweetness. I like the fact that even with the big bitterness this has subtle citrus and a light flowery sweetness. monkeychugg55 (213), Joliet, Illinois, USA Aug 26, 2009 Dark copper color with a large frothy off-white head that leaves sheets and rings of lacing. The aroma is mainly caramel malt with floral and lightly piney hops. Some candy aroma in there, but very malty smelling. The flavor is very sweet and malty, then the hops come out and bitter things up. I have to agree with bhensonb about the whole barley wine thing. It is good though. Has a huge body with light carbonation. Long bitter finish. bhensonb (4182), Woodland, California, USA Aug 21, 2009 Bottle from Archer Liquor. Pours copper with a nice bubbly white head. Strong aroma of resin. Near full in body with creamy carbonation. Flavor is like a hoppy barley wine - seems more citrus/floral but then resin kicks in. There’s a malt backbone as strong as one in a barley wine. This is just exceptional stuff, and it’s likely underrated. Finishes almost florally bitter, not at all harsh, but it’s really bitter. Did I mention it’s bitter? Well it is. Definitely. darkguardian (506), Florida, USA Aug 19, 2009 22oz bottle thanks to Ashley (I think)@The Yardhouse. Pours a clear gold. Small whitish head. Tons of pine hops in the nose. Big creamy citrus notes with a hint of vanilla toffee. Flavor is much the same. Super hoppy but not overly bitter with a fine malt backbone. Something is missing though and I can’t place what it is. Seems to be lacking some hop punch? Maybe its not a very fresh bottle? Either way a very solid DIPA Pawola22 (676), Kansas City, Missouri, USA Aug 17, 2009 22oz bottle. Pours a clear amber body with a finger-width, creamy, tan head that dissipates slowly and leaves a moderate lacing. Aroma is sweet pines and caramel. Lots of citrus, a bit of toasty toffee, and just a light resin. Very nice, balanced aroma. Sweet, but hoppy flavor as well. Nice caramel body up front with a moderate sweet piney bitterness that stays perfectly balanced. Finishes off with juicy citrus and toasty toffees just like the aroma. Dry with a long lingering aftertaste of sweet pines, citrus, and plenty of malt. Medium body and very smooth with just a hint of warmth in the throat. Overall, hard to complain about this one. I wasn’t expecting much, but this pleasantly surprised me. Tons of hops, but tons of malt as well. Great body and great balance. Wonderful all around. PorterPounder (3132), Tallahassee, Florida, USA Aug 15, 2009 Eagan, Mn - Cellars Wines and Spirits - 22 oz bomber. Pours a nice dark copper with a sticky, off-white head that leaves generous lacing. Fresh sprucey aroma with some faint toffee notes. Flavor follows suit with a pleasant assault of grapefruity hoppy goodness. Some pomegranates thrown in there for good measure. Balanced out nice with some maple syrup sweetness, a hint of chocolate and a hint of spearmint. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Excellent - impressed with everything I have across from these guys. drowland (1360), Tallahassee, Florida, USA Aug 3, 2009 Had on cask at the brewpub served in a snifter. Very good, nice balance of sweet and bitter without going too much either way. Leighton (234), New York, New York, USA Aug 2, 2009 I’ve become a huge fan of the hops. The stronger the better it seems lately. So Hop Juice cam around at just the right time for me. I had this on tap at the Blind Tiger in NYC. Just a huge beer in every aspect.Poured a red, amber color with a slight but thick head. Smelled of hops and roasted malts. As I look back on my tasting notes, I read "Taste is like a rainbow hallucination." So there you go, it was a vast menagerie of hops with such dynamic flavors as citrus and caramel. Truly unreal: complex, satisfying - I couldn’t ask for a better IPA. Get your hands on this brew if you can.
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