Valley Brew Uberhoppy Imperial IPA

Bottle, thanks to stoutlover72. Brilliant firey copper in color with ample foam. Glorious hop nose. This is without question the best smelling double IPA I’ve sampled in several months. In the nose, it’s like a Dreadnaught clone. Super piney, raw, resiny, with hints of grapefruit and pineapple, spruce and forest. Total hop glory! Just tasted it, expecting the beer not to match the perfect nose, but it’s just the opposite! It’s totally raw, hops at their core, like the first batch of Hopsickle. Pure and full fledged from the front palate to the finish. Perfect sweet, somewhat sugary malt flavor which works perfect with the amazing hop bill. I’ve been so vocal lately about Dreadnaught being the best Double IPA in the world, but after tasting this, I think I am mistaken. This beer is unreal. The perfect Double IPA.

Dare I say somewhat Franklike which is a huge compliment for an amazing and obscure brewer that continues to create some truly unique beers. Hopfully well done Lupulin masterpiece. This from a brewer that came up with the Randall years before Dogfish head had been fried and served with a wedge of lemon.

"Thanks to aspidites for this one!! This one puts Dreadnaught to shame. Too bad it isn’t bottled for the masses because this would quickly become tops on many peoples list. The nose is piney to the extreme, like a freshly cut tree in your glass. Appearance is that of a dark amber/mahogany color with hops oil present in the glass. Mouthfeel is very full bodied and incredibly hopped up. Hops resin, hops oil permeate this throughout. Caramel malt in it as well to help balance it out. This would make the lager-lover’s of the world curl up in fetal position and cry Mommy! WOW "

Hand bottled by brewer Steve Altimari and received in a trade with davecooks. Thanks a million for this one, Dave! Shared with friends on my recent trip to San Diego. As soon as I poured this and handed it to my BJCP judge buddy, he said, "who the hell made this?" Wow. This is seriously one of the best smelling IIPAs I have ever had. You can tell Steve dry-hopped the bejesus out of this one. Fresh Dreadnaught has been sort of a benchmark for me, but no more. An entire orchard of fresh, sweet citrus/grapefruit and and entire pine forest in this one! Appearance-wise, it pours a beautiful coppery orange. I usually like a little more head retention in my IPA/IIPAs, but this one poured a little on the flat end. Oh well, it more than made up for it in other areas. It’s like sucking on a fresh hop cone with some sweet, sugary malt to keep it honest. Hoppy to the core with a deeply resinous, oily mouthfeel. A truly amazing IIPA. Steve needs to get this into bottles yesterday. I’m trekking out to Stockton next time I’m in the Bay Area visiting family. A top 5 IIPA for me.

On tap at the brewpub. I have had this several times at various festivals and have loved it every time. 2 pints and a 10 ounce goblet were enjoyed during this tasting, so sample size is not an issue here. Very aromatic, pleasant, hempy, catty, Simcoe hoppy goodness present in the nose. Me do love my Simcoe hops. Some sweet notes as well as some citrus aromas are present. Amazingly quaffable...more than I remember. Mildly hazy copper-amber body with a small off-white head. Wish there was a larger, stronger head on this. Hempy, piney, orangey, Simcoe hop flavors to start. Becomes chewy, malty, lightly sweet. Has a very light roastiness towards the finish before more floral, hoppy, bitter flavors come in at the end. This is so fucking good. Wonderfully balanced. A world-class beer.