Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

Brewed by Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Easton, Pennsylvania USA

22oz bottle - Pours a sparkling copper color with bubbles of carbonation rising to the top beneath a large creamy offwhite head that stays very well and laces the glass in sheets. Aroma is grapefruit, some peach, a touch of the caramel malt beneath, and some floral notes as well and a sprinkle of pepper over the top.. Flavor is a great blend of sweet caramel malts, and bitter grapefruit hops. Theres some notes of peaches in the middle where the hops meet the malts, then the hops win and leave with a nice bitter dry finish, but not one that is over the top. Very balanced and almost chewy on the palate but also quite smooth to drink for a 2ipa. The carbonation really smooths out the mouthfeel of this. This is a fine IIPA.. Weyerbacher hit a homerun with this one!

Bomber: Pours a deep cloudy orange with a persistent rocky off-white head. Fresh citrusy hops in the aroma with flowers and pine. Full bodied with soft carbonation, and a sticky mouthfeel, starts and ends bitter with a long bitter aftertaste.

An absolutely brilliantly clear, richly red color that is tinged with amber overtones. The head is summoned forth to an easily four-fingers in thickness and has a bit of a meringue like consistency and enough staying power to leave a textured lacing pattern on the sides of the glass. An intensely fruity aroma dominates from the get go. As I pour this the fruity hop notes just jump out at you. Smooth, is certainly an apt descriptor for this amply hopped brew; the Simcoe aromatics are just so rounded. This aroma has no harshness, no raw green hop notes and astringency. Towards the end of the aroma notes of lightly toasted grain and caramelized malt are noticeable. The fruit hop notes remind me of berries, lychees, candied orange peel, sweet tangerines and even ruby red grape fruit. This beer could almost use some harsher hop aromatics as a balancing point, but really it is beautiful as is.

Lightly sweet up front, this beer continues to be quite smooth until it picks up a nice, clean bitterness which closes out a sip of this brew. In the long finish the bitterness lingers a bit as well as just a touch of almost tannic astringency, which is the only other noticeable note from the ample hops used in this beer. Of course the fruity citrusy hop notes dominate the flavor profile of this beer but there is lots more going on even in the hop department. A nice backdrop of menthol like notes sort of move to the tannic astringency that is in the finish. The finish definitely makes me think of fresh pine needles and is even a touch raw and green in character. Layered fruit notes of candied orange peel, concentrated lychee, even pithy sweetened grapefruit and a berry coulis reduction all combine together to form a nice mix of hop fruit flavors.

I knew that Simcoe hops were quite smooth, but I am definitely impressed by how smoothly fruit focused this hop is. Sure it is in fact a hop so it does have some of that raw hop character, but comparatively to many other varieties it is down right mellow (especially in the amounts that must have been used for this beer). Really a lingering, lightly green, tannic note that just mouth coatingly sticks around is what tells me that a lot of hops were used in this brew. This is definitely enjoyable, and regardless of the outcome, I will always be a fan of a beer that so boldly show-cases the effects of a single hop variety. Simcoe is a perfect candidate for something as big as a one hop Double IPA, it is so smooth, yet at times I wonder if that raw, aggressive hoppiness that other varieties contribute is not missing from this brew. Regardless, this has shown me that my choice of Simcoe in the hop mix of my own brews is a good choice and will require further experimentation.

Bottle from Slob. Thanks, Bert! Pours a somewhat thin amber; really wanted more thickness in the body. Nice creamy head that slowly cascades into the beer, leaving a wavy lace network. Flavor is VERY tart and sour in the onset, then it slowly fades back along the palate. Nice pine/grapefruit notes linger. Mouthfeel is solid and allows the flavors to melt along the tongue. This is a great IIPA; another stellar effort from one of the best brewers around. DANG, I want them to ship to Texas!

<!-- b -->Aug 06<!-- /b --> Bottle @Kookfest. Piney grapefruity hhops. Malty frain flavours become slightly too sweet. Intense bitterness is nice but doesnt manage to balance the beer and the lasting flavour was of sweet malts.

Hazy Brown with Orange Hue...Creamy Head. Nice Piney and Grapefruit Hops Aroma. Thick and Creamy....Sweet Malted Foundation Balancing Out The Citrusy Hop Blanket That Coats Your Tongue..Sweet and Dry Ending. Slight Warming. Aftertaste Stays Quite Dry but Still a Nice Balance. Wonderful Simcoe Double

4pk, 12oz bottle. Copper color. Light tan head. Aroma of a sweet West Coast hop orgasm. Big citrus, pine, and full of resin. Go ahead, take a sip. Kaboom. Powerful hop presence. What a hop character. Full of sticky malt character, hop bitterness is in full attendance. The hop character takes over the entire palate. Rich caramel sweetness on the front of your tongue, then lupulin goodness on the back. Full and sharp. Well balanced and fun to drink. An east coast beer as good as any southern California brew. Now I want a cigar.

12 ounce bottle from Beer Run in Charlottesville, VA. Pours a hazy strawberry red color with a thin head. Decent head retention and lacing. Aroma is predominantly hop notes with citrus and peppery notes. Some like caramel malty notes as well. Taste is very hoppy with bitter resinous hops notes and some citrus. Toffee malts attempt to complete, but just can’t, which is OK. Full bodied with a sticky texture.