Tag Archives: Imperial IPA

Avery duganA Double IPA

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avery-duganA

duganA is an American Double (or Imperial) IPA released annually in September by the Avery Brewing Company of Boulder, Colorado. It’s in the more traditional style of American IPAs without the heavy pine of the west-coast IPAs. The nose is super citrusy, with lots of grapefruit and lemon. The middle has some lemon rind, some spiciness, and is quite buttery, which lends well to Avery’s food pairing suggestion, which is to match this ale with creamy, cheesy dishes. The finish has a bit of vanilla, more butter, and is quite dry. The body is medium to heavy and the ABV is a reasonable 8.5%. This is a good effort by Avery and overall it’s quite decent, but there’s too much butter in here for me.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Green Flash Green Bullet

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If I’ve been noticeably absent this past couple of weeks, it’s because I’ve been moving. Which is a huge pain in the rump, I might add. However, things are settling down and this is the first review from the new house, so enjoy. Green Bullet is a winter seasonal Triple IPA from Green Flash Brewing in San Diego. It’s a super hoppy IPA in the West Coast style that Green Flash does so well, with extra helpings of body and alcohol. There is pine and lemon in the nose, pine and grapefruit in the middle, and pine and just a hint of sweet orange in the finish. The 10.1% ABV and the additional dosage of hops means that this is a beer that should keep well if you want to pick up a few extra while it’s in stock (through December 2013.) This is a West Coast IPA at heart, with nothing particular unusual in the flavors, but the imperial nature really does make it a nice winter treat when a thinner beer just won’t do. It’s a nice, simple idea, well executed, and a fine treat.

I give it a 4.6 out of 5.

Southern Tier 2xRye

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southern-tier-2xrye

2xRye by New York’s Southern Tier Brewing Company is an autumn seasonal Double Rye India Pale Ale. Decoded, that’s an Imperial IPA made with rye. Now, I love IPAs, and I love Imperial IPAs, and I love rye-based ales, so this was bound to appeal, and it doesn’t disappoint. The nose is citrusy and floral. It has a medium to heavy body that is thick on the tongue. The middle is bursting with orange and pine. The rye becomes clearly evident in the finish, along with lemon and huge amounts of pine. This is a relatively big beer at 8.1% ABV, but there’s really not any booziness to speak of. It’s just a big, rich, flavorful Double IPA with loads of rye. Very, very good, this one.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Lagunitas A Little Sumptin’ Wild Ale

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Since my last review was of Lagunitas’ A Little Sumptin’ Sumptin’ Ale, it’s only fair that this review is of her limited release big sister: A Little Sumptin’ Wild Ale. This is like an Imperial Belgian Wheat IPA, if that makes any sense. Wheat malt, Trappist yeast (for the Belgian flavors) and massively malted and hopped for big bitter flavor and a relatively big 8.8% ABV. The big hops mean that the mildness of the wheat malt is fairly well overpowered and lost. There’s some sugary undertones in the middle that taste a bit like rice, and I think those may be all that’s left of the wheat in this brew. Other than that, this is a nice solid double IPA. A has a lot of orange, some pine, and the aforementioned sugar. The Belgian yeast also gives it a bit of apricot in the middle, and a nice ripe fruity nose. A very good beer.

I give it a 4.4 out of 5.

 

 

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale

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lagunitas-hop-stoopid-ale

Tonight I’m enjoying Hop Stoopid, an American Imperial IPA from the Lagunitas Brewing Company and I’m enjoying it in one of my new Dogfish Head (lightly) branded Spiegelau IPA glasses, which I love. It proclaims on the bottle “102 I.B.U. 4 U.” and they ain’t lyin’. The nose is grassy, and piney, and a little citrusy with some pineapple notes to boot. The middle is a heavy hop bomb of the bitter, west-coast style that I so dearly love. The body lives up to the imperial billing, as this is a medium to heavy weight beer. There is tons of citrus, primarily grapefruit and orange, with loads of bitter rind in the forefront, fading to some sweet orange sugars in the finish. I also taste a touch of vanilla throughout, mellowing it a bit. The alcohol in this beer is a healthy, but not huge 8.0% ABV, and it really stays in the background pretty nicely. This is a really outstanding, complex beer, and a unique twist on the super hoppy west coast IPA style.

I give it a 4.7 out of 5.

Rampant Imperial IPA

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Tonight I’m sampling another fine example of the Colorado craft beer tradition in New Belgium’s Rampant Imperial IPA. This is a big, bitter American double IPA, that’s a bit lighter in color than I’m used to seeing, which might be a hint to the fact that the flavor is heavily tilted towards the hop side, with the malt well in the background. The nose is citrus and pine with some floral notes mixing it up. The middle is strongly bitter, with pine and orange rind the predominant flavors. The bitterness mellows in the finish…The rind carries through but it’s softened by some sugary orange and a hint of maple. The alcohol content is moderate for a double IPA at 8.5% ABV, and a medium body means this isn’t big heavy beer, but it’s got enough weight to justify the imperial moniker. A nice solid example of the style.

I give it a 4.0 out of 5.

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

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sierra_nevada_hoptimum

Hoptimum is an Imperial IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.   There’s a thick meringue-like head and the nose is earthy with the faint scent of pine needles.  The flavor is balanced with piney bitterness offset by sweet grapefruit and caramel.  It’s another really big beer at 10.4% ABV, but the alcohol really only makes its presence known right at the finish, along with sweet grapefruit and light vanilla.   This beer is really well balanced all the way through, but the levels are high, so to speak.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.