Category Archives: American Double IPA

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Brouwerij De Molen, Netherlands

De Molen Knippen & Scheren

Friday, 29 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Brouwerij De Molen
Country: Netherlands
ABV: 9.5%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: 56 IBUs. Malts – Pils and Caramel. Hops – bittering (Columbus, Amarillo, Simcoe and Saaz), dry hop (Citra and Mosaic).

Brewer Description: (from De Molen Facebook post) Beer is like evolution: small mistakes lead to improved versions of already advanced life forms. So, when our bearded brewer “decided” to dry-hop one of our beers against its will… we got a wonderful interesting dry-hopped Belgian style triple. Perfect to warm your winter evenings!

We called the newly born Knippen & Scheren (Cut & Shave) because the brewer is obviously too hairy but it also means in Dutch that you’re going to tell someone how to do things the right way.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.79
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 12 fl oz pour on draft at The Roundhouse Chicken + Beer into a pint glass.
Appearance: It was a slightly hazy deep golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice lacing.
Aroma: A mix of citrus orange and tropical peach and mango with a hint of caramel.
Taste: Caramel malts, some pine and citrus grapefruit to start before a hit of butterscotch and honey towards the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with mid to low carbonation.
Overall: The description says that this is a Tripel, but it definitely feels more like a Double IPA and even the bottle has the words Imperial IPA-ish on it. It’s a decent DIPA, and I would drink this again.

4 - Good (buy), Alpine Beer Company, American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, USA

Alpine Pure Hoppiness

Tuesday, 29 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Alpine Beer Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This mega-hopped, West Coast-Style India Pale Ale will take you to hop heaven! We’ve used hops in the boil, more hops in the giant hopback, and added to that, an incredible amount of dry-hopping for that cutting edge “hop bite.” Onve you’ve tasted this unique beer, all others pale in comparison. Drink better beer so… drink Alpine Ale or go to bed!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with a best by date of 10th May 2016, poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy orange colour with puffy three finger off white head that had good retention and left lots of nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy mandarin orange, slightly candied, piney hops and some light tropical fruit. The finish is a very nice strong floral.
Taste: Starts lightly sweet with mango and orange. The finish is a strong lasting grapefruit pith bitterness with some light caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: A very nice bitter DIPA. Great balance between the malts and hops.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Bell’s Brewery Inc., USA

Bell’s Hopslam Ale

Wednesday, 23 March 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Bell’s Brewery Inc.
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Ale brewed with honey.

Brewer Description: (from website) Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell’s Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell’s repertoire. Selected specifically because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacific Northwest varieties contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check, resulting in a remarkably drinkable rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.98
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 12 fl oz can with a canned on date of 15th January 2016 (at least as best as I can tell since the dating machine misprinted onto the lip of the bottom of the can). Poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy copper orange colour with an one finger off white head that sticks around for a bit and leaves nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Crisp candied orange and caramel with some light tropical pineapple, apricot and pine.
Taste: Its quite a sweet DIPA but that should have been expected with ale brewed with honey. I get a quick hit of bitterness to start before it turns sweet with caramel, honey, pineapple and orange. The finish is bitter again with grapefruit mixed in with some honey.
Mouthfeel: Mid to full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was nice, but maybe my expectations were too high and it was perhaps just a bit too sweet for me. Having said that, the 10% is completely hidden and it goes down easy.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand

Garage Project Pernicious Weed

Thursday, 11 February 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Nelson Sauvin and Rakau.

Brewer Description: (from can) Humulus Lupulus, the original “wicked and pernicious weed”. Nelson Sauvin and Rakau hops go head to head in this strong golden brew, for an intense citrus grapefruit character. Bitter, yes. Intensely hoppy? Absolutely. Too much? Never.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.81
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 8th March 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange with a two finger off white head that dissipated fairly quickly leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Strong tropical fruity mango and pineapple with pine, grapefruit and grassy notes.
Taste: Bitter citrus grapefruit, pine and grass with some light malt sweetness. However, at times, the alcohol booze seemed to creep out.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: This was a pretty good DIPA, but as a DIPA, I’d prefer if it was able to completely hide the alcohol taste, but other than that, it was nice and bitter.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, The Alchemist, USA

The Alchemist Heady Topper

Sunday, 7 February 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: The Alchemist
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Drink from the can! Drink from the can! Drink from the can!

Brewer Description: (from can) Heady Topper is an American Double India Pale Ale. This beer is not intended to be the biggest or most bitter. It is meant to give you wave after wave of hoppy goodness on your palate. Tremendous amounts of American hops will creep up on you, and leave you with a dense hoppy finish in your mouth. So drinkable, it’s scary. Sometimes I wish I could crawl right into the can. Freshness and control have always been my main concern when it comes to our beer. We are committed to providing you with an unfiltered and unpasteurized hop experience. Why do I recommend that you drink it from the can? Quite simply, to ensure a delightful, hop experience. The act of pouring it in a glass smells nice, but it releases the essential hop aromas that we have worked so hard to retain. If you MUST pour it into a glass, you may find that some of the hop resins have settled to the bottom – leave them in the can when pouring. This beer is perishable, and at its best when it is young, fresh and hazy. Keep it cold, but not ice cold. Drink this beer immediately, we are always making more.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.74
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 1 pint can canned on 15th December 2015 (I would have drank it earlier but was very sick for a long period of time) and tried from the can at first then poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden yellow orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: As soon as I opened the can the tropical aromas immediately came pouring out, but there was still a hint of the metal from the can. After pouring it into the glass, the aromas were not as strong but better with a mix of tropical pineapple, mango and citrus mandarin, orange peel and lemon zest. There was also a hint of pine.
Taste: Strong juicy citrus grapefruit and pine with a hint of tropical mango and pineapple. Nice front loaded bitterness which continues into the aftertaste. On the can it says “drink from the can” so I tried that as well. I have to say that taste is just as impressive from the can.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: An excellent DIPA. Must buy and taste fresh if possible. I only wish I wasn’t very sick when I received it… but I know I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it as much if I drank it a month ago as I wouldn’t be able to taste or smell much. Although it says to drink from the can, which I did try, I still prefer to pour it into a glass to enjoy. It allows you to enjoy its look and gives a clearer aroma. Well worth the hype.

words of another dreamy traveller