Tag Archives: double ipa

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.

5 - Excellent (must buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, USA, Victory Brewing Company

Victory DirtWolf Double IPA

Wednesday, 30 December 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 8.7%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Malts – Imported two-row malts. Hops – Whole flower Citra, Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Darkly heroic, Humulus Lupulus (hops) have empowered brews with bite and character since the 11th century. DirtWolf is a tribute to these untamed vines which rise from the earth with voracity of a ‘wolf among sheep.’ Hops have made an assertive comeback in American craft brewing. Revel in the best US varieties of hops, in their natural, whole flower form, as they bring a vital, pungent reality to the soul of a wild element in our dangerously satisfying DirtWolf. Cheers.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 12 fl oz bottle with an enjoy by date of 26th January 2016, poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden straw colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Very nice tropical and citrus aromas with mango, pineapple and grapefruit taking centre stage. Some light pine and citrus peel in the background.
Taste: Grapefruit, orange and pine but the lasting taste is a sweet candy orange with some light bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with mid to high carbonation.
Overall: A very nice Double IPA that I would love to be able to try super fresh. I would definitely buy this one again.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, BrewDog, Scotland

BrewDog Born To Die 27.11.15

Friday, 27 November 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
ABV: 8.5%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: 100 IBUs. Malts – Extra Pale, Marris Otter and Pale. Hops – Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Imagine knowing how long you have to live. What would you do? Spend some time alone gathering your thoughts, before bowing out quietly, into the night? Or would you spend every last minute rocking out, burning your way through your last days on earth, then go out with a bang?

This savage IPA was born to die. Its mayfly existence has a solitary purpose – to be a kick-ass celebration of the power of hops. Born To Die is bitter as hell, super dry, and at its best as soon as you pick it up. If our existence truly is but a brief crack of light between two immensities of darkness, you should spend it drinking beer as awesome as this.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.62
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 660ml bottle born to die on 27th November 2015 and hence poured into a Duvel tulip glass and drank on such day.
Appearance: It poured an extremely clear golden colour with a frothy one finger white head. Retention is not so good but there is some minimal stringy and dotty lacing.
Aroma: Strong tropical aromas of pineapple and mango with hints of citrus lemon, orange and pine at the finish.
Taste: Starts out with some lemon, grapefruit and pine bitterness but the finish was sweet honey with hints of bready and caramel malts. It was perhaps a bit too sweet for me at the end.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Maybe my expectation was too high to begin with? But actually, it poured fantastically clear and the aromas were stunning. But tasting was where it started to go down. It just wasn’t as bitter as I hoped for a DIPA and the finish was just overly sweet for my liking.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller ApS

Mikkeller Nuclear Hop Assault

Friday, 27 November 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Mikkeller ApS
Country: Denmark
ABV: 8%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Brewed and bottled by Mikkeller at De Proef Brouwerij

Brewer Description: (from Mikkeller blog) A tribute to the metal band Nuclear Assault, this Double IPA is bright and crisp with a combination of citrus, peach and fresh cut grass on the nose. The flavors combine tons of lemon and grapefruit peel from the hybrid hops and is rounded out by sweet caramel notes.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 200ml pour on draft at Mikkeller Bangkok into a mini stemmed wine glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head with good retention that leaves fluffy sticky lacing.
Aroma: Pineapple, grapefruit and piney with hints of breadiness.
Taste: Citrusy and bitter with citrus peel, grapefruit and a hint of lemon and grass. Biscuit like towards the end with lasting bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low to medium carbonation.
Overall: A great DIPA with nice bitterness. Another that I would pick up bottles of if I could.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0

Wednesday, 7 October 2015 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: 100+ IBUs. Hops – Magnum, Nugget, Centennial, Simcoe, Citra and Azacca.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) When this double IPA first hit the scene in 2002, the hoppy beer landscape was far different that it is today. Ales offering an onslaught of resinous humulus lupulus were virtually unknown. Thankfully that is no longer the case. Terms such as “lupulin” and “IBU” are well established in the craft beer lexicon. And with the knowledge of all that hops have to offer comes the desire to go beyond bracing bitterness. Fortunately, Stone Ruination IPA has always been crafted to celebrate all facets of the hop – its beauty and poetry, its boldness and might. As craft beer has evolved, so too have techniques for extracting the best and the most out of hops. So we modernized Stone Ruination IPA, coaxing every last drop of piney, citrusy, tropical essence from the Centennial, Citra, Simcoe and Azacca hops that give this beer its incredible character. Join us in cheering this, the second stanza in our “Liquid Poem to the Glory of the Hop.”

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

Intro: A 22 fl oz bomber bottled on 17th July 2015 and with an enjoy by date of 15th October 2015. It was poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden orange colour with a two finger white head which dissipates quite quickly but leaves lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma: Clear tropical fruit aromas to start mainly of mango, papaya, peach and pineapple before settling on pine hop and some citrus orange peel.
Taste: Starts with citrus orange, orange peel, sweet mandarin, maybe even a little soapy. Towards the middle there is a hint of tropical fruits but not much before it quickly finishes with a lasting grapefruit bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: Great aromas coming from this beer and although I prefer less citrus orangeyness and more tropical fruit, this was still a very good DIPA that I would continue to drink.

words of another dreamy traveller