| APR/MAY
2005 | REVIEWS | BLIND BEER TASTINGS
CBN Double IPA Blind Tasting
CBN Blind Tasting Panel
• Jay R. Brooks, Tasting Panel Director, Cranky Oldster,
CBN
• Bob Coleman, Reporter, CBN
• Tom Dalldorf, Editor/Publisher, CBN
• Vic Kralj, Owner, The Bistro, Hayward, Calif.
• Paul Marshall, Beer Judge
• Special thanks to
Mike Long, BTP Tasting coordinator/head steward
DOUBLE IPA
Imperial or Double IPA is one of the newest beer styles and
continues to be a favorite among big-beer lovers. These beers
were first recognized officially at the 2003 Great American
Beer Festival. Double IPAs are, of course, very big beers
with intense hop character. They have IBUs ranging from around
65 to 100 (or more) and are strong in alcohol (averaging 8–10.5%
abv), with fruity esters and big malt character. Similar to
barley wines in several respects, they are nonetheless now
considered a unique style and, unlike their older cousin,
should be less vinous, have less caramel present and have
no discernible diacetyl. But the main distinction of these
beers is more pronounced hopping — intense but never
harsh — balanced by complex malt and alcohol flavors.
 Deuce
Imperial IPA
El Toro Brewing Co., California
Great hop nose with rich herbal notes. Dark amber color with
a thick, tan head. Rich malt flavors with good balance and
body. About midway through, some serious hop bittering kicks
in and lingers through a nice, long finish.
Denogginizer
Double IPA
Drake's Brewing Co., California
Light nose of clean hop aromas. Dark amber color. Creamy,
big palate blast and well balanced. A big hop monster with
rich, toasty malt character.
Dreadnought
Imperial IPA
Three Floyd's Brewing Co., Indiana
Great herbal hop nose and dark amber-orange color. Great mouthfeel
with luscious, creamy sweet malt and a sharp hop bite that
finishes big and long. A real beauty.
Hercules
Double IPA
Great Divide Brewing Co., Colorado
Strong herbal hop nose. Dark amber color. Creamy, rich malt
flavor and big hop character with hints of nuts. Nice warming
qualities and a lingering finish.
Pliny
The Elder
Russian River Brewing Co., California
Rich herbal aromas with alpha hop notes. Dark amber color.
Creamy and rich with a seeming contradiction of softness and
a full palate of complex flavors that all work in concert
like a Charles Ives symphony. Great balance and a long, lingering
finish.
Pliny
The Younger
Russian River Brewing Co., California
Sweet malt nose with light hop aromas. Orange color with a
huge white head. A wow! Rich, creamy hops and big malt flavors.
Hints of citrus and peppery hop spice abound through a long,
lingering finish.
White
Knuckle Double IPA
Marin Brewing Co., California
Big alpha hop aromas with hints of grapefruit and herbs. Dark
amber color. Perfectly balanced with sweet, rich malt and
big hop bitterness that has you pleasantly puckering up. Creamy
throughout with a clean finish.
 Devil
Dancer Triple IPA
Founder's Brewing Co., Michigan
Herbal and grass aromas with hints of pineapple. Light brown
color. Creamy, rich malt balanced by a big hop bite and nice
warming qualities. A long, malty finish that turns pleasantly
bitter as it fades on the tongue.
Dorado
Double IPA
Ballast Point Brewing Co., California
Hop nose with citrus aromas. Golden-amber color. Sweet, creamy
malt flavor and a big hop bite with nice, refined balance
and a hoppy, lingering finish.
Exponential
Hoppiness
Alpine Beer Co., California
Rich, biscuity malt nose with herbal hop aromas. Golden-orange
color. Creamy, rich flavors with pepper notes and a very long,
lingering finish.
Imperial
IPA
Breckenridge Brewing Co., Colorado
Rich malt aromas with hints of grapefruit. Golden-amber color.
Big, puckering hop character, surprisingly well-balanced and
a long, lingering bitter finish.
IPA
Maximus
Lagunitas Brewing Co., California
Light, biscuity nose with herbal aromas. Dark amber color.
Creamy and tart with big, rich hop character and a welcome
malt presence that balances it all nicely.
Pure
Hoppiness
Alpine Beer Co., California
Light, hoppy nose and dark golden color with a thick, tan
head. Creamy flavors and a soft palate with nicely balancing
hop character and a clean finish.
Sleighor
Double IPA
Reaper Ale, California
Light citrus and spicy nose. Brown color and a thick, tan
head. Smooth, with sweet malt, big hop bittering, good balance
and a clean finish.
 Alpha
Avalanche
Schooner's Grille & Brewery, California
Herbal hop nose and dark amber color. Big hop presence up
front with medium malt richness mid-taste and a clean finish.
Captain
Ron's Double IPA
Brew It Up! Personal Brewery & Grill, California
Big malt aromas and amber-brown color. Uncomplicated hop monster
with alcohol evident and a long, lingering bitter finish.
Dogfish
Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA
Dogfish Head Brewing Co., Delaware
Herbal nose with grassy notes. Clear amber color. Strong,
complex and very rich flavors with sweet malt character and
a long finish.
Dogfish
Head 120 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head Brewing Co., Delaware
Spicy citrus hop aromas and dark amber color. Rich mouthfeel,
very sweet malt flavors and spicy-hot hop character.
Double
IPA
Stoudt's Brewing Co., Pennsylvania
Hop nose with herbal notes. Golden-amber color. Creamy flavors
with a rich, fat malt base and high alpha bittering. Warms
you nicely through a long, lingering bitter finish.
Fred
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Co., Oregon
Rich herbal nose with roasted malt and an unmistakable hint
of Belgian-style yeast. Big roasted-malt blast with lovely
creamy, sweet notes, with big hops overpowered by the complex,
rich malt flavors in this unique, almost Belgianesque, double
IPA. It’s not really what we’d consider a double
IPA, but the brewery submitted it to us for this tasting,
and we struggled with how to score it. Its uniqueness in the
field produced lower scores, since comparison is all but impossible.
Despite that, it’s an excellent, wonderful beer in its
own right and would easily have scored higher among its peers
— if it had any.
Grant's
Hopzilla IPA
Yakima Brewing & Malting Co., Washington
Hop nose of citrus and herbs. Cloudy golden-amber color. Rich
herbal flavors and a sharp hop bite of hot, peppery spices
and a long, lingering finish.
Imperial
IPA
Diamond Knot Brewery, Washington
An early champion of big, hoppy beers, this version features
a caramel and roast-coffee nose and a cloudy dark amber color.
Creamy, with huge hops on a big malt base that boasts a long,
lingering finish.
Imperial
IPA
Sly Fox Brewing Co., Pennsylvania
Modest herbal hop nose. Amber color and a tan head. Creamy,
with rich malt and good bittering and a long, lingering finish.
Kelley
Bros. Double Back
Kelley Bros. Brewing Co., California
Sweet malt nose with soft hop notes. Amber-brown color. Rich,
full flavors and big hop presence that predominates throughout
to the long, lingering bitter finish.
Laurelwood
Double IPA
Laurelwood Public House & Brewery, Oregon
Lemony citrus hop nose and golden-yellow color. Creamy, sweet
malt flavors that give way to tart hoppiness and a long, lingering
finish.
Maharaja
Imperial IPA
Avery Brewing Co., Colorado
Sweet malt nose with hints of fruit and herb aromas. Dark
amber color. Clean, full malt flavors and excellent balance.
Tart herbal hops and a long, lingering finish.
Racer
X
Bear Republic Brewing Co., California
Big hoppy nose and dark amber color. Sharp hop bite with mellow,
sweet malt but low carbonation. Still quite drinkable and
tasty, however. This sample was a draft drawn less than hour
before our tasting. Previous bottled samples scored much higher.
Moylander
Double IPA Ale
Moylan's Brewing Co., California
Light hop nose, dark amber color and a rich, tan head. Creamy
with rich, sweet malt flavors and nice hop character. There’s
also a hint of chocolate notes and a clean, mild finish.
Rogue
Imperial India Pale Ale
Rogue Ales, Oregon
Light hop nose, dark amber color and a thick, tan head. Light
flavors overall with good malt character and some big hop
bittering through a long, lingering finish.
Ruination
IPA
Stone Brewing Co., California
Herbal hop nose and dark amber color. Tart with big, bitter
hop character, low malt flavors and a clean finish.
Slipknot
Imperial IPA
Full Sail Brewing Co., Oregon
Modest hop nose with herb and bread notes. Bright amber-orange
color. Hop-forward with creamy and sweet malt flavors and
a clean, rich, lingering finish.
TRI-PA
(Double IPA)
Beermann’s Brewing Co., California
Sweet, lemony herbal nose, bright golden color and a rich,
white head. Creamy, with a tart hop bite and a bitter finish
that lingers for a short time and then quickly fades.
West
Coast IPA
Green Flash Brewing Co., California
Spicy hop aromas and dark amber color. A huge hop bomb with
rich herbal notes and a great mouthfeel, but lacking balance.
 Legend
Double IPA
Legend Brewing Co., Virginia
Sweet and sour nose. Dark amber color. Creamy, with a sharp
hop bite, sour mash flavors and a bitter finish.
|
