Gotta thank my new friend in Florida, Phil whom some of you may know as @DosBeerigos.  We recently traded some locals and homebrews (Phil makes a mean Passion fruit IPA).  Hopefully he’ll send me the recipe, Hint, Hint!  Phil sent me up what I’ve heard are some great cigar City brews, the 110K=OT will be my first Victim, MUHAHAHA!

So, here’s the low down on this beer, 10% abv Double IPA and a buck ten on the IBU front, what would you expect with those numbers? I was thing I would get this monstrous American IPA, that blasted me with some intense hops and then ripped the enamel off my teeth.  But what was the first thing I mention, throw away what you think you are going to get with these beers.  What do I get a massive malt bomb!  The malt in this beer completely engulfs you.  While the malt sucker punches your, the hops pick right up and  slaps you.  This beer is a back and for between good and… um… good’er, because the isn’t any evil, just goodness!

My only real complaint with this beer is that it poured a bit flat, I had to give it a big hard pour down the middle to get a decent head on the beer to release it’s wonderful aroma.

Here is my one word review on the beer -> Yummy!

I’m looking forward the bottle of Hunahpu’s and the Humador IPA aged on cedar!  Keep it coming Cigar City, you guys are going to start giving the Bruery and Dogfish Head a run for their money with wonderfully crafted unique beers.

110K+OT batch #3 is a post from: Simply Beer

Here is how Great Divide describes this beer

Based on our most award-winning beer, Denver Pale Ale, this copper-hued treat is a celebration of everything Great Divide does best. Plenty of malty sweetness provides a backdrop for earthy English and American hops, while French and American oak round off the edges and provide a touch of vanilla.

Style: IPA

Bottles: 22 oz. Capped and Foiled

ABV: 10%

Glassware: Tulip

Suggested Food Pairings: (per Great Divide) Bacon and blue cheese hamburger, barbecue ribs, Point Reyes blue cheese, sticky toffee pudding, caramel cheesecake

Appearance:

The beer is a very pretty, clear, and copper color verging on red. It has some strong red highlights and a creamy bubbly head with some real nice foam cling to the glass.

Aroma:

One of the most important parts of the beer, especially to an American Pale Ale, you really want to be able to get a great aroma.  Surprisingly this beer has a fairly muted aroma.  I’m picking up soft notes of tropical fruit and a bit of vanilla and oak, but nothing that “Wow, your in for something!”

Taste:

Big malty up front flavor that gets slowly dragged into the oak and vanilla as it enters the middle mouth.  Then the hops start to take over, along with a bit of booze on the back of the tongue.  The Beer finishes very bitter grapefruit and stays on your palette for a long time.

Overall Impression:

I’m enjoying this beer.  Has interesting flavors that only seems to work with the big malty profile up front.  With out that big malty front, the oaking of this beer would not have worked.  I’d be very curious to see how this beer changes over 6 months.

Great Divide 16th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA is a post from: Simply Beer

Here is how Three Floyds describes this beer:

A hophead’s dream beer. This Imperial India Pale Ale has an opening salvo of mango, peach and citrus hop aromas that sit atop a pronounced caramel malt backbone. Although Dreadnaught is a strong and intensely hoppy ale, its complex flavor is both smooth and memorable.

Appearance:

A bright orange beer, slightly hazy with a good column of bubbles rising through the center of the beer from the bottom.  The beer laid down a good thick, fairly dense creamy head, but only stuck around for a couple of minutes, but did leave a nice ring of foam on the glass as it dissipated.

Aroma:

Described as a hopheads dream, the aroma on this beer is friggin’ awesome!  Mango and Peaches ohhh my!  Huge blast of overripe peaches just totally dominates the mango and resinous pine aroma that’s also hanging around your nose.

Taste:

I’ve talked about it before, you get a beer that is so inviting from the aroma, but then the flavor just totally lets you down, thankfully this is not that beer!  Nice upfront sweet creaminess with a moderate mouth feel, The middle mouth to the finish is the best part of this beer.  The creaminess slowly gives way to a sight bitterness, they you get walloped by this huge brown sugar citrus flavor that totally makes this beer.  Then finishes slightly bitter, but doesn’t linger for a very long time.  A very nice balance of malt, sweetness, bitterness, and citrus.

Overall Impression:

I’m pleasantly surprised.  Not sure what to expect, Dark Lord is pretty good, but that is the only Three Floyds beer I’ve had.  I loved the aggressive use of hops with out being a bitter palette destroying bomb.  I really like the malty over hopped IPAs, this is a top tier IPA in my book.

Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA is a post from: Simply Beer

Here is how New Belgium describes the Range IPA:

New Belgium’s foray into the true American India Pale Ales. Bring out the hops! This clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: Cascade (citrus), Chinook (floral/citrus), and Simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with Cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor. Brewed with pale and dark caramel malts that harmonize the hop flavor from start to finish, Ranger is a sessionable splendor for all you hopinistas. Thank your Beer Ranger!

Style: American IPA

IBU: 70

ABV: 6.5

Glassware: Pint or Tulip

Appearance:

Can:

Crystal clear, lots of bubbles coming up from the bottom.  Poured with a bubbly head, like pancake batter with a touch of lacing on the glass.  A very nice looking beer.

Bottle:

Like the can, it pours a crystal clear, not as much in the way of bubbles coming up from the bottom as the can did.  But other than that the beers poured exactly the same as you would expect.

Aroma:

Can:

Very appealing nose of tropical fruit, pineapple and mango with bit of pine and bubble gum.  Under it all I get this very unique woody orange aroma.  It’s not an oaky aroma, but more earthy, and very pleasant.

Bottle:

Oddly enough it smells exactly the same as the can, although I got the woody/earthy orange right up front before the tropical fruit.  Maybe because I was now looking for it.  But I’d say they are the same.

Taste:

Can:

What I notice right up front is the very thin mouth feel, but it still tasted creamy, bitter and unfortunately very metallic. I don’t know what it is about cans, I have only had a few cans of beer that haven’t had this pervasive metallic flavor to them.  The second sip wasn’t as bad, but still that metallic flavor is getting in my way enjoying this beer.  The beer starts off thin, but quickly redeems itself with a nice creamy caramel middle before falling out and finally finishing with a flat earthy bitterness.

Bottle:

The bottle tastes remarkably different from the can, it still has thin initial mouth feel with the creamy and bitter taste but without the detracting metallic flavor.   I felt the bitterness was also more predominant then in the can from the middle through the finish.  I would call this your typical American IPA, not a lot on the malt end but tons of hops and bitterness.  The bitterness doesn’t seem to quit, several minutes after my last sip it is still quite strong on the palette.

Overall Impression:

Can:

There was this gritty metallic taste that I just couldn’t get past.  I thought the beer looked and smelled wonderful, but that flavor was a hang up for me.  I’m not sure if it is just a flavor that I’m acutely susceptible too or it is that predominant, but it was present in every sip of the beer even switching back and forth between the bottle.  I will say this, as the beer warms to room temp the metallic flavor does subsided quite a bit.

Bottle:

I think this is an average to above average American IPA, a bit lacking on the malt for my personal taste, but great aroma and appearance make up for that.  Huge hop presence in this beer totally destroys your palette, and the bitterness lingers for an exceptionally long time.

My only regret, I wish I could have had this on draft as well to compare the three together!

Which is better Ranger IPA or Ranger IPA? is a post from: Simply Beer

Here is how Mikkeller’s website describes the beer:

Mikkellers first collaboration brew. Brewed together with our good friends from Westflandern – Carlo, Urbain and Phil from De Struise Brouwers. The beer was created in the spring of 2007 to create a symbol of our close relationship. We choose to cross a heavily hopped Mikkeller beer with a strong blonde – Struise style. From this came the hoppiest beer brewed in Belgium!!! Struise Mikkeller (Elliot Brew) was chosen by Ratebeer.com to be the second beer of their Worldwide Master Series!

Style: Double IPA

ABV: 9%

IBU: 163

Bottle: 330ml Capped

Appearance:

This beer pours a hazy orange brown with a massive thick billowy creamy looking head.  I know that was a lot of descriptors for the foam, but it is pretty impressive.  As you can see in the picture the foam is also fairly clingy.  An appealing looking beer to start with.

Aroma:

The aroma is fairly pronounced and detailed, but doesn’t smack you in the face like many American IPA’s.  It starts with some nice floral hop notes and candi sugar.  The longer you inhale, the more the aroma changes and you’ll start to get a earthy dirt aroma with spice.

Taste:

So with 163 IBUs and 9% abv, I expect this to be a very bitter beer. It lives up to the expectation, the finish on this beer is extremely dry and bitter.  Bitter that lingers a long time after the sip is through. But the beer isn’t all bitter, there is a bit of malty caramel sweetness right up front and a spice/grapefruit middle mouth accompanied with some good alcohol heat before finishing very bitter.

Calories: at 9%, the Calorie Chart estimates 270-285 calories.

Glassware: Tulip or Goblet, would lean toward the goblet next time.

Overall Impression:

I did enjoy the beer, but it was average at best.  With all the amazing IPA’s out there, it is a hard style to compete in and this one, while good, was not an elite beer in my opinion.

De Struise – Mikkeller Elliot Brew is a post from: Simply Beer

Here is how Ballast Point describes their beer:

The Sculpin IPA is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. Founded in 1992, the Mart continues to be a catalyst for the San Diego brewing scene, setting the trend for handcrafted ales. Inspired by our customers, employees and brewers, the Sculpin IPA is bright with aromas of apricot, peach, mango and lemon. Its lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops. This delicious Ballast Point Ale took a Bronze Medal at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival in the Pro Am category. The Sculpin fish has poisonous spikes on its fins that can give a strong sting. Ironically, the meat from a Sculpin is considered some of the most tasty. Something that has a sting but tastes great, sounds like a Ballast Point India Pale Ale.

ABV: 7%

Bottle: 22oz capped

Price: $9.99

Appearance:

This beer is off to a good start, nice clear auburn/gold color and lots of carbonation.  There is a torrent of bubbles rising from the bottem helping promote the head.  There is a big thick, dense, creamy head with a ton of lacing.

Aroma:

Now this is what I’m always talking about for an American IPA, you have to have a big nose, in my opinion. This beer doesn’t quit in that department. The aroma is loaded with tons of apricot and mango with some underlying resinous bubblegum notes.

Taste:

We now have anticipation to taste this beer, great aroma and appearance, I hope the flavor lives up.

My initial take is the Aroma is the best part of the beer, I prefer my IPA’s to have a bit more balance between the malt and bitterness.  This beer is a bit thinner then I expected, with a mild malty, more grainy taste which transitioned quickly into a nice sharp piney, grapefruit, and slightly peppery bitterness that lasts throughout the rest of the beer.  The bitterness will last for several minutes after each sip.

Just refilled my glass with the 2nd half of the bomber, It has a much better flavor balance, a bit warmer and some nice tropical fruit notes right before that long bitterness.

Glassware: Nonic or Tulip

Calories: at 7% abv, The Calorie Chart would estimate between 225 and 240 calories per 12/oz

Overall Impression:

I enjoyed this beer very much, but I don’t think it is a “seek and destroy” to acquire type of beer.  Very typical of a west coast IPA, big aroma, with tons of bitterness.  The beer does get easier to drink and more flavorful with bit of warming.  Like I said above, my preference is for more malt balance in my IPA’s.

Have you had this beer?  What did you think of it?

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is a post from: Simply Beer

Here is how Stevens Point Brewery describes their beer:

It just wasn’t enough to use a blend of 5 varieties of hops in our India Pale Ale.We needed more. We needed to go wholehog! So, we added a sixth hop and created a more pronounced hop nose and massive hop flavor for our American twist to this legendary style. Whole Hog 6-Hop I.P.A. has a deep floral hop aroma combined with notes of baked citrus. Clean maltiness supports a dominate complex of six varieties of hops and creates a solid mouthfeel. This gives way to a lingering finish of supple hop bitterness, tangy citrus fruit and robust malt. This is a delicious adventure and brilliant tribute to the historical I.P.A.Perfectly paired with grilled steak or chicken.

Bottle: 12oz twist off cap

ABV: 8.5%

IBU: 87

Appearance:

A very nice looking beer; a good copper orange color with a small cream color head.  The half inch head did dissipate very quickly.  There was a good amount of bubbles coming from the bottom of my glass, which to me, indicates it should be a nicely carbonated beer.

Aroma:

Ummm, can someone give me back my aroma?  This is a double IPA with Cascade hops I was expecting a bit more aroma.  The other 5 hops used, Cluster, Pearle, Williamette, Sterling, and Tettnanger are more common in English IPA’s then American and tend not to have the big nose in the aroma.  Which is fine, until you proclaim a “Deep floral hop aroma”.  With this beer I get a boozy earthy caramel pine aroma with a bit of lemon grass, but still nothing that was big or huge.  I’m holding out hope for the taste.  As we have all seen before, great flavor is not always accompanied by great kick you in the face aroma.

Taste:

Unfortunately I’m not bowled over by the flavor either. It has a big alcohol hit right up front, missing the malty creaminess I prefer in IPA’s.  There is a lot of bitterness in the middle palette that fades rather quickly. With the strong alcohol presence throughout the beer and a dandelion leaf flavor in the middle, just doesn’t work for my palette.  For me, the cluster and tettnager hops really come through strong at the end of this beer leaving a spicy bitter finish.

Glassware: Tulip

Calories: 259 per 12 oz

Overall Impression:

I wasn’t that impressed with this “American twist to a legendary style”.  My preferrence is to a more balanced beer with more malt and creaminess and less spicy hop bitterness on the back end for English IPA’s.  For American IPA’s I prefer more of a aroma traditional piney, resinous, citrus aroma with a malty front, citrus middle, and bitter back. This beer didn’t fall into either for me.  As a closing note as the beer approached room temp, i found to enjoy it a bit more, but not enough to alter my notes above.

Stevens Point Whole Hog Six-Hop IPA is a post from: Simply Beer

Here is how De Ranke describes their beer:

XX Bitter is a very weighty beer, aggressively brewed to be the hoppiest in Belgium. Some more delicate palates are put off right away. Those warriors who accept the challenge, and take time to sort through the barrage of sensory impressions, usually end up loving it. It is first of all remarkably hoppy – and it persists in its hoppiness unto the bitter end – but it does not want for balancing maltiness. In the middle is a “barnyard” Brettanomyces yeast character that is very reminiscent of Orval in its heyday.

You might say this beer is Orval with everything turned up to 11, which is exactly what the brewers were seeking.

ABV: 6.0%

Bottle: 330ml Capped

Appearance:

It was a very clear beer until I poured the last of the beer into the glass, then it became super hazy and a bit lighter.  A very intriguing pale amber color, had a nice big creamy, rocky head.  As the foam dissipated, it left a good bit of lacing.

Aroma:

Wow, I gotta say if this beer tastes as good as the aroma, I’m going to be a huge fan! Tons of hop and funk on the nose, a bit of vinegar and pine resin.

Taste:

I thought this beer would be a bit more sour because of the aroma, but right off the bat it was an unbalanced very hoppy beer.  To much on the hop side on the first sip, probably a bit to cold. Cold will tend to mask the malt profile of the beer allowing the bitterness to come through a bit more.  Very thin mouth-feel with not much flavor up front.  But when all hop was lost, it moves to a really nice funky tart flavor with lemon fruitiness and some medicinal phenols from the yeast.  That really nice funkiness was then blasted by an intense dry resiny hoppy bitterness.  As this beer warmed the bitterness subsided a bit, and the funkiness and flavor characteristics of the hops came out a bit more, balancing the beer slightly more.

Glassware: Tulip or Narrow Goblet

Calories: 6%abv dry beer with the Calorie Chart an estimated 175-190 calories per 12oz

Overall Impression:

I thought this beer was over hopped and unbalanced.  The Brettanomyces yeast was the saving grace for this beer, it added a nice dimension to the middle of the beer.  I would recommend drinking this beer a bit on the warm side so the funkiness of the beer comes through more and the bitterness get cuts back a bit.  You many also want to sit on this beer for a year.

De Ranke XX Bitter Golden Ale – Hoppiest Beer in Belgium is a post from: Simply Beer

I love the way they describe this beer:

Bitches come in a variety of forms, but there’s never been something as sassy as Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch Belgian IPA. An American IPA augmented with Belgian yeast, our 20th anniversary beer jumps out of the glass and nips at your taste buds with its delicate hop bitterness. At 8.3% ABV, this bitch is dangerously drinkable.

“Two inflammatory words… one wild drink.  Nectar imprisoned in a bottle.  Let it out.  It is cruel to keep a wild animal locked up.  Uncap it. Release it… stand back!!  Wallow in its golden glow in a glass beneath a white foaming head. Remember, enjoying a RAGING BITCH, unleashed, untamed, unbridled – and in heat – is pure GONZO!!  It has taken 20 years to get from there to here.  Enjoy!”

ABV: 8.3% Alc/Vol

IBU: 60

Appearance:

A pretty clear amber ale, lots of little bubbles.  Not much in the way of head on this beer, a thin collar was what remained of a quickly dissipated head.

Aroma:

Oh boy! The aroma doesn’t quit on this beer.  Tons of apricot and mango on the nose, smells like it was dryhopped with a combination of Amarillo and Columbus hops.  There was also a bit of pine and a hint of yeast on the nose.  I could just smell this beer for hours.

Taste:

A very bold beer,  well suited to its name!  Some initial up front caramel, met by a zing of orange zest with lots of effervescence.  Once that initial effervescence is gone, the is a short creaminess that slides into a great rolling piney bitterness with a hint of an underlying peppery spice and alcohol.  But, for an 8.3% abv beer the alcohol is very well concealed.

Calories: At 8.3% abv slightly sweet, some residual sugar, would estimate 250-275 cal per 12/oz (Calorie Chart)

Glassware: Nonic, Narrow Goblet

Overall Impression:

I only had one bottle of this beer, a gift from a friend.  Looking forward to a six pack of this She Dog!  I don’t think this is going to be around very long, and the aroma makes this beer exceptional, so don’t sit on it!

Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian IPA is a post from: Simply Beer

Captain Lawrence describes this beer as:

This beer is a salute to the ingenuity and creativity of the American craft brewers. A uniquely American style of beer, the Double or Imperial IPA, has become the calling card of many craft brewers who aren’t afraid to push the limits of what hops can add to a beer. This beer is big and hoppy – not for the faint of heart! Be prepared to experience sensory overload as you savor this Imperial IPA.

Hops, and lots of them. The aroma is bursting with the classic citrus and pine aroma of American-grown hops. The flavor is dominated by a hoppy bitterness, with just enough malt to make you want to take another sip.

Hops: Columbus, Chinook, Cascade
Malts: Domestic Pale Malt, English Pale Malt, English Crystal Malt
IBU: 80
ABV: ~9%
Original Gravity: 20° plato

Lets see how the beer holds up to this great description.

Appearance:

A beautiful amber color with a nice pillowy creamy head.  Awesome head retention with a good deal of lacing.  It also looked fairly well carbonated with a good column of bubbles raising up the middle of the glass.

Aroma:

Head on the Capt. Lawrence IIPA

Great Aroma! It has that good piney aroma that I love.  Also mixed in with the piney aroma were mango, bubble gum, and just enough caramel malt mixed in to give me the impression it may also be a fairly creamy tasting beer.  This was another IPA that I could just sit and smell for minutes on end, building up that anticipation to have the first sip!

Taste:

Damn, but that does not disappoint.  Sometimes great smelling beers can let you down in the flavor and other less impressive aromatic beers can really impress on the flavor.  This one hits on both! Nice creamy, sweet, caramel malty, full mouth feel right up front that transitions into a pretty intense citrus grapefruit flavor with a good lasting bitterness.  There is a little bit of alcohol on the finish, but it was a nice asset to the beer.

Calories: 20°plato beer at 9% abv would have to ferment to about 4°plato – I would estimate about 270-290 calories per 12/oz (Calorie Chart)

Glassware: Tulip, Narrow Goblet,

Overall Impression:

As you can tell from my descriptions I love this beer.  Whats even better the price, $3.95 at the Liquor Outlet in Boonton NJ.  This is a phenomenal IIPA, world class!  While I think out of the cask was a bit hoppy’er, this beer is worth way more then the cost.   One of the best IPA’s I’ve had in a while.  I’m gonna have to make a trip up to the brewery, see what other secrets they are keeping up there in Pleasantville NY.

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company’s – Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA is a post from: Simply Beer