From a 355ml bottle on 28/1/2016. Pours a clear medium golden with a medium bright white head. Has a huge aroma with big fruity, resiny hops coming over the top of dollops of caramel malt. Exquisite from the first sip. As suggested by the nose, this has a big caramel malt background, followed by oodles of honey, and sweet mandarin, apricot strawberry and peach. The bitterness is big - grapefruity and resiny - lingering long with a hint of spice at the back. Has a full rich, body, average carbonation and has lovely mouthfeel. Displays supreme balance and depth. Damn. This is seriously right up there with the very best beers I’ve ever tried. Truly magnificent. Rating 4.6. Re-rate on 18/5/2016. I have to bump my score up a touch. It’s hard to conceive the existence of a better beer. Just blows me away every time I have one.

Bottle (from firma bier). Pours dark golden-amber with whiteish head. Aroma is sweet, fruits, peaches, caramel. Flavor is sweet and bitter, fuits, peaches, malt, caramel. Finish is grapefruit bitter. Alcohol is well covered. Overall: great beer.

The IIPA version of Firestone Walker’s Union Jack, from a 65 cl bomber with the typical classy label depicting a fight between a bear and a lion. Frothy and dense, egg-white, very moussy head leaving thick cobweb lacing, residing over a clear orange blonde beer with quite vivid sparkling. Dank, powerful, tropical fruit aroma hitting the nostrils with impressions of tangerine, fresh mandarin, pink grapefruit flesh, toasted sweet onion, overripe papaja, cedar needles, Grand Marnier, strawberry wine, cake, sweet cherry tomatoes on toasted bread, roasted pine nuts, lavender, sweet curry, cantaloupe, lychee, freshly ground black pepper, sweet white grapes and Pineau de Charentes - the kind of DIPA bouquet I could sniff for hours, as each time I put my nose to the glass, something else shows up only to disappear again and make room for yet another impression. Clean onset with perfect balance of sourish and sweetish (mango, lychee, melon, blood orange) adorned with certain umami aspects (green olive) and in perfect balance with a soft, yet finely tingling carbonation, softly minerally; bitter and lightly salty hops are palpable right from the start. Middle phase continues these impressions on a very supple yet robust, caramelly and honeyish malt sweetness while the hoppiness increases, working its way to a big finale in the finish, deeply bittering without becoming abrasive and exploding into a wealth of retronasal citrus peel, pine resin, roasted onion, tropical fruits and spices. It still allows for juicy, sweetish malts to pass through, while a warming glow of bourbon-like alcohol reminds you of the fact that this is still ’imperial’ (double) IPA rather than ’ordinary’ IPA; the bittering and utterly aromatic hop effect lingers after that, fierce and very elegant at the same time. A hop-soaked masterpiece in many ways, I can easily see how this scores so high on the DIPA scale. Firestone Walker has done many a great thing in its history regardless of the takeover by Belgian Moortgat, and this is surely among those great achievements. This is to double IPA what Sucaba is to barley wine or Parabola to imperial stout: extremely well crafted, with a flair for taste, power and sheer beauty. Exemplary double IPA in all respects, I absolutely love this, this must be among the best in its style I had so far. Fantastic.

Clear warm golden colour, white head. Hoppy aroma, pineapple, pine, citrus, passionfruit, light apricot. Bitter hoppy flavour, tropical fruits, light sweet malts. Bitter fruity hoppy finish, pineapple. Nice!!
(from 66cL bottle @ Milo’s place. Thanks for sharing!)

Bottle from tderoeck. Many thanks! Hazy amber colour, white foam. Medium carbonation. Very fruity (raisins, pine, mango). Full body, bit alcoholic but very well balanced. Nice!

Aroma: citrus, spruce, tropical fruits, caramel, Appearance: clear gold, white head Taste: medium sweetness, medium bitterness, Palate: full body, sticky feel, soft carbonation, long finish, Perfect