Imperial IPA

Doftar klassiskt Ipa . Smakar klassisk IPA . Men är en DIPA . Därav lite tunn å trisst. Men ohyggligt mycket bättre än Svenska bryggerier om man bortser från Nebuchanessar å Oppigårds Thurbo eller Drakens.. Kom igen

Bottle. Murky amber brown color, small tan head that settles quickly, solid lacing. Aroma of citrus, light pineapple, grass. Taste very bitter resin. OK.

Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured a cloudy caramel-amber color with a medium sized creamy orange-white head that lingered and left good lacing. The aroma was sweet and tangy pineapple, pine, faint lemon and perfume. The flavor was tangy and sweetish pine, pineapple, lemon, caramel and a hint of mint. The finish medium length tangy pine, pineapple and caramel with some building bitterness. Full bodied. Nice but falls a bit short.

Bottle at Leighton’s Aug 11 tasting. It pours a copper colour, with a decent white head. The nose is caramel sweetness, cheesy hop, pine and milk chocolate (akin to Toblerone). The taste is brown bread, underlying sweet caramel, pine, grass, orange, mango and burnt malt, with a solid bitter finish. Full body and average carbonation. Too sweet for my taste.

Bottle at a tasting. Pours a slightly hazy amber with a sturdy, white head. Aroma holds pine, grapefruit, toast, caramel. Very sweet flavor, lots of caramel, medium bitterness, some resinous pine and citrus. Medium to full bodied with average carbonation. Finishes sweet with nice bitterness, big toffee, light warmth, toasty sugar. Nice beer.

12 ounce bottle into tulip, no idea on the age of the bottle. Pours slightly hazy brick red color with a dense 2 finger off white head with fantastic retention that eventually reduces to a thin lacing cap. Aromas of big caramel, pine resin, orange, a bit of spices, and a bit of alcohol. Seems like there is a lot of sweetness in these aromas, decent stuff though. Taste of tons of caramel, pine, orange, spices; with light grapefruit and a bit of pineapple. Tons of sweetness on the taste and finish; but there still is a decently strong bitterness that shows up after the finish to balance out the sweetness, and lingers for a good period of time. Some lingering notes of pine, spices, caramel, and citrus on the finish as well. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied. Fairly syrupy mouthfeel, but still manages to be quite drinkable despite the alcohol level. Alcohol is nicely hidden; nothing but a slight warming after the finish. Overall, despite this being quite malty, it is surprisingly delicious stuff; I definitely enjoyed it.

12 ounce bottle from Downtown Wine & Gourmet in Harrisonburg, VA, opened 5/14/11. Pours a clear copper color with a medium sized frothy white head. Decent head retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel and toffee malts and citrus hops. The taste is bitter citrus and resiny hops with a toffee malt finish. Medium bodied. Decent beer.

Bottle shared with doug at the Beerhive
Appearance: Slightly cloudy amber with a big off-white frothy head and good lacing
Aroma: Sweet caramel, pine and grapefruit
Taste: Sweet caramel and pine resin
A good IIPA, but not very balanced. The hops didn’t shine through, the sweet malts overpower the hops.

Bottle. Pours a golden color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty hoppy piney aroma. Fruity malty hoppy bitter flavor with grapefruit hints. Has a fruity malty hoppy grapefruit finish.

Pretty good double IPA, not a classic, but a decent brew from Mendocino. Pours a slightly hazed orange-amber, with a resilient head. The nose is sweet citrus, almost creamsicle-ish, decadent but a little too sugary. Tastes good, not great, with a rather balanced approach to the DIPA. The malts are just as prominent on the palate as the hops, almost too much so, putting this beer dangerously close to becoming cloy. Dries out on the finish, though, which rounds things out. The watery texture is a drawback, as the beer feels undercarbonated. Too many better DIPAs available for Mendo’s to leave a mark.