Best before October 2006 bottle shared by Duff on 8/12/06.
Yet another appearance that shows attention to detail and lack of pasteurization/filtration. Large head, though this one is not as stubborn to recede as was the centennial, white and rocky, clinging to the sides of the glass and never falling below one-finger in height. Brilliant golden-amber-copper body, sediment left behind, with tiny-bubbled, sparkling carbonation.
A blast of simcoe in the nose is at once full of sticky, stubborn resin, treacle and with a dash of lychee on the backside. It greatly consumes the senses and mixes with the pale malt sugars to provide an almost bubble gum-like note that I seem to get from simcoe hops. Bitter, strong, rich, but, I don’t think, overused. Certainly any IPA employing this Alpha acid monstrosity of a hop is going to be teeming with pine, hard grapefruit and bitterness, but the acidity is not overdone in the nose. I always hear about mango and tropical fruits, and as it warms, maybe mango could be a stretch, but that must be produced more from a combination of different varieties. Regardless, the malt is supportive, not overly sweet, but dextrinous. Some light biscuits/grains and a touch of dough round it out. Highly aromatic with a huge aroma strength. What a fantastic hop!
Quite dissimilar from the centennial, I don’t find the plant/leaf-like dryness and no orange rind-like astringency. Rather, it’s a stroll through a pine forest during autumn. Heavy pine, pink grapefruit and juicy, melon-like bittersweetness all come together with a forceful and flavorful climax. Dextrinous malt quietly goes about supporting this hop bite, with some sweet candied sugar-like notes for good measure and very dry caramel notes. The carbonation levels are less erratic here, than in the centennial, giving a more consistent, engaging texture from start to finish. The bubbles carefully ruffle the palate and deliver the hop flavor and bitterness, but the malt is able to keep things as soft as you could hope for in a simcoe IPA. Acidity does build up, that’s inevitable, with some lightly spicy/warming tones from the alcohol, but for such a brilliant flavor and gentle texture, it’s well worth some palate fatigue. Plenty of fresh, earthy yeast apparency throughout as well. Splendid! So the best IPAs are now being made in Denmark?!

Best before Oct 2006 bottle, generously provided by Duff and consumed on 8/12/06.
Copious amounts of thick, white head pile up in the glass and recede VERY slowly, never falling below one-finger in height. Rocky/fluffy and coating the glass, it’s as well-formed/retained a head as the best bottle conditioned Belgians. Bright canteloupe-orange colored body has highlights of honey, amber and brilliant gold. Very fine sediment is left for the yeast shot, leaving the beer with a sparkling clarity, but still a subtle, unfiltered glassiness.
Strong aroma of centennial hops, surprisingly enough, boasting lush, green, hop-bud juiciness, light, oily hop resins, subtle melon and then a drying dose of moderate grapefruit and a light touch of fuzzy, almost leaf-like astringency on the end. Caramel malt expertly weaves its way in the aroma, inconspicuously, but leaving the hop bitterness well-balanced, though certainly allowing the hops to be showcased. Pretty much what I expected after reading all of the raves; JUICY, AROMATIC, BITTER, but importantly, balanced and not over-the-top.
The hop level in the flavor is immediately noted as well-balanced, though growing acidity challenges the malt, there is ample residual sweetness here to fend off the IBUs. Canteloupe and grapefruit again, with a sticky, chewy, resinous quality that, in concert with the tight, engaging carbonation, produces a magnificently full, yet not-sweet/syrupy effect. Some definite yeast blandness is noted, but no doubt only further exemplifies the lack of pasteurization and the very low filtration. Malt complexity builds as the beer breathes and I find myself really enjoying it more and more with every sip. Notes of honey-covered peaches, very light barley grains and pale sugars, with no trace of alcohol and manageable acidity that does not seem to overload the palate, even towards the end. To be constructive, I could see it being just a bit more dry/attenuated, but I seem to be saying that about everything anymore, and that’s just personal preference. While it certainly is no slouch on bitterness, I’m very glad that it goes the route of providing more hop flavor/juiciness than it does bitterness.

I’ve been drinking a fair amount of Founders Centennial IPA on draught lately and it’s amazing to see that this bottled IPA from Denmark, greatly outshines in pure fresh aroma, flavor and mouthfeel, a domestic draught IPA.