Dogfish Head Brewery Squall IPA (2016 Limited Release) American Double / Imperial IPA at 9% ABV (US$10.99 at Knightly Spirits Williamsburg, 750 ml, no bottle date or best before, acquired 1-May-2016, reviewed 2-May-2016)
Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: initial piney resin and citrus, pale and caramel malt, then coffee, light floral, earth. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, moderate duration mildly warming bitter finish. (4/5)
Coffee? Why’m I getting coffee? Is it the Palisades? The Amarillo? I’m puzzled… Initially upon decapping, there is a pleasant room-filling aroma of piney resin and citrus, but that abates to, well, coffee. Everything else is quite nice: the body is on the pleasantly full side of medium with a slightly oily texture, carbonation is good, and the malt backing is clean and appropriate to the bitter. The ABV is sufficient for just a gentle warming but otherwise unobtrusive. I’d call this a very, very good DIPA, if I were only getting more sustained citrus/pine/floral on the nose. As it stands, there’s a lingering and inexplicable coffee, and it’s merely good. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
