Sierra Nevada Experimental Hop Double IPA American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 65 IBU (US$1.40 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 15-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 28-Mar-2018)
Appearance: clear medium amber with one finger of creamy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: wood, bready malt, vanilla, citrus, dank pine resin. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, off-dry lingering and building bitter mildly warming finish. (4/5)
“HBC 472 lends it a distinctive oaky, barrel-aged character. Jackson 104 brings heavy fruit-forward and citrus-like flavors to the beer, while Steiner 07270 rounds out the hop finish with deep, resinous notes of dank pine and grapefruit.” Y’know, usually these commercial descriptions are irrelevant, inaccurate, or flat-out misleading, but I have to say, all four of the Experimentals I got in a mixed dozen case have commercial descriptions that are dead-nuts on. In this case, I would’ve sworn that this was whiskey barrel-aged, right down to the oaky, woody vanilla character. There’s a little citrus and dank pine on the back end, but it’s pretty minor by comparison. Not to suggest this is unbalanced, not by any means, but it’s surprising what intensity of flavours are possible without actually involving barrels. (16/20)
8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
