Tree House Brewing Company Bright American Double / Imperial IPA at 7.8% ABV (US$4.30, Trade from Bayman 4048 – thanks Norm!, 473 ml, bottle date 10-Aug-2016, acquired 12-Aug-2016, reviewed 16-Aug-2016)
Appearance: hazy pale amber with one fat finger of creamy ivory head, good retention and lacing. (4/5) Aroma: short-lived resiny pine, tropical fruit, citrus, herbal, pale malt. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, drying slightly sticky finish. (4/5)
If you have the means to enjoy one of these at less than a week old, I highly recommend it. The flavour profile, particularly the aromas, changes fairly dramatically as the beer warms: upon initial opening, a sharp (and yes, dare I say, bright) resiny pine fills the room, but this shortly fades to be replaced by a pleasant blend of tropical fruit and citrus, with an herbal edge. On the tongue, a moderate-high bitter remains throughout, but the character changes somewhat from an herbal, almost grassy note, to a hint of not-quite-onion. (None of the cattiness I sometimes get with Mosaic, though.) Not sure why they consider this to be a Double at 7.8% ABV, while their Green, at 7.5%, is not, but in any case it doesn’t come across as one: the bitterness is big but not overwhelming, the body is soft and pleasant, and the ABV is completely absent on the nose or the tongue. A very enjoyable DIPA. (17/20)
Edit: After trying the Green, I now know why this is both “bright” and “double.” It’s much clearer than Green, presumably because it’s filtered, and it’s much, much more bitter and emphatic than Green. By comparison to Green, it’s definitely both bright and double.
8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
