Brouwerij de Molen Storm & Regen American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.1% ABV | 60 IBU (C$4.50 at The Brewer’s Apprentice, 330 ml, packaged on 24-Dec-2014, best before 24-Dec-2016, acquired 14-Mar-2018, reviewed 15-Apr-2018)
Appearance: clear medium amber with one fat finger of dense ivory head, excellent retention and heavy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: pine, toffee, citrus zest, pepper, tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Medium oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)
I went into this worrying I might’ve had slightly unrealistic hopes for the combined magical properties of high ABV and the De Molen name, but figured what the hell, treat it as an experiment. But actually, this is all right. It’s probably not as hoppy as it used to be – at least, there’s not a lot of citrus left there – but there’s no shortage of oily bitterness. It’s now become sort of Barleywine-ish in nature, which is by no means a bad thing. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
