Rogue Ales Collossal Claude – American Double / Imperial IPA at 8.2% ABV | 75 IBU (C$5.89 at Collective, 568 ml, packaged on 31-Dec-2020, acquired 23-Apr-2021, reviewed 28-Apr-2021)
Appearance: crystal clear medium gold with two fat fingers of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate stringy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: citrus, resiny pine, tropical fruit, caramel, cannabis. (8/10) Taste: high sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-full slightly slick body, moderate carbonation, sticky sweet lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)
Hopped with the usual starts-with-C suspects (Cascade, Chinook, and Citra) as well as Strata, giving a nice blend of citrus, pine, and the old sticky-icky. I’ve been in the Haze Craze for so long now that I’d almost started to forget how much I love a good WCIPA, but this is just the bombastic beast to remind me of just how much fun old skool can be. It’s not perfect – in particular the big bitterness doesn’t completely offset the big sticky sweet malt, which would frankly make it hard for me to have more than one – but it’s a whole lot of fun. And who doesn’t love a proper-sized pint? (16/20)
8/10 ryansbooze.com #ryansbooze
