McNeill's Warlord Imperial IPA - McNeill's Brewery

BigPlay1824

New York

4.38/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a large pilsner glass

A: pours a nice orangeish golden color that is quite hazy, suprisingly pours with little head, does leave a slight amount of lacing

S: nice sweet, citrusy hop notes, strong citrus

T: nice citrus and hop notes

D/M: leaves a slight tart taste on the pallet, drinks smooth, goes down nice, very slight alcohol bite, overall I really liked this brew

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2010 00:34:01 | More by BigPlay1824

EkimGram

New York

3.38/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a growler into a snifter.

A: Dark, hazy amber. Very little head that barely lasts.

S: Sweet, malty, hoppy.

T: Very sweet and hoppy to start. Ends bitter, malty, and sticky.

M: Almost chewy, syrupy. Thick, not too much carbonation.

D: Goes does with a bite. Alcohol presence is mild. Smooth for an Imperial IPA. It is not the best tasting IIPA I've had but it is still good.

Serving type: growler

11-25-2010 21:37:57 | More by EkimGram

jneiswender

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured out of a bottle into a tasting glass. Served cool.

A-think off white head and a cloudy brown-orange body

S-malty, cereal and floral

T-toast, citrus, pine and light alcohol finish

M-medium-full

D-okay. Kind of muted. I might have this again if given limited choices.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 02:36:05 | More by jneiswender

busterthecat

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A- pours a very dark amber hue. No head w/ minimal carbonation.

S- sweet citrus, some apricot. Malty bread lingering.

T- Sweet fruit that quickly gives way to the malty backbone. Not very bitter at all. A basic flat taste. Mushy fruit with some bitter and spice.

M- Quite wet and moist. Taste doesn't linger much.

D-No alc taste. Kinda boring, but easy to drink. Maybe I got an older bottle. But not what I have come to expect from an IIPA.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 01:18:48 | More by busterthecat

soze47

Massachusetts

3.65/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a 22 oz bomber to drink while watching football. I've never had a beer from them.

Appearance: Very cloudy. Brown amber in color. Substantial head on a gentle pour that takes a while to subside. I get some yeast floater too, especially on the second pour.

Aroma: Hoppy, but not too robust smell. There is definitely a substantial bready malt in the nose too.

Taste: No one normal hop taste (citrus, piney, floral) really jump out too much. If any thing, it has a herbal grassy subtleness over a noteworthy malt. It isn't really caramel sweetness like many other IPAs, but a bready or doughy sweetness.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: This one was highly carbonated, which made the heavy/medium body from being too cloying or overly sweet. Not a hard beer to drink and doesn't have a strong aftertaste, which is nice for the style.

Overall: Unique for sure. Not my favorite by a long shot, but easy to drink. McNeill's created a good tasting beer here, but the hops are a little too subtle for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 01:18:52 | More by soze47

mattp

New York

4.22/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Picked up a growler at Oliver's. Very attractive reddish amber color. The nose was pretty hoppy as one would expect for this style. The flavor was rich, with good hops and a bit of the alcohol coming through. The mouthfeel was substantial, almost like you could eat it. Very flavorful but at this abv you are not going to toss four or five back at a sitting.

Serving type: growler

11-08-2010 15:43:30 | More by mattp

injuredreserve

Louisiana

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy dark amber color with thin head and bubbles throughout.

S: Piney hops with bread and malty undertones.

T: Initially very malty, but followed by a nice hoppiness, ending with a balanced bitter linger.

M: Creamy, with right amount of carbonation.

D: Nice easy drinker.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 22:23:40 | More by injuredreserve

Pentastar

New York

4.03/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Rusty amber with a tan colored, half inch head, lots of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Somewhat sweet with some bready malt, alchohol and yeast.

Taste: Intense bitterness with alchohol bite. Malt flavors are pretty noticeable too. Some pine flavor and orange, oily hops come through, along with an earthy background flavor.

Mouthfeel: Smooth mouthfeel.

Drinkeability: Good overall drinkability for the high abv.

Serving type: on-tap

10-05-2010 21:52:07 | More by Pentastar

number1bum

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazed dark amber color with a reddish tint to it. About a finger and a half of light beige head keeps well, stays full throughout and leaves a good deal of webbing on the sides. It's a bit on the dark side but otherwise looks very nice.

Nose initially has a hint of booze and is pretty sweet; lots of pale and crystal sweetness. Has an interesting fruitiness to it, some sweet orange, peach, apricot. With the sweetness it gives a sort of booze soaked, candied fruit aroma.

Taste is also on the sweet side for a DIPA. It's not a completely caramel malt sweetness, there is some pale there too I think. Like the smell there is quite a bit of fruity flavor but it's so sweet that it's a very sugary fruitiness, sort of candied and slightly medicinal. Orange, peach and some tropical fruits are the primary hop flavors, all quite sweet. Luckily there is a pretty good bitterness in the finish which cuts through some of the sweetness. Otherwise this one would be terribly out of balance. I wish it was hoppier in terms of flavor and had a bit more bitterness as well, but there is enough of a bitter punch in the finish to keep it from being a sticky sweet mess.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and pretty heavy feeling; it's pretty thick and sticky in the finish. The bitterness helps to dry it out in the finish a bit, but not enough; it would be a total mess with less bitterness.

This is a decent IPA but it's pretty rough around the edges. Too sweet number one, and too full bodied number two. The hop bitterness is just enough to keep it from being a sweet, sticky mess, but barely. It needs less sweetness, less body and more hops to reach the level of the great DIPAs.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2010 01:01:05 | More by number1bum

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to bu11zeye for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours an orangish-amber color with a white head. The aroma is piney hops with some caramel and toffee notes. The flavor is piney and earthy hops with caramel malt. Medium bitterness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 04:09:22 | More by Mora2000

Seanibus

California

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours clear amber with a smallish sticky white head. The aroma is pungent, way hoppy, with a deep well of pine and citrus that makes it like smelling a rich mai-tai. The flavor is sweet and pineapply, with a sweet malt background and a surprisingly retrained citrus bitterness. The mouthfeel is very sticky.

Good if not particularly artful or subtle.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2010 18:46:42 | More by Seanibus

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Found a bomber of this at whole foods for a nice price. my 1st from the company.

A- Copperish orange with some light bronze and a nice sturdy head of condensed off white head. Nice lines down the glass and good retention.

S- Smells really malty and somewhat alcoholic, but overall this is one sweet beast. Sweet caramel and slight candy sugar with a touch of grain. Hops are no problem here, there is a bunch of citrus including a ton of grapefruit and mango, the malts just overpower them though.

T- A sweet DIPA thats not afraid to show it's hop profile as well. This kinda reminds me of Cigar City jai lai because of the sweet center built around hops. Citrus, mango and grapefruit, check. Some small lemon bite, check. Pine as well, not really earthy or grassy. Caramel around everything and than some.

Feel is about medium with a small bitterness under the lucious smooth malt backbone that rides the tounge quick and efficient. The sweet sticks around a bit to long though. Falls apart with warming. Carb is not a problem here, bubbling.

I drank the bomber, i had no problems with that but a 12ozer would of done. A bit to sweet for me at my moment in time right now. A good look that if dry hopped even more would be great.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 22:52:22 | More by onix1agr

samyoung

Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Tribeca Whole Foods purchase. Label advertised "piney and citrusy" as well as "13 national and international awards" - I was sold.

A - Murky orange. You could get lost in there...
S - Weak, faint hints of alcohol soaked hops and caramel.
T - Nice departure from the smell. Zesty, piney and alcohol-y.
M - Bold and consuming. This one coats the tastebuds.
D - If given a six pack of this beer I would be hard-pressed to finish three in a sitting - its a heavy, thick double-IPA that unfortunately does not have the liveliness of others I have tried (Hopslam which, to its otherworldly credit, has a higher ABV).

I am enjoying this beer, yet I passed up Stone, and Captain Lawrence D-IPAs for it.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 00:22:05 | More by samyoung

Arenbeer

Connecticut

3.3/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into a snifter glass.

A- Pours like murky swamp water. Cloudy orange brown with a good amount of sediment swimming around and practically no head. Just a slight whitish ring around the glass.

S- Strong caramel sweetness with not to much hops. Bottle might be a little old.

T- Smooth caramel malts with once again not to much hop flavor till the finish. Slight maybe pine hops and citrus. Hard to tell because the flavor gets lost in the sweetness. Probably should have cracked this bottle when it was fresh, all the hop flavor has packed up and left. Bummer

M- Medium body with little to no carbonation and a slight bitter finish.

SkÅL!

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2010 01:45:37 | More by Arenbeer

Augustiner719

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a tulip glass.

Pours a deep reddish orange color, like a fall burnt orange. Really pretty and has a slight haziness to it. Very little head but nice lacing. Not your typical color for a double ipa. The aroma is so powerful with lots of pineapple, pine, lemons, grapefruit and mango. Really tropical. Also has some malt to balance the acidity out. The rich caramel malt is just a tad over powering to the hops but the complexities are fantastic. Mouthfeel is a little flatter than I would have liked but all in all it's silky smooth. Dry
Finish and medium to heavy bodied. Drinkability is nice. Really has a tropical fruits thing going on and it's very appealing. A must if this is distributed by you.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2010 01:03:46 | More by Augustiner719

david18

New York

3.7/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was my bottle review:

I bought this beer because I had never seen it before. It was at the whole foods on 97th and Columbus in New York City. It was a very good balance of elements without anything overpowering the other. Not too hoppy, not too malty, not too strong on the alcohol.

Color is a good dark golden brown. Piney hoppy aroma. Sweet and bitter flavor. Worth getting if you see it.

---

I had a sixteen ounce of this at Amsterdam Ale House on Manhattan's Upper West Side. I generally agree. At the bar it's called an English Style double ipa. I think that's accurate. STrong and malty without being too hoppy. The problem is that the alcohol is a little too present.,

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2010 22:34:21 | More by david18

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.58/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a thin layer cream head that fades to a ring leaving traces of lace. Clear (not cloudy now) amber color. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Grapefruit and caramel nose. Flavor is grapefruit and caramel, big change from last year, sweeter not cloying. The brewer has given this more malt, much better DIPA now. $4.79 for a 22oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2010 22:18:58 | More by jdhilt

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Pony Bar, 7/17/10.

A-Pours a crystal clear amber with a frothy white heads.

S-Sweet, lots of caramel with a subtle citrus hop note.

T-Very sweet, featuring lots of caramel malt. In the finish, some tar-like hop notes mixed with a pine sweetness,

M-Medium bodied, not too heavy.

D-An unusual interpretation of the style, to be sure. Pretty good flavors, though.

HV

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2010 16:32:38 | More by sholland119

Amalak

New York

4.05/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had at d.b.a. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
A- Goldish brown in color, it has a white foamy head that leaves some lacing.
S- It has a sweet caramel scent to it.
T- It's very fruity and sweet. There's a smooth caramel aftertaste, but the front is dominated by a malty citrus. But there is a good balance, thankfully.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2010 22:00:50 | More by Amalak

regspeir

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle into a Duvel tulip
Poured a dark, cloudy reddish orange with a one-finger head that settles to a coating. Lacing was interesting - almost looked like milk skim. Nose was malt forward, some flowery hops and a little citrus. Taste transitions from hops and pine to caramel malts, pineapple and grapefruit with some bitterness in the start and again in the finish. Mouthfeel is light to medium with a little edge and expected oiliness. In a previous reviews, a soapiness has been mentioned and it's there in the mouthfeel. Carbonation makes for some large bubbles. Drinkability was ok if I could get it easier but it is a little syrupy to fit with my favorites in this style.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 23:41:34 | More by regspeir

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my tasting snifter. Pours a copper color that finishes with a slight bronze look. Small frothy white head that dissipates quickly and leaves a very slight fizzy surface and barely any lacing. Just some light fizzy bubbles here and there.

Aroma is malty, and wheat like. Hops are present, but pretty bland and not the mouth-watering IPA aroma I've come to love. Picking up slight fruit, lemon and grapefruit perhaps.

Flavor is decent, but definitely nothing special. Medium body, medium carbonation...finishes dry. Hops right up front with a malty mouth feel, not as much sweetness through-out as I would have liked. Overall, an ok IPA, but not one I'll care to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 19:43:36 | More by ShadesOfGray

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle courtesy of dmeadows. The label states this to be "a bitter ale made from piney, citrusy American hops and a blend of English and American malts. It's heavily dry-hopped to give it an especially pungent nose."

The beer is a clear golden copper color with a thin tan head and lots of lacing. The aroma is definitely hoppy but it has a fairly large load of sweet caramel malts too, giving huge flavors from both sides. Honestly there might be too much sweetness for my personal tastes, but the hops shine through well regardless.

The beer tastes sweet initially, but it takes nanoseconds before the hops bitterness washes over your tongue. The after-taste is rich but balanced, like a light American barleywine. Full bodied and sticky, at least it seems sticky (maybe due to sugary sweetness).

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2010 22:52:37 | More by TurdFurgison

DavoleBomb

Ohio

2.38/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a snifter. Big thanks to shaebs99 for this.

3.5 A: Clear dark amber color. One finger of creamy off white head that falls quickly and leaves spotty lacing.

2.5 S: Citrusy and flowery hops with emphasis on orange and mango and a touch of grapefruit. However, the hops overall are quite weak. Crystal malts and something strange along the lines of sherry.

2.0 T: Mild hop bitterness. Hop flavor in form of pine and a touch of grapefruit, but again really weak. The malts are much stronger, but unfortunately not very tasty. Crystal and breadiness dominates, but doesn't work well together with the pine. This is the second DIPA that I've had this week that doesn't have any hops in it. It's starting to get old.

3.0 M: Medium body. Warming alcohol on finish. Could be creamier as it sits somewhat dead on the tongue. Moderate carbonation.

2.5 D: Horrible for a DIPA and not good for any other style. This brew needs the hops upped and a cleaner yeast.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 02:26:55 | More by DavoleBomb

jimj21

Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bomber purchased in Vermont. Poured into a tulip glass. Dark orange/amber color and very hazy. Topped by two fingers of fluffy and frothy off white head. Retention is ok but fades a bit quickly. Lacing is decent.

Smell is quite hoppy. There is a lot of citrus and pine. Very sweet malt also pokes its way through.

Taste is very hoppy at first. Malt seems to become more prominent as I drink it. Similar to the nose. Piney with sweet citrus fruits. Malt flavor is very sweet.

Medium to full body. Good level of carbonation and very smooth.

Good drinkability. Hops don't completely overpower the senses. Malt is a little sweet. There are better DIPAs out there but this one is a good attempt.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2010 00:52:16 | More by jimj21

weeare138

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appears a hazy dark amber with a fluffy, off white head that slowly fades into a mild cap. Streaks of sticky lacing are left around the glass.
Smell isn't overly appealing up front...I get some obvious hop notes of citrus, pine, and herbs with a wallop of sugary, (IMO) extract-like, syrupy aromas that sincerely smells like an open can of liquid malt extract. A touch of warm, bready biscuit is also found atop the whiffs of caramel, sugar and herbs.
Taste is a little lighter than the aromas with notes of tropical fruit being found. Again, there is that stinging sweetness that draws me back to beating the dead horse of reminding me of sweet extract. I'm not implying that McNeill's used extract but the malt flavor is certainly reminding me it more than any other beer I've had in recent memory.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, chewy, and a bit too sweet with more "umph" in the hop category.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2010 15:35:08 | More by weeare138