Double Dragonfly Imperial IPA - Upland Brewing Company

titosupertramp

Tennessee

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Hazy, dull copper in color. Finger or so of soapy, white head. Leave behind a thin film with larger bubbles floating around. Not a lot of lacing. Some floaties. Gotta love unfiltered beer.

S: Not hop forward, but they're certainly present. Bready, sweet malts. Pine and grapefruit is what I notice mostly out of the hops. There kind of a chalky smell to this that I'm not so sure about.

T: Yep..chalky in the taste too. Not bad enough to ruin the beer by any means, but enough for me to take the scores down a notch. The hop are pretty damn bitter which isn't a bad thing. Pine and grapefruit in the taste just like the nose. Sweet malts balance things out a bit.

M: Dry, bitter with a little amount of alcohol burn. On the full side of medium.

O: I can't say Double Dragonfly is very drinkable because the alcohol makes itself known for sure, but it's enjoyable enough. Won't buy this again, but wouldn't turn it down either.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2011 02:19:30 | More by titosupertramp

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a beautiful golden color with plenty of unfiltered haze from a 22oz bomber. A bunch of floaties slowly settle to the bottom of my glass. It is crowned with a mostly white frothy head that slowly recedes while clinging tightly to the glass leaving quite attractive lacing. Aroma is hop weak for the style leading me to wonder of bottle age. It has been in my fridge since purchased last month. Bottled in March 2011 so about 3 months old.

First sip confirms age maybe a factor but it is hardly in the barley wine category. Mouthfeel is quite nice as the carbonation seems spot on and the body is worthy of the East Coast version of this style. Even with some hop fade there is a decent bitter finish. Not among the best in this style but not bad either.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 00:36:24 | More by ATLbeerDog

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

dark amber color with a light level of haziness that seemed to clear as the night went on. small head of white comes up and over the top, settling down with a nice light lacing throughout.

aroma of deep resin filled hops that really hung in the air. lots of orange, and dark, sweet citrus notes, a classic for sure right out of the gate. warming brought a touch of sweet malts into the mix but overall it definitely stayed the course with a deep an heavenly hop aroma. feel was very full, sticky and dead on. thick flavor of orange hops and sweet malts mingle on the tongue and create a huge resin filled flavor

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 02:28:19 | More by mikesgroove

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.15/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I just noticed that this bottle made be a bit on the old side, however, the ABV might make up for that:

Bottled February 2011.

I poured this into a pint glass because I just broke my last snifter today. I've now broken four in the last month. Damn!

A: This was a cloudy, yeasty-clumpified (unfiltered) brew if I've ever seen one. Red-orange in color, and on the dark side of that color spectrum. The 3-4 finger head was massive indeed!

S: Corn husk, fruit juice, and bit of ground up "Flinstone" vitamins. This doesn't smell like the sugar bomb that I thought it might be. Let's see...

T: I got more of a floral component as opposed to a citrus one. Not nearly as full as I was hoping... and the booze was a killer. Medium bodied (which is kinda bad in an IPA this size), and the fruit didn't have much natural sweetness about it.

M: The lacing was absurd, and the booze was about as hot as Disney World in July! The carbonation was moderate.

O: They should have just thrown some sugar or rock candy into the brew kettle with the rest of the ingredients and called it a day. That might have been more interesting than the brew I just tasted.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 02:58:18 | More by Chaney

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Upland Brewing Company, Inc., Bloomington, IN, Double Dragonfly Imperial IPA, Alc. 9.1 % by Vol., 1 Pint, 6 fluid ounces.

What's going on in this picture? Seems a tad suggestive, but who am I to judge?

Highly hazed amber/orange appearance. Creamy, long lasting head atop.

Aroma: tropical fruit, prickly pine, some citrus. Reveals some alcohol.

Taste: bitter bomb from the start. Fierce, harsh, and powerful. Alcohol comes roaring through. Grapefruit and pineapple, covered in pine cones and dunked in vodka. With each new sip, it only gets moreso.

Bitterness is all over the palate, body is medium. And slowly, it's toning down. Getting a little easier to take. Less aggressive. And tastier, too. The palate isn't being stomped on, and torn up.

All in all, though, I can't say I've enjoyed this one very much. Especially with the mess at the bottom of the bottle. Not too pleasant. Yucky.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 00:59:24 | More by feloniousmonk

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a hazy orange/copper color with about a half inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both decent. Aroma is citrusy (tropical fruit, grapefruit) and pine hops, along with some caramel malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, but the bitter flavors are much stronger compared to the others. It's an herbal/floral bitterness that I notice in the taste, and I think it overpowers the other flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick and is well carbonated. I think it's an OK brew, but not one I would buy very often. There are just too many other Imperial IPA's that I would rather have instead.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 21:58:45 | More by bluejacket74

richkrull

Wisconsin

4.63/5  rDev +26.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this one in my poker winnings from SuperNova777. Thanks a lot bud!

Poured a rich copper color with an inch of slightly off white head and very good lacing.

Smell is fantastic. Very hoppy throughout. This beer smells great!!!

Taste is very very good. Great bitter hop flavor throughout.

Medium mouthfeel on this easy drinking beer. Went down smooth and easy.

I enjoyed this one a lot. Luckily I just noticed it in one of my local stores. I'll definitely get this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 02:31:17 | More by richkrull

BMoney575

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sampled on 5-9-11
Bottled in February 2011

Pours a hazy orange color, with lots of little yeast floaters. A sticky white head clings to the top, leaving lots of little bubbles on the sides.

Smell is all bitter hops, very piney and sweet. Strong, but pleasant, with a great depth and clean finish.

Taste is just like the smell, huge strong hops. The malt is just barely there, leaving thick, sweet, piney hop resin to dominate. The finish is sticky and bitter, lasting long into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is thick and sticky, an awesome combo with the heavy hoppiness.

Drinkability is surprisingly good, the bitterness easily masks the alcohol, but without being overpowering.

Overall, an awesome, and cheap beer. Would buy it all the time if I could.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 22:40:09 | More by BMoney575

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle, 9.1% abv. Hazy copper, nice thick rocky head. Retention is pretty good, and there is a nice amount of lace.

Grapefruit, citrusy hops along with some hints of pine. Stone fruits come to mind. Good aroma of caramel malt.

A good deal of sweetness up front. Seems to be heavy on the caramel, but not cloying. Some earthy bitterness, and a flash of citrus. Earthy bitterness lingers, without a great deal of other flavors. None of the hop character nd complexity that was present in the nose.

Medium body with ample carbonation. Some warmth felt in the chest. I really expected more after the aroma.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 00:03:13 | More by Bierguy5

CliffBrake

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy deep orange color with minimal head and lacing.

Subdued aroma. I can pick up a hint of apricot but just a hint. Fairly agressive, somewhat coarse bitterness with some citrus.

Somewhat juicy mouthfeel with a prickly finish.

Overall, not a bad try, but could use some tightening up to compete with a burgeoning field of DIPA's out there these days.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 23:11:10 | More by CliffBrake

Beerenauslese

California

3.4/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy amber body. Poured to about a half-inch head, the head is foamy, sudsy, and has great retention.

Smells malty and intensely of grapefruit hops.

Tastes of intense grapefruit hops and is very bitter, almost like Chinese bitter melon. Although there is some sweet malt backbone, it is not enough to balance the intense bitter hops. There is a soapy off-taste to this which is not pleasant. Lacks aromatic hops.

Body is medium and carbonation is sufficient to give this a creamy mouthfeel.

Overall, this is a hop assault, and at first it is not very pleasant one. While the initial impulse may be not to continue to drink it, the palate does adjust to it. While I could handle this and kept on drinking it, after having some food, the off-tastes reappeared. This is really a beer for those who want to exercise their bitter hop tolerance, as in resistance training.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 00:19:08 | More by Beerenauslese

dmfrench

Indiana

3.13/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Too sweet, no hop flavor despite bitterness...should've been a Barleywine.
___

A: Typical if not half a shade light pumpkin orange body, complete with plenty of chunky yeast, topped with a two finger yellowed-white head that soon drops to a film.

S: Pretty typical of not a bit subdued DIPA nose... hops of grapefruit, pine, and a bit of spice, balanced equally against buttery, sweet caramel malt. A fair aroma, but it's not exactly jumping out of the glass.

T: Wow, that is one sweet ass DIPA... as in sugary, not awesome. A big, barleywine-like sweet orange/apricot/caramel body greets you up front. Soon, a wallop of hop bitterness joins in, both existing simultaneously, until the finish, where drying hop bitterness wins out. The problem is that there's hardly any hop *flavor* to be had. Cloying sweetness? Yes. Tongue-puckering bitterness? Yes. Tasty DIPA hops? No.

M: A bit on the light side for the ABV, high carbonation, probably too high.

O: Not drinking this one again... not that it's at all offensive, but it's just not a successful DIPA.

M:

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 02:31:22 | More by dmfrench

Brent

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is a step-ahead of the Dragonfly IPA in quality. Nice punchy hops, perhaps a bit more malt-forward and sweet than average for the style, but not enough to be a problem. ETOH was not at all harsh and blended well with the flavor profile. I would like to see Upland move into some bigger beers, as it seems they have the knack.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2011 16:31:47 | More by Brent

brew3crew

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had bottle at brew pub. Nicely priced too!

A-nice orange body with white head that retains for a decent amount of time.
S-nice mix of fruity upfront and pine hops to finish
T-not as good as it smells but still pretty good. Nice mix of the hops. Wow.
M-finishes dry and smooth. Nice hop aftertaste
O-very pleasant suprise. Wish it was on tap and not in bottle!

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 02:34:32 | More by brew3crew

UMNbeerhunter

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to zrab11 for sending this one as an extra in a trade thanks bro. Poured into a HotD tulip on 3/24/11.

Pours a clear orange with a finger and a half of powdery off white head. Head dissipates to leave a fine lacing over about 70% of the glass.

Smells of some floral hops and a lot of malt backbone not strong at all. I can also smell the booze in this one.

Taste is of malt and some hops but mostly malt. Hops is grassy and earthy.

Mouthfeel is medium and their is a significant alcohol presence in the taste. Some bite on the tounge and the rough of the mouth.

Drinkability is low to moderate on this one. It all has to do with the lack of cover up on the ABV. If I can taste the booze throughout the entire sip thats not good for an IPA. It has a good taste but I the hops need to be amped up.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 00:04:50 | More by UMNbeerhunter

mwa423

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pours a murky reddish brown, decent head and lacing retention.

S - Very light aroma for a double ip, what is there is light citrus and pine hop notes.

T - Taste isvery hop forward with a strong steely hoppiness that fades to a citrus aftertaste.

M/D - Mouthfeel is creamy but has a bite to it as well. Reasonably drinkable but not particularly outstanding.

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2011 21:27:34 | More by mwa423

meatyard

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

According to the poorly clipped date marker it appears that this was bottled in Nov. 2010

Pours a very hazy, reddish amber with a nice looking, 2-finger, white head

The smell is a mild but pleasant citrus and piney hops plus a faint, sweet malt.

The taste is a good dose of pine followed by just a bit of sweet malt and finishes with a good dose of bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium tending toward thin with mild carbonation.

Drinkability: While there is nothing particularly special or complex with this DIPA it is mostly quite drinkable. Age may have diminished what I hope were stronger citrus hops which would have moved it up.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2011 23:54:39 | More by meatyard

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle poured into a wine glass. Thanks to my father-in-law for grabbing this. Bottled November 2010.

Pours a hazy light copper color. A bit too dark. There is a thin off-white head that sticks around for a bit and leaves behind just a touch of spotty lacing. The nose brings some citrus and a bit of piney hops. Some caramel malt and breadiness there as well. The flavor is slightly hoppy, though most of the hop component comes in the form of bitterness. Even the bitterness isn't reaching the level of a DIPA, however. Slight floral and pine character. No real alcohol presence. An okay beer, but nothing I'd seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 02:15:26 | More by Thorpe429

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.68/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got this beer from adamb0719. Thanks Adam!

22oz bottle served in a snifter.

L - chill hazed blazing copper color with a white head that left lots of lacing.

S - sweet floral hop aroma.

T - sweet floral taste upfront until the bitternes fights it's way through taking me to a dry finish.

F - medium bodied with good carbonation.

D - easy enough to drink and worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 03:39:24 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

drpimento

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured with a nice, foamy, frothy, off white head that lasts, and lots of lace. Color is a cloudy medium amber. Aroma is huge hops. Hop bomb.
Flavor is mainly hops with malt, caramel, butter, and yeast. Body is good and so is carbonation. Finish is like flavor. Too much for me.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 04:28:41 | More by drpimento

Florida9

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottled May '10

A: Deep amber in color. Forms a good inch of light tan head. Good retention and lacing.

S: Caramel malt and orange.

T: Caramel malt and a lot of it. Followed by flavors of orange, tea and a strong earthy bitterness.

M: Medium in body with appropriate carbonation. Strong bitterness hangs on the tongue.

D: A not overly impressive DIPA, maybe a little past it's prime, but I don't get the impression this was meant to be a hop forward DIPA in the first place. Flavors are a bit off. Not bad, just not good either.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2010 02:20:26 | More by Florida9

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bold and seductive flavors and aromas capture what's best about these high gravity hop bombs. But the balance of the beer gets too much of a challenge from caramel sweetness instead of dry maltiness.

Bright and deep golden colors cast highlights on the creamy effervesence, fueling a stark white sheet across the beer's surface. Light on lacing, the beer is appealing but not irresistable.

Citrus and tropical fruits give the clean and crisp impressions of tangerines, ruby red grapefruit, pineapple, lemon zest, and mulled spruce. The background structure of caramel maltiness adds ample support at first but as the beer warms, the sweetness of the malts give a sugary effect and eventually challenge the hop character for attention. Though the focus remains on the hops, the sweet flavor and feel detracts from the beer a bit too much.

A fine Double IPA, but the lack of dry malty support in favor of straight up caramel sweetness prevents this beer for rivaling Pliney the Elder or Three Floyds Dreadnaught.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2010 23:46:21 | More by BEERchitect

levifunk

Wisconsin

4.22/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

thanks to lukafer for this.

a - light golden pour with a good amount of head and nice lacing.

s - smell is pine and floral hops with some malt sweetness. nose isn't that strong.

t - I'm a big fan of the not so hop forward dipa's, so this is right up my ally. hops bitterness is definitely there, but there is a good amount sweetness and malts. very balanced flavor.

m - medium body. carbonation is spot on. slightly dry finish.

overall - this is a great dipa. if you're a huge hop head, this might not be your favorite, but if you like balanced dipa's, check this one out. very drinkable, and the 9.1% (what?!?) is very well masked.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2010 23:48:14 | More by levifunk

drabmuh

Maryland

3.03/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Extra in a recent trade. Served in my DFH signature glass. Beer is orangish and hazy with a decent head and nice carbonation, looks good.

Aroma is sweet and malty with some hops. eh...

Beer is medium body with decent carbonation on the palate. its more malty than hoppy, I don't know the date this was bottled, but I assume its recent. Just not my kind of IPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 04:01:07 | More by drabmuh

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.33/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt!

This beer appears a dark orange hue. There is a half inch of head that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. The aroma is pretty weak. The smell is of a strong IPA with a substantial amount of malt. My suspicions are confirmed: this is an IPA that is relatively balanced in terms of hops to malt. I would prefer less malt and more hops, of course. I'm missing the floral, citrus, pine, etc. - the things that define an IPA to me. The taste is not astringent or unappealing, per se, but again, this beer lacks the defining characteristics associated with the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 01:10:17 | More by Huhzubendah