Tricerahops Double IPA - Ninkasi Brewing Company

elgiacomo

Georgia

3.2/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22oz bottle, unknown date. Served at around 40-45F.

Pours lightly hazy orange/amber with a good off-white head that leaves lots of sticky lacing and maintains a small cap.

Aroma is some orange citrus, apricot, good bit of floral hops, a touch of pine, decent bit of caramel malt. Good strength.

Flavor is apricot, orange/grapefruit citrus, some resin, noticeable caramel malt backbone, decent bit of sweetness in the middle, moderate bitterness on the finish and just a little mild alcohol.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, creamy, oily, moderate carbonation.

Apricot and caramel would be the best way for me to sum this one up, and unfortunately those are not my two favorite flavors in an IPA/DIPA. I could see fans of something like Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute really diggin’ this one though...

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 02:16:32 | More by elgiacomo

chugalug06

Colorado

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Crisp, clear, orange brew. Head is fluffy, small, and off-white with tan colors. Decent lacing too.

Sweet tropical scents. Big slight dry tartness. Unique.

Dry, bitterly wet, and refreshing. Sweet fruity flavors.

Delicious for a hot summer day. Glad I got to try this brew. Ninkasi redems themselves with this nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 01:35:46 | More by chugalug06

KDawg

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

poured from bomber into a pint glass. Pours a dark orange color with a nice head.

Deep and big aromas of hops, oranges, and loads of citrus notes. While not completely complex, it has a lot of depth.

Full bodied with a really good smooth feel. Complete with real good flavors of oranges, citrus', hops and some hot caramel.

One of the better DIPAs that I've had in a while. This is exactly what I want a DIPA to be. There was no booziness to it either.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 01:35:07 | More by KDawg

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a light coppery color, with a beige-like head of a couple fingers. Leaves nice spiderweb lace. The aroma is bit on the citrus, juicy fruits, some caramel and slight maltiness backing. Big citrus tastes, quite bitter on the finish, plenty of malts in this IIPA too. Not much in the way of booze noticeable here. It has a rich feel, nicely full bodied, though cleanly finishing aside from some bittering linger. Having this a couple times, I'd definitely have it again. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 00:24:02 | More by EgadBananas

LagerThanLife

4.63/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

the malt and the hop flavors make this beer for me. I know that sounds stupid because what (besides yeast) the hell else would you be tasting bud? right? I know, however, a lot of IPAs I have had recently, now that they make up like 90% of the 22ozers at my liquor store :( , have been really bitter and really sweet which i guess = balanced, but i cound't for the life of me find another tasting note for them.
HOWEVER, this beer, this beer is bursting with both flavor and subtlety. malt flavor is rich but not over powering (2 row, munich and carahell) i dont know much about carahell and now i am interested. the hops bring bitterness, but alos complex tropical fruit aromas and spiciness.
this is an all around great IPA

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 21:06:31 | More by LagerThanLife

FosterJM

California

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

1364th Review on BA
Bottle to Piraat Tulip
22oz

Ordered from LetsPour.com

App- A nice golden orange with a yellow ring around the outside. A nice puffy two finger white head. Spotted dots with a small wall. Good density.

Smell- It's a bit of a small creamy hoppy with a bigger fuller malt backbone on the nose. A bit of damp orange with some zest and a little bit of a pepper/amber ale kick.

Taste- It was a nice beer. The ABV for being above 8 is very well hidden. No sting or burn on the flavor profile. The hops are there but not overly done. The bitter is also kept in check and is semi minimal. Well layered with just a tad of pine and a creamy flavor as well.

Mouth- A nice full medium with a small creamy note. Ive noticed this is a trend lately with things being creamy to me. A nice full carbonation level with a nice malty bitter and small hop residual flavor.

Drink- A nice beer. Really was. Was right down the middle for a solid hoppy/malty mix. A little thick and filling but still quite tasty. For the price was a good buy.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 17:17:02 | More by FosterJM

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle. Pours a brownish translucent orange with an inch of head. Minimal lacing. Aromas of resinous hops, onion, garlic, and hints of tropical fruits. Taste is more of the resiny hops along with the onion and garlic flavors. Very dank and garlicy. Medium bodied. This one somewhat reminds me of Gubna. Not sure about the garlic/onion hop flavors on this one. Overall, its alright but I think im done after this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 06:30:33 | More by PicoPapa

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A. Orangish-amber with a fluffy long-lasting (and large bubbled) head with large lazy loops of lacing. (Try saying that three times fast.)

S. Dank, resinous hopping with a small onion / garlic garnish over a sweet caramel malt aroma.

T. Grapefruit pith, apricots, pine resin, and a touch of garlic and mint for the hopping flavors. Just barely on the dry side of the sweet/dry continuum. What smelled like a caramel malt actually presents on the tongue as a vaguely 75% biscuit malt and 25% caramel malt sort of flavor.

M. Slightly undercarbonated for the heavier side of medium body. But at least it's smooth in texture.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 18:09:35 | More by WastingFreetime

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From a brown 22 oz. bomber, picked up in Ponderay, Idaho. Pours out a slightly hazed copper hue, tall foamy ivory head with impressive retention.

Bright burst of grapefruit hops on the nose, and after much sniffing, not much else. No complaints here though.

The flavour is straight up, in your face, mouth puckering grapefruit citrus hops. A hint--if not simply just a glimmer of the imagination--of bready, biscuit malt can be discerned behind it all, however that may only be urban legend at this point.

Medium-full mouthfeel, full silky smooth texture, with medium carbonation that has its brisk moments.

Everything I'm personally looking for in a regular American IPA, it's lacking some malt backbone or balance for a DIPA, but who cares, this is delicious. Wish I would have picked up more. Really enjoyable stuff, worth seeking out more.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 05:49:16 | More by IronDjinn

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a tulip at cellar temperature.

L - Pale amber color with a 2.5-finger thick cream-colored head. Great retention, excellent lacing, and a nice amount of bubbles.

S - An earthy and floral hop bouquet with maybe a hint of citrus and a solid malt presence with caramel, nut, and bread notes. Less hop forward than I’d like a DIPA to be, but it still smells nice.

T - Starts off sweet with caramel malt and citrus notes and quickly builds into a blast of bitterness with grassy, floral, earthy, and grapefruit hop notes. All the hops that weren’t there in the aroma are definitely here in the taste.

F - Medium-bodied with medium carbonation, mouth-coating and sticky feel, and a moderately dry but very bitter finish. Earthy hop bitterness lingers for a great amount of time.

O - This is a pretty solid DIPA. It looks terrific, has a great mouthfeel, and while the hops weren’t as apparent as I’d like in the aroma, they were definitely there in the taste. One interesting note is that this ventures away from most other DIPAs that I’ve had in that it doesn’t have as much citrus or pine notes. It has a very grassy and earthy taste. The alcohol is nowhere to be found, as well. This was a pretty tasty beer, and I’d like to try some more from Ninkasi.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 03:22:48 | More by BlackBelt5112203

chodinheaven

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice clarity in this brilliant amber-orange DIPA. Big and fluffy two finger off-white head that dissapates very slowly, leaving lots of lacing in its wake. A resiny grapefruit citrus smell makes up most of the hop aroma, but its somewhat faint as this beer isn't overly aromatic. Full-body of bready malt makes up the rest of the aroma. Clean and crisp, but wouldn't mind a bit more of a nose-full in the hop department.

The taste starts off with a quick and lightly toasty bready malt that has hints of caramel and gives the beer a nice full body throughout the taste. This moves into a citrusy lemon-orange zest that has a nice dry flavor and sets up a big grapefruity finale. The hops in the back are both bitter and flavorful, tons of grapefruit flavor backed by a combination of somewhat earthy, resiny/grapefruit bitterness that adds a perfect balance to the full body of the beer. The mouthfeel is a great balance of smooth and prickly with a medium carbonation level that doesn't get in the way, but also doesn't seem watery. Alcohol is certainly there, but way in the background as a soft reminder on the breath.

When you put all of these components together, it becomes a fantastically drinkable DIPA. It seems so smooth and with that full body it is so satisfying. The aroma is a bit disappointing but the taste and near perfect balance for a DIPA make this a very good beer. I'm glad I picked a couple of these up, because it has definitely hit the spot today.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 03:45:25 | More by chodinheaven

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.33/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

650 ml bottle.

It pours a deep amber with a frothy white head that leaves some decent lacing.

The smell is pleasant. Nice tropical mango scents, decent malt sweetness, mostly pale malts. Very nice.

The flavor is decent. Some butterscotch and butteriness mars it slightly but nice hop flavor.

A decent dipa.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:52:21 | More by crossovert

fmccormi

New York

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Straight pour from 22oz pry-off bottle to my nice Hill Farmstead stem, the oversized wine glass. No bottle dating visible.

Appearance (4.0): Nice pour, body is gorgeous—chill haze through a copper-honey colored body, capped with an off-white head going from one finger to a slight haze on top. The head is a little disappointing in that regard, but that’s not such a big deal. Some lacing on the sides, sudsy spots all around.

Smell (3.5): Nice orange, grapefruit, and some mango in there—more like tangerines with a little caramel pastry underneath. Very nice smelling, could be more fragrant, but what’s there is very nice.

Taste (4.5): This tastes great. Grapefruit pith, pungent pine and seriously dank notes just come through in waves, wave after wave. The finish is long, bitter, and dank. There’s a dirty earthiness behind the hops the whole time, too, which I’m really digging. Floral, earthy, and herbal, all at the same time. Meanwhile, the malt body is sturdy but not overpowering in any way—caramel, wheat bread, a little rye? Very nice. Yeast isn’t particularly noticeable but it’s not so neutral as your typical American ale yeast. Regardless, I dig it. All of it.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Understated carbonation, dry finish, oily feel from the hops, all in all very nice. This would be a great candidate for cask-conditioning.

Overall (4.0): This is a well-balanced, tasteful, satisfying DIPA. The more examples of this category that I try, the more appreciate the little things, like the earthiness somewhere between the malt body and the hop profile, the way the hops walk the line between floral and dank underneath all that citrus, or the burnished, coppery, honey-like color of the beer itself. Very solid brew, glad to have tried and I will definitely seek it out in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 00:33:08 | More by fmccormi

greenmonstah

New Hampshire

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle into nonic imperial pint

A - Amber-caramel in color with a finger of off-white head. Great retention.

S - Clean tropical sweetness in the form of pineapple. Some caramel sugar, but largely a less-aggressive but hop-forward profile.

T - Bittering hops balanced well with malt sugars, again largely focused on caramel and pineapple. Very clean and straightforward profile, but incredibly refreshing and easy to drink.

M - Medium in body, wettish but slope in the direction of dryness as you swallow and take it all in.

O - Overall an IPA that I would be hard pressed to believe is a double, in the sense that it is incredibly easy to drink and not too aggressive. Hops and malts are balanced and in excellent control, this beer has restraint. That said, it doesn't suffer from simplicity, as it has considerable complexity in the background. Great beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 00:23:31 | More by greenmonstah

superspak

Michigan

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours fairly hazy golden orange color with a nice 2 finger dense off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some good spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas of big orange zest, grapefruit, pineapple, floral, pine, caramel, honey, bread, and a decent bit of alcohol. Some pretty good aromas, with good strength and balance. Taste of huge orange, pineapple, grapefruit, pine, floral, caramel, honey, bread, and herbal spiciness. Decent amount of spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of orange, pineapple, grapefruit, floral, pine, caramel, honey, and herbal on the finish for a good bit. Great citrus flavor balance with piney bitterness. Maltiness is slightly stronger. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a nice creamy and slightly slick mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming after the finish noticed. Quite smooth to drink but is still a bit of a sipper. Overall this is a great DIPA! Great hop flavor balance and smoothness; and extremely enjoyable to sip on.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 03:34:48 | More by superspak

shand

Florida

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint.

Rereview - The kind folks at LetsPour sent me a replacement bottle after my problems with the first bottle. This beer pours out a nice amber color with two fingers of head that drop down to a centimeter worth of cap. The aroma is nicely balanced between citrus hops and caramel malts, with just a bit of grapefruit. The taste is an easy-drinking combination of tropical and critus hops with just a bit of grapefruit rind. The caramel malts are ever-present, but are not assertive. They're very mellow and lend a nice backbone to the beer. The finish is bitter and hoppy, but again not aggressively. There's a bit of a herbal hop component in here too that tends to get overlooked in the flavor profiles of DIPAs that I find quite welcome.

The mouthfeel is moderately carbonated and on the lighter side for the ABV, and the drinkability is very good. Overall, this is just a solid double IPA that could easily be a hometown favorite for it's easy-drinking trait. I'd probably drink this a lot on tap if I lived in the area. It's really funny how just an off level of carbonation can change the whole way that a beer seems to taste. Big ups to LetsPour for sending me a replacement bottle after the problems with my first.

Original score: 3/3/4.5/3.5/3.5

Bad impression 1) This bottle was severely underfilled. I'm talking only 18 ounces out of the supposed 22 ounces. Bad impression 2) Possibly related to the short fill, despite a healthy PSST on opening, there was no head to this beer. The aroma is strong on the caramel malts, with just a touch of piney hops and not much else. The taste though is rather good. It's got a smooth balance at first between the malts and the piney hops, but the hops maintain a slow burn through the finish that fully coats my mouth. Very nicely executed.

The mouthfeel is surely undercarbonated, but that could do with the short fill, so I'm giving it a pass. The drinkability is very good though. I'm kinda disappointed about the poor QC from the brewery on this very short fill that negatively effected their product. The cap very loudly hissed so I know it wasn't a leak during packaging. That said, the flavor was good enough that I still enjoyed this beer. It's not the best first impression though.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 01:44:39 | More by shand

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Half Acre tulip.

A- pours a nice dark golden color with a 2" off-white head. Nice waves and clumps of lacing remain.

S- some sweet malts and citrus ( orange and pineapple). Aromas not as dominant as other dipa's.

T- sweet caramel, oranges and grapefruit predominantly for citrus flavors. Mostly bitter rind hop flavor but some pine notes in there also.

M- medium body and carbonation. Nice drinkability, a bit slick with semi dry finish from the bitter rind.

O- really liked this beer. Believe this is my first Ninkasi beer and it didn't disappoint. Would get this again given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 01:52:53 | More by kawilliams81

brotherloco

California

3.85/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber. No date, but think this is a new batch. Served in a snifter.

Pours a hazy copper orange with very little head formation. Dissipates quickly to a razor thin ring. Tiny bit of lacing.

Aroma of grapefruit, orange, piney dankness with a bit of onion. Sweet caramel malt. A butterscotch note.

A lot of floralness in the initial flavor. Sweetens up through the middle and finishes quite sweet. Citrus, pine, and floral tinged bitterness blossoms nicely through the middle and finish as well. Lingering hop bitterness in the aftertaste.

Medium bodied with medium-low carbonation. Just slightly thick.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 03:12:49 | More by brotherloco

N3rdM3t4l

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

bomber into standard pint. Room temp into chilled glass.

A: Dark honey colored and crystal clear with FOUR fingers of foamy, chunky, rocky, BEAUTIFUL slightly off white head. The lacing is intense and it has taken about 5 minutes for it to recede into a chunky foamy mess on top of the beer with a curtain of the stuff left on the sides of the glass. Looks like a golden bubble bath.

S: Hops right up front. Hidden under the hops is a little bit of sweetness. The hops smells earthy and almost dank, like peat. Smells good. Would be great with something roasted I think.

T: That sweetness on the nose is there right away on the palate despite the huge hop presence. After that is a burst of earthy hops that fades into a good bitter. A little alcohol warmth down the throat from the higher abv too.

M: Solid medium body with just enough carbonation to make it not feel like you are drinking malt syrup. Feels good in the mouth.

O: I must be learning to like IPAs because the more I review them the more I like them. Or I just keep trying better IPA. I was scared of this at first since this really isn't my style of beer and doubling it was a terrifying thought for me, especially after trying Total Domination and being overwhelmed with hops. I recommend this brew actually, score for my hometown heroes Ninkasi.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 06:06:46 | More by N3rdM3t4l

spicelab

Australia

3.4/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bomber from Wholefoods, Bend. Reviewed from notes.

Bright golden amber with a large, somewhat porous white head. Sinks relatively quickly with minimal lacing to a slight ring and film.

Somewhat muffled sweet citrus and floral hop aromas supported by savoury and toffee malts. Touch of sweatiness provides a lift and elusive sour grapefruit and wet grass at times give it a smart bite.

Flavours are dominated by a sharpish, earthy, fresh-mint bitterness which is nice in itself, but it fairly clobbers the fruity character. Some tangerine survives, but that's about all.

Medium body with moderate carbonation and an increasingly bracing bitterness on the mid and rear that is quite satsifying.

Doesn't seem to fulfil its potential, particularly with respect to the taste which verges on unidimensional. Not sure of the age on this though. Most redeeming characteristic is the dry bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 05:16:36 | More by spicelab

AgentMunky

Alabama

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a snifter. Supplemented by a review from notes done on 20 January 2011.

A: A relatively brief finger of head tops a coppery-clear beer. Not the best-looking beer I've seen. Scattered lacing.

S: Strong, resiny hops. This bottle is not as balanced as the one I had in January; perhaps it's fresher. Still, a splash of cream helps out. Nice.

T/M: A bit of citrus with a deep undercurrent of hops that manages to not be overbearing. Dry-sweet-malts and spot-on carbonation make for very pleasant drinking.

O: This beer improves as it warms, enhancing the pine bitterness while still somehow mellowing it. Good, but not great. I would drink again, but the friend who recommended it to me may have overhyped it a bit. Still, I would certainly recommend it to others and will drink again. Great name!

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 05:52:22 | More by AgentMunky

Nay

Pennsylvania

4.58/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle brought via Iowa (thanks Dan and Jean!), delicious: worthy of "double IPA" distinction. Stronger than IPA at 8.8 ABV and bitterness level, yet not syrupy, sweet, or indigestible like a barleywine. Malty yet dry. A real clone-worthy beer. Aroma good, but a bit more hops would have been nice, but not unexpected from a bottle. Must get more.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2012 22:12:06 | More by Nay

DCon

Missouri

3.43/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought a 1 PINT 6 FL. OZ. bottle of this from Broulin's in Driggs, ID for $7.19.Poured from the Aqua Blue labeled bottle w/ the Ninkasi "N" bold into a 16oz Grand Teton Brewing Co Pint Glass. Does not have a freshness date.

Aroma- Has tons of grassy hop aroma from the beginning and sweetness towards the end. Very well blended aroma, tough to bring out much more.

Appearance- Pours a 3 Finger, frothy and long lasting head. Has a clear, copper colored both with tons of carbonation bubbles. Leaves THICK rings of lacing behind.

Flavor- Starts with tons of nice hop flavors (citrus, mango, and fruit) but then doesn't have much more... Has a light bitterness ending. Wondering whats going on here? A good amount of sweetness and malt are found. Maybe a malt dominant body?

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied, Medium-High Carbonation, Creamy, Smooth, and finishes with light alcohol warming.

Overall Impression- Not the 2X IPA I was looking for... This seemed more like a Citrus IPA and didn't have the body or finishing flavors a Double IPA would. Would not turn this down if offered and not a bad brew, I just rate to style here.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 23:50:48 | More by DCon

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Present (thinnish) head, white.

Tangy, kinda gingerbread nose.

Big, well balanced taste, spicy malt with some nut, but easily drinkable and quite tasty. Finish is like a hop salad.

Feels a bit bright, but not too fizzy.

I don't love or seek out IPAs/DIPAs, but I can appreciate a good one, and this is one.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 01:47:53 | More by zaphodchak

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.23/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured a dark orange color with good carbonation and a nice white head.

S: Nose is faint, very faint hints of caramel, pine needles, earth. Disappointing.

T: Rather lackluster. Minor notes of pine sap, orange peel. Caramel and a bread. Some yeast as well.

M: Not much bitterness, medium body, good booze feel

O: Overrated IIPA

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2012 23:25:17 | More by barleywinefiend