Tricerahops Double IPA - Ninkasi Brewing Company

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

smekermann

British Columbia (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

This brewery's been getting a lot of hype in BC. Everywhere I turn, I see NINKASI. I go to Facebook, I see NINKASI being hyped by the distributor. I go to Brewery Creek, I see NINKASI beer in the staff recommendations list. They have NINKASI tap takeovers. Obviously, this brewery has something to prove. I avoided them in the past on account of a friend (hello largoderr) saying he wasn't too impressed with their stuff. He's generally someone whose taste I trust, but at the same time, I couldn't take all the hype anymore. I had to try one of their beers. I was in the mood for some goddamn IPA this evening, so I got a bottle of this, a bottle of Tofino Brewing Hoppin' Cretin and a sixpack of Lagunitas Sucks from Brewery Creek. When I asked the cashier about this beer, he told me that if I liked being punched in the mouth with hops, I would definitely enjoy this. Welp, seeing as my favorite pastime is being abused, assaulted and being held hostage by hops, I assumed this beer would deliver. Sigh. One of these days I'm going to have to stop being so trusting of people.

Where to start with this beer? I guess I'll start by saying that I had a couple of the Lagunitas Sucks bottles first, because I knew they were pretty goddamn amazing (and they were), and then I had the Tofino Brewing Hoppin' Cretin because it was a single IPA so I figured I should have that before having the TRICERAHOPS, because the TRICERAHOPS was a double IPA, you see. Thus, it contained, like, DOUBLE the amount of palate-wrecking hops contained in a meager bomber of Hoppin' Cretin.

Sadly, this beer is completely underwhelming. It pours ok. I guess I'm really bad at gauging a beer's quality by its color (and really, I hardly understand the point of a rating based upon it), but it poured a pretty nice cloudy amber. It smelled... not like a double IPA would smell. The hops were fairly anemic and kinda generic, in the way "wet grass" would smell. The malts were very noticeable in the smell, as well, which is never a great sign in a supposed "hop bomb" double IPA.

The taste was just... bland. Generally, when I have a double IPA, I expect to be smacked down by the hops. It's not masochism on my part, I've just come to expect it from the style. This beer's hop profile could barely compare to the Hoppin' Cretin single IPA I had prior to it. You could definitely tell you were drinking an IPA, but you'd be hard-pressed to pinpoint any exact flavors or aromas. When your double IPA fails to overpower or, hell, even stack up to a single IPA, you have some issues on your hands.

Initial mouthfeel isn't bad. Good carbonation, decent crispness from the hops, but then the malt just overpowers everything else. This sort of malt backing would be ideal to an overpowered, 11% IPA with an obscene amount of hops (like Hop Henge, maybe). In this beer, though, it just overpowers everything and just makes it kinda sweet and slightly cloying.

Maybe I didn't have the freshest bottle. I wouldn't know, since NINKASI (HYPE HYPE HYPE) doesn't date their bottles. I've been running into this problem quite often recently. Breweries, seriously, how about you start dating your goddamn IPAs? Regardless, I'm pretty sure I'd have many of the same qualms with it even fresh. At 8.8% ABV, I can't see the hop profile balancing out the huge malt body this beer has.

Overall, I think this is proof that hyping a beer to hell and back works. 91 rating on BA? Seriously? There are way better examples of double IPAs in Oregon, Washington, and, hell, even in BC, Canada. They don't have an awesome hype campaign like this brewery, though, so they're nowhere near as well known.

HYPE IS AWESOME NINKASI HYPE HYPE BEST BEER (if you like things that suck)

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 07:12:45 | More by smekermann

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

largadeer

Kentucky

3.21/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Gourmet Haus Staudt.

Amber colored with a hazy, unfiltered body. The head is lasting and sticky, slightly off-white.

The nose is signature Pacific Northwest IPA, an even mix of bready, slightly caramelized malt and citrusy, grapefruit and orange hoppiness. There's a touch of tropical fruit as well.

It's bready and bitter on the tongue, medium bodied, quite flavorful. Grapefruit and pine hop flavors are prominent, but there's an undertone of tropical fruit. The finish is resiny, grapefruit-like, mildly astringent. Pretty solid stuff, but by no means great.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2011 20:39:35 | More by largadeer

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

ms11781

Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to sirdrinknp. 22oz bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Pours a slightly hazy copper color with a half finger off white head. Decent foamy lacing sticks to the glass.

The nose is made up of some light citrus aromas, some piny hops and a bit of malt sweetness. The citrusy hops come across first before a bite of pine and some resiny hops that can be a bit skunky at times. There is a bit of a malt sweetness that balances the hops fairly nicely.

The taste follows the nose, perhaps the malt is a bit more present and the piny hops a touch stronger. Starts with the same light citrusy and fruity hops along with a malt sweetness that stays in the background. In the middle a round of dank, resinous hops provide a bitter kick but seem to pull back a bit and let the sweet malt come back out at the finish. What I find odd is that the malt is strong in the finish, with little hop presence, yet a few second after each sip there are bitter, sticky hops left on the tongue. As teh beer warms the alcohol becomes more evident and there is a slight burn as it goes down.

A medium body with low/medium carbonation makes the beer feel slick and oily. Bitter hops do linger on the tongue for a bit.

Drinkability is ok. It's gets tougher to drink as the beer warms and the 8.8% ABV peeks its head out. The strong bitterness that lingers makes it a one and done. Overall, it's an ok beer. There's nothing about it that stands out nor is there anything that is all that bad.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 03:07:38 | More by ms11781

Bfarr

Washington

3.18/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear light copper, moderate off-white head with good retention and okay lacing. Resinous light floral hop aroma. Floral and light grapefruit bitterness gives away quickly to heavy sweet caramel malts. Light hop linger and alcohol warming. Creamy and slightly sticky feel.

I remember this being one of the beers that was responsible for my interest in Ninkasi. However, that was a long time ago and I have since become quite disappointed with a lot of their beers. Having the opprtunity to try this one again unfortunately affirmed that position. Don't get me wrong, they make a good beer however there is little to differentiate them from other breweries. They seem to do just above the bare minimum for their beers. This is a nicely balanced and drinkable Imperial IPA.

Serving type: growler

07-11-2012 23:23:35 | More by Bfarr

slammgrass

Belgium

3.15/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass and a tulip; served immediately from fridge. Sampled cold, and let it warm up to see if the taste and aromas changed.

Appearance: Orangey-golden hue. Very little carbonation with tiny bubbles with little to no head, and no remnants of lacing. Suspect that this might be a dud of a bottle.

Smell and aromas: Subtle notes of sour lemon, and sauerkraut. Since this is a DIPA style and is advertised on the bottle to have double hops, malt, and alcohol, I had assumed that this would have a strong and rich floral aroma with citrus notes. Plus with a name that evokes massive size of dinosaurs, I assumed this would be a hop head beer. I was surprised because the aromas were flat, and seemed to waft up slowly when giving the glass a whirl.

Taste: Bitter, with very subtle hop, slightly sour, and a spicy finish on the swallow. While there is little carbonation in the glass, the beer gave a bitter bite which was improved with the carbonation in the mouth. The beer had an astringent quality, with less notable “big hops” but had a slightly sour finish. If you are looking for a bright, hoppy DIPA with floral and citrus notes, this is not the beer. However, as it warmed, the carbonation seemed to give the beer some bite. I am not seeing how this is a DIPA, it seemed like a regular IPA.

Mouthfeel: Little to no coating, bitter on the finish which leaves a dry mouth, and gets you ready for that next sip. The body of the beer is watery and thin. I think this would complement slightly spicy food (such as Indian or Thai).

Overall: I really wanted to like this beer because I love DIPA’s. Although it was not what I expected (to be clear, I was looking for a big floral nose of lychee and citrus - but I am not holding this beer to my expectation) I stuck with it to see how the flavor may change. This is where I picked up spice, and thought about how the beer may be an excellent choice with ethnic foods. To me, beer styles should be creative and flexible, so if you are a DIPA lover, or getting into them, I would recommend a quaff.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 19:16:20 | More by slammgrass

volatilesther

California

3.03/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a clear golden amber that left nice lacing on the glass.

The aroma is barely present. I got hint of citrus and cooked oats.

The first few sips were very bitter. I love bitter ales but there was something not very balanced about this beer. Perhaps I got an old bottle because the bittering hops are very dominant and I don't taste any flavoring or aromatic hops. It is also a little too tart for the style. After a few sips the maltiness was more apparent and I could taste ripe bananas. Very dry and earthy finish.

Mouthfeel is a little light for a DIPA but it is very smooth.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 01:54:59 | More by volatilesther

popery

California

3/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Big disappointment. I tried this beer on tap at this year's DIPA Festival at The Bistro and was surprised to find it wanting. Optimistically, I didn't review it, hoping that the sampler didn't do it justice. I have a fresh bottle, now, and can honestly say this does not live up to its reputation.

Tricerahops pours a bright amber, transparent, with a white head. The aroma is dominated by hops, though rather weak, and there are some pine/citrus notes in there, somewhere, but, unfortunately, it's more a body odor/gym socks hoppiness. The flavor also definitely lacks for hops (I'm aware of the limitations of IBU counts and don't put much stock in them, but I'm surprised at Ninkasi's claim that this clocked in 100+). It isn't nearly bitter enough. However, I'll give it some credit for not being sweet, either. The mouthfeel is a tad thin, and the finish is bland with those same mediocre, body odor hop flavors.

I appreciate that Ninkasi is trying to make relatively affordable craft beer, but this is a poor effort. Lagunitas absolutely blows them out of the water, in this respect. I hate to be harsh, but I just don't get this beer and have not been a fan of their other offerings thus far.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 06:58:07 | More by popery

bmerz

Massachusetts

2.9/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Appearance

Burnt orange snow globe. I'm guessing yeast particulates float around the medium size bubbles.

Smell:

Grapefruit, peach, yeast when it warms. Under-ripe orange with rind on the back

Mouthfeel:

Thicker and more yeast on the back of my throat than is normal for an DIPA or I like from one.

Overall:

Not into it. Why so much yeast. Why boast hops when they aren't complex, well rounded, or that forward in the nose or flavor. Yet it isn't malty enough to imagine they are hiding.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2011 06:12:45 | More by bmerz

turnerr79

Washington

2.88/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Medium head that launched floral hops fragrance into the stratosphere.

Nose of fragrant valley hops. The brew itself does not retain the sweet hoppiness, and blasts more of a bitter deep malty flavor. The aftertaste is on the bitter side of bitter.

A spike of the 8.8 abv pierces the the tongue. Complex flavor, but not a good IPA.
A bitters freak might enjoy this, but not me.

I will not purchase this brew again.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 04:37:01 | More by turnerr79

Jeffo

Netherlands

2.88/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Doopie broke this one open last week for random night. Cheers man!

From a bomber into a snifter.

APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, medium-thinner looking, off-white, fluffy head with good retention. Gamboge orange in color, slightly hazy, with no carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a splotchy wisp leaving lace coating the sides of the glass. A wisp remains until the end and leaves some nice lacing all the way down.

SMELL: Pale malts, pine notes, and some soapy aromas. Lots of flowery hops are nice, but the soapy hop notes aren't really all that appealing.

TASTE: Pale malts, toffee notes, with lots of flowery hops and some citrus flavors as well. Much more citrus than the nose had suggested, and the soapy notes, while present, are not nearly as forthcoming. Better. A bolder and lingering aftertaste of bitter hops, flower notes, and mild citrus notes.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Somewhat light on the palate, creamy smooth, goes down smooth and finishes slightly dry. Pretty solid here.

OVERALL: No better than alright. The nose was certainly not my cup of tea, as I’m not a huge fan of whatever hop produces that soapy quality, but luckily that hop was more mild in the flavor letting some enjoyable flower and citrus hop flavor come through. A decent brew, but not something that needs any special attention. Thanks again for sharing Doops.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 19:09:54 | More by Jeffo

Philousa

California

2.83/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Imbibed on tap at Harry's Hofbrau on 2/19/12.

Poured a dark gold, clear, metallic and shiny. Great head retention, though not much lacing. Very citrusy hops dominate the nose and not much else. Some malt is discernible though it's very light. Light in mouthfeel, bitter but not too bitter. Very lemony and citrusy. Spritzy and carbonated. Although this is light in taste, the MF is full bodied. It's weird to describe, just trust me. It confuses the palate/mind.

I was confused about this beer, mainly because I wasn't sure if it was full bodied or light. The flavors were very strong, but still not very dominating over the palate. I feel like this should get off the fence and either be a West Coast hop bomb or not. That said, I'd like to try this again on its own. I feel like my palate and expectations were compromised before drinking this beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2012 02:35:13 | More by Philousa

demuzik

Oregon

2.8/5  rDev -31%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Appearance is a clear copper-goldish, light carbonation (a tad lighter than typical for the style), served with little to no head.

Not much head retention, near to no lacing.

Flavor is certainly not bad, but I did not rate high seeing as they market this as a "double IPA" and therefore I expect much; this came in at a normal IPA range for IBU's and gravity, at least taste and mouthfeel wise.

Aroma is certainly this guy's thing; much dry hopping for great complexity and inviting sniffs.

Not so drinkable, this is one that wares on you half way through and you are looking towards the next beer in a more favorable genre; could definitely use a better balance of malt.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2010 20:40:01 | More by demuzik