Tricerahops Double IPA - Ninkasi Brewing Company

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this beer on tap at the Horsebrass pub the other night. I confess that I'm a bit surprised that I'm the first one to review this beer, as it's been out for a bit now and, at least in my opinion, is the most impressive beer Ninkasi has made to date.

This beer pours the quintessential light gold/orange DIPA color, with decent head retention and excellent lacing. On the nose one gets a blast of citrus and pine resin. There is no comparison between this beer and the regular IPA (which I confess has never impressed me); it's in a completely different league. This smells like it will be a fabulous DIPA, which of course it is. On the palate this stuff is just hop heaven nectar. Huge hops on the palate, with apple, citrus and pine. The beer does not have a huge malt presence (thankfully - no one will mistake this for an East Coast/midwest DIPA), and in fact it comes across as a bit dry. The beer has a lovely light mouthfeel (for a DIPA), and is a joy to drink. Yes, the abv. is a bit noticeable on the finish, making it a bit tiring to drink, but then again we are talking about a nearly 10% DIPA.

This is an outstanding beer. Frankly, I've not been as impressed as others by Ninkasi beers, but this one had me going "wow." I guess the name is a nod to the background of the brewer, who as I recall worked previously at Steelhead Brewing. Hoposauraus Rex and now the tricerhops.... two huge, mammoth, dinosaur of a DIPA. Very well done....

Serving type: on-tap

07-30-2007 03:29:39 | More by johnmichaelsen

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Murky peach with a dense cap of off-white foam that lingered. Good head retention, lots of lacing. Grapefruit and lemon aroma, pine and caramel, oranges and stone fruits. Bitterness was strong, but not harsh, with plenty of citrus pith flavour and biscuity, cookie dough maltiness. Velvety carbonation with medium to full body. Overall, very nice and easy drinking. There are plenty of hops, but they're not overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 03:32:24 | More by DrJay

HopHead84

California

3.45/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark gold with a small, half finger head. The head lingers for a short time and leaves some lacing on the glass.

S: Sweet malt. There's a strange smell I can't put my finger on and that I've never smelled in a SDPA. It's a sweet smell that's a cross between a banana and a cantaloupe. Doesn't smell very hoppy and the normal characteristics of the style (pine, citrus, etc.) are not present.

T: Well balanced. Mild hop bitterness for the style. Minimal citrus notes and not a long finish. The alcohol is well masked.

M: Oily mouthfeel, medium bodied, and carbonation is lacking.

D: Very drinkable for an 8.8% beer. The low level of bitterness will ward off the palate fatigue for a while.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 04:04:28 | More by HopHead84

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

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

Tricerahops is a tri-coloured beer - all three of them varying shades of gold. Its base is bright yellow, its torso tarnished golden and, at its top, it is blistered enough to be considered amber. (Of course, holding it at different angles, against different strength lights, is bound to shuffle everything up and/or accentuate one tone over the other.)

If you homebrew, you know that smell that comes over the garage once you drop those hop pellets into the boil or what it smells like to clean the carboy out after it's had two weeks of dry-hopping. Cracking the crown on this bottle had the same smell which, for those who haven't made their own, is that of pungent herbals and rank, bitter citrus.

There's plenty of lemon zest and dried orange peel shavings in the flavour, enough that you'd suspect the actual fruits might have been added. But no, they have not, such is simply the mystical properties of hops. Hard water minerals trigger an almost bronze-like note that, short of becoming metallic, is washed away by yet more soapy hop character.

The alcohol pokes a few holes in the beer, but never succeeds in tearing things apart; this toasty maltiness is tightly knit enough to withhold the eight something percent (and a little warming too). It's sturdy, but designed so as not to stunt the blossom of those fruity, floral hops. Indeed, they're completely unencumbered on the finish.

Tricerahops is indeed a great beast; like the dinosaur that this cheesy (but clever) pun is based on, it has a large bony frill (toasty malts) over which hang three sharp, protruding horns (Amarillo, Centennial, Palisade hops). Fortunately I don't think we have to worry about this guy going extinct any time soon - Ninkasi is sure to be around for a long, long time.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 05:24:54 | More by biegaman

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.14/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Golden-bronze with an off-white head, light retention & initial lace.

S: Not a huge aroma for a DIPA, but it's nice: pine, mango, citrus, sponge toffee...

T: Nice piny resin, assertive bitterness, but not all harsh. Mango, nectarine, apricot, sponge toffee, hint of biscuit. Alcohol is subtle.

M: Well-attenuated, moderate body has a light hop acidity with a crisp finish.

O: Certainly hop-accented, but not at all unbalanced. Incredibly drinkable for a brew of this strength.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 03:36:50 | More by Derek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

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

Thanks to yllwsmly to trading this to me and giving me a chance to try this beer. I just missed this coming out the last time I was in Portland, so I was happy to be able to get some from this fairly interesting brewery. Pours a slightly hazy orange with a fairly nice head that fades quickly to a cap that sticks around for a while. Some loose lacing. Very nice aroma of grapefruit and orange from the lovely hops. Some floral aromas as well. Quite delicate. The taste is also clean and somewhat delicate but very clean and pure tasting. Nice flavors of orange and grapefruit citrus again, quite bright. Slightly sweet, so the malt is there, but it is a bit thin, and the flavors could be a little longer as well. Still, very tasty. Nice level of carbonation. The body is on the thin side, but it worked with the clean flavors. The slight sweetness gives it a nice finish. Quite nice, although it is on the light side for a double IPA, the pure, citrusy flavors and slight sweetness makes this a pleasant experience.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2008 01:54:16 | More by Georgiabeer

JohnGalt1

Idaho

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

22 picked up over the weekend at Belmont Station... poured tonight into my Chimay goblet.

1" head... doesn't stick around too long.. but it does leave fairly nice looking sheets of lace... the brew is bright glowing orange with a soft haze.

piney... and citric with some slight caramel sweetness... doesn't exactly strike me as overbearing as many PNW DIPA's can be... I like the nose on this one... nice and balanced for the style.

pretty good bitterness out of the gate.. caramel and to a lesser extent pale malts.... melts into a fruity hoppiness.. first the pine.. slight though.. then a nice blast of pineapple... tangerine zest .. and a little bit of orange... maybe even some orange juice... finish is a long lingering oily hoppiness.. a little bit of pine sap. Body is maybe a little light for the style.. but nothing worth bitching about.. carbonation may also be a little light but that bumps up the drinkability in my mind.

I really... really like this... tastes very fresh and juicy.. No one is gonna mistake this for an unbalanced monster of a DIPA... instead.. it should be considered a lesson of walking the fine line where many breweries go overboard.. very balanced.

4/4/4.5/3.5/4

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 07:02:31 | More by JohnGalt1

thagr81us

South Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Big thanks goes out to Pullen for this as an extra in an in-person trade quite awhile back! Served from bottle into a Delerium Tremens snifter. Poured a hazy red-orange with a one finger off-white head. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt and citrus hops. The flavor was of sweet malt and citrus hops as well. It had a medium feel on the palate with low-mid carbonation. Overall this brew is quite excellently balanced. Have a very nice aroma and flavor going on here. Probably one of top IIPA's that I've had. Massive thanks again John for this one!

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 12:31:59 | More by thagr81us

ccrida

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Had a nonic on draught at the Beer Stein in Eugene, Ticerhops poured a cloudy light rust color with a thin, off-white collar and surface skim, leaving light lace.

The aroma is very strong hops, all pine, with a touch of alcohol as it warms.

The taste is fantastic, more complex the then nose, and remarkably balanced in spite of the extreme hops and high ABV. Still all about the piney, earthy hops, but tempered with a nice english ale yeast fruitiness and enough pale and crystal malts to give it backbone without making it to sweet or heavy. Very smooth, with a firm, bitter finish. I can see why this won the cup, it's very well crafted.

The mouthfeel is oily yet has a moderate amount of creamy carbonation. It's medium bodied.

This is a very tasty IPA, so smooth and easy drinking, you can really get into trouble if you loose track of the ABV, which is barely noticeable.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2007 18:36:12 | More by ccrida

RoyalT

Ohio

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

Appearance - This came out a thick and rugged orangish-brown in color with a modest head that left good lacing though.

Smell - The hop aroma has a stale grapefruit aspect that kind of turns me off, and the yeast comes on like a bear here. It has characteristics similar to an English bitter. All in all I like some aspects of the nose, such as how the light malts balance some of the harsher hops, but overall it was clumsy to me.

Taste - The hop flavor came out a bit smoother at the taste but this was still an awkward and somewhat embarrassing effort at the style. I'm a big fan of OR IPAs and DIPAs, but this just lost its way.

Mouthfeel - This is medium-bodied with some light carbonation and a big bitter finish that will surprise a lot of people.

Drinkability - This was not as bad to drink as you'd think from the review. I actually enjoyed some of the flavors but it certainly was not a classic DIPA and most definitely fell short of my expectation of a OR effort.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 03:09:29 | More by RoyalT

largadeer

California

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

gford217

Georgia

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

22oz bottle courtesy of Reino poured into a pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazy deep amber with a huge three-finger head that recedes to a small cap leaving tons of lacing. Great looking beer.

Aroma is dominated by citrus hops, fruits of all kinds - grapefruit, lemons, apricot, oranges - all of which are decidedly sweet in the nose. The malts are present but light in the nose with a faint biscuity presence in the background.

The taste follows the aroma with a juicy explosion of sweet fruit, especiallly grapefruit and maybe some apples and apricots. The malt profile is also sweeter with some caramel underneath the hops. The finish brings on a healthy dose of non-abrasive bitterness but still with some sweetness to balance.

The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and thick with fruit and hop juice. The carbonation is fairly high but soft on the palate.

This is a very good DIPA from the West Coast that succeeds at being much sweeter than most from out that way. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2009 00:48:48 | More by gford217

jrallen34

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a Matilda glass. Thanks to Spycow for this one...Pours a murky orange/copper, dull and uninspiring. There is a white head, provides some decent lacing...The aroma is floral with citrus notes, oranges mostly. A little soapy but the alcohol is hidden...The taste is a big let down, not sure if its old or just not that good of a dipa. Soapy, floral hops, bitter, not as much of the citrus comes through. Pretty boring, wasn't inspired to drink this.

A decent beer but with so many dipa options I wouldn't have this again. Would try it on tap to see if its better fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2011 15:37:41 | More by jrallen34

dirtylou

Washington

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

22oz bomber, purchased at lovely Bottleworks in Seattle and lugged home in checked luggage

ah yes, the northwest...a magical land of hops, hops and more hops. Oh what a region - i shall live there soon

appearance: poured into a hopleaf tulip, cloudy copper-amber body with a frothy beige cap and light retention...murky and cloudy

smell: a hop dominated nose but not one that jumps out of the bottle to punch you in the skull...a sharp green hop presence, mild bitterness...nice but not overpowingly great

taste: a nice refreshing DIPA, which isnt always the case. This brew has a nice sharp green hop presence with a light pine kick...there is some light pineapple and pear involved. Northwest hops, citrus (grapefruit, not-yet-ripe orange), and a light malt structure.

mouthfeel: light bitterness, very refreshing and drinkable for the style

drinkability: very high

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2008 23:49:32 | More by dirtylou

beertunes

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a straight pint glass. The keg blew as my beer was being poured so this probably affects the aroma and taste components. Poured a clear amber/yellow with a thick, white head that had lots of very sticky lacing.

The scent was very hoppy, mostly aromatic, with some floral notes. The most noticeable flavors were citrus with some pine on the finish. This was not a bitter ImpIPA, as the floral flavors were strongest.

The body was on the thin side, even for a west coast hop bomb. This a very drinkable ImpIPA, but the tongue would get fatigued after more than a few.

When I see this again, I'll try it again and if my opinions change, I'll re-review.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2009 19:49:59 | More by beertunes

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

LilBeerDoctor

New York

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle. Pours a murky orange with a small white head. Aroma of sweet citrus and fruits. Flavor of nice fruity notes (most citrus but also some tropical fruits and apple) and light hops in the finish. Nicely balanced. This is what a IIPA should be like! Not too sweet/bitter/syrupy at all!! Excellent IIPA.
Aroma: 8/10
Appearance: 4/5
Flavor: 8/10
Palate: 5/5
Overall: 16/20
4.1/5

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2008 21:51:51 | More by LilBeerDoctor

RedDiamond

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I was at first a bit cautious about this one because even before opening the bottle, I noticed lots of little flocs floating around in the beer. Should I let it sit for a few days to settle out? Naw, can't wait.

Poured it into a handled schooner and sure enough, there were lots of tiny suspended yeast flocs floating lazily about in what was otherwise a clear orange-amber beer. They were almost too small to notice and I certainly don't mind drinking them. But if we're judging on technicalities here, they'd count as a detraction. Still, the thick, rocky crown of ivory lather and sticky lace quickly restored confidence in the visual presentation.

This is a piney, resinous beer whose aroma carries beyond the glass. It's a big beer in terms of alcohol and body, but is remarkably well balanced with no excess hop overload. I would never otherwise imagine that Ninkasi pumps this thing with over 100 IBU. It is ripe with pinesap and an integrated hops regimen that is relatively informal - big but not imposing or clumsy. And the body is flawless in its soft plump contours - the liquid equivalent of that perfect pillow you sink into with utter delight.

Dangerously quaffable for an imperial.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2008 03:58:02 | More by RedDiamond

dgilks

Australia

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hop hazed, golden-amber colour with a big, creamy, off-white head. Nice head retention.

Big, tropical fruit aroma with a slightly bitter note (like grapefruit). Plenty of fruity sweetness here. Yum.

Medium to big bitterness is teemed up with masses of tropical hops and lots of flavour. A good malt backbone serves only to support the hops with out being cloying.

Medium-light body with moderate carbonation. Silky.

A really tasty DIPA. This is a great example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2010 10:16:52 | More by dgilks

alexgash

Connecticut

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

22 oz. bottle. Great name.

Clear, clean, deep copper orange body. Think finger of dense, creamy, beige-khaki head. Great lacing. Spicy, sweet, fruity, caramel-y malt hangs out beneath some citrusy, tropical fruity, and herbal hops. Very juicy and fresh-seeming (no date on bottle to verify).

Herbal, minty bitterness right off the bat. A little spicy--almost rye-like. Fruity, somewhat caramely malt mid-palate. Tropical fruit in the finish, with rising herbal, piny bitterness. Lingering fruit and rye spice. Warming. Medium-full body with a slightly syrupy feel. Solid, aggressive DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 05:02:42 | More by alexgash

drpimento

Wisconsin

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

From a bomber I got at Sam's in Chicago 'bout 6 weeks ago. Poured with a nice off-white head and some lace. Color is a medium hazy amber. Aroma is a really nice caramel and hop. Flavor is much more interesting: not as sweet as the nose suggests; a little dry up front and a sweetish finish. There's a little fruit in there - citrus and maybe a little crisp pear. Body is good too - almost a champagne carbonation, full effervescence, not thin, but not heavy. Great American IPA finish. Very good beer. Don't pick up the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2009 21:39:31 | More by drpimento

tdm168

North Carolina

4.48/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - dark orange with a soft, off white, foamy cap of head

S - grapefruit, mango, some pineapple, faint bread

T - orange, grapefruit, mango, mild pine, mild bitterness

M - medium bodied, smooth, perfectly carbonated

This is a very nice, citrusy, full flavored, hoppy beer. This is simply delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed this one from beginning to end. I will definitely have it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 02:12:28 | More by tdm168

flagmantho

Washington

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

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: medium orange hue with a touch of haze to the body. One thick finger of bubbly ivory foam caps the experience. Pretty good, altogether.

Smell: earthy, slightly funky hop aroma with highlights of citrus running through the base. There is a little malt smell underpinning the hops, but it is definitely not the main event.

Taste: quite citrusy. The hops balance on top of a quite-malty and very-slightly-biscuity base which sort of reminds me of an imperial red ale. The overall effect is quite fruity; not just grapefruity, but an interesting citrus salad kind of mix. It's rather tasty.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation. Feel is silky and somewhat creamy. Actually, it's rather above average for what I would consider a "standard" Northwest type beer. Good job, Ninkasi.

Drinkability: refreshing citrusy flavors overcome the high ABV for making this beer drinkable. Bitterness is way up there and gets to be kind of much, but the interesting flavor combination keeps me coming back.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 06:42:01 | More by flagmantho

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A nice extra by way of Meatyard in a recent trade. My first from this brewery, but hopefully not my last.

Tricerahops comes out da bottle looking DIPA'ish with a nice mix of hazy gold and orange intertwined, not much of a head but a thick cap, small streaks of lacing. Smell is all tropic fruit with a bunch of mango. Some amount of malt sweetness and sugar. Taste is a mango explosion with grapefruit and very little malt intrusion. A slight sugar cookie in the end. Small alcohol. Feel is perfect nuff said, for beer of this size, it's great. Very fruity and not very bitter, not any pine in this. Medium body low carb, great drinkability. I liked it.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 20:48:10 | More by onix1agr

Durge

Connecticut

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

A very hazy amber tan colored brew with a big fluffy off-white head that collapses to a stubborn film that deposits heavy lacing. The aroma brings evergreen and butterscotch pine hops and sticky vanilla malt. Very full and attractive. The flavor jumps out with a bright herbal hop and lemony hayseed grain which comes in a medium-plus bodied package with plentiful, but delicate carbonation. The feel is pretty sudsy, smooth and easy drinking. The grainy-hop sweetness almost approaches cloying levels but this is a very solid hop brew, some intensity but overall an anytime pleaser. Another Ninkasi triumph.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2011 00:58:10 | More by Durge