Killer Red - Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom

djbreezy

Washington

4.8/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

appearance - red/amber, great head, great retention, mostly transparent

smell - big hop nose, very floral, resinous, dank

taste - excellent hop flavor, grapefruit, floral, fresh, pungent, just enough pleasant hop bitterness

mouthfeel - full mouthfeel, full carbonation, dry finish

overall - probably the best fresh hop beer i had this year or at least in the top 3

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2012 21:52:08 | More by djbreezy

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From a bottle (16.9 oz/500ml), new for the fall 2012 release; poured to a Breakside pint glass. Have had the bottle about 5 weeks. Will it still be 'fresh hop' fresh? Let's see!

As an aside: I love the new DM bottles. They're a great size and the label encourages one with: "Don't crush me!!! I'm refillable!", giving a website and QR code to learn they can be redeemed. A novel approach on the bottle bill...

A: Moderately hazy pour of rusty red, with a very steady carbonation. Head is gorgeous, a full THREE fingers of ivory cream - long-lasting with loads of sticky/filmy lacing. Once it winnows down, the scant head remains fluffy and pock-marked with spongy bubbles. Very close to a '5', looks-wise. Nah, it's a '5' - absolutely gorgeous 'autumnal' color, great head/retention and perfect lacing.

S: Purchased on 9/29/12... as mentioned above, I feared that this 'fresh hopped' beer was held 'too long'. Not the case! Awesome hop aroma, as if freshly picked comes were rolled and crushed seconds before the first sniff. Minutes later, aroma is still vibrant - grassy and green, spicy and earthy. Again, so close to a '5'.

T: Malty, rich, tannic, green. Lots of mild roast, stingy spice, grass, bark. Flavor rounds off as woody and a bit tea-like. A mild citrus juicing, sweeter like naval orange and tangerine. Hops share LOTS of lupulin, flavors are oily and pungent and green. I like it a lot, almost love it.

M: Feels luscious, smooth. Carbonation is creamy, body and thickness is medium-full, but wanes a little as it warms.

O: I really love this beer for its drinkability. IRA is a beautiful medley of savory/tangy/juicy India Pale Ale and brassy/malty Red Ale; this fresh hop 'Killer' version kicks it up several notches. Very tasty, well-balanced, so seasonal. Highly recommended --- I hope this bottling makes it into wider distribution in 2013 (as such, it was $5/bottle; picked this up in Hood River before the Fresh Hops Festival and saw it it in only a couple places in Portland)

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 01:10:50 | More by msubulldog25