Railway City Double Dead Elephant - Railway City Brewing Company

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

500ml bottle courtesy of Sonita Bird. Thanks again! My understanding is that this beer is a “fresh hop” IPA brewed with locally harvested hops. It’s an annual fall release and, to my knowledge, is NOT meant to be an Imperial IPA (hence the same ABV as Dead Elephant). I believe it has different and higher amounts of hops than the regular DEA and that is why the “Double” name is used.

Pours a clear copper hue with golden edges, some chill haze, and a thin ring of cream coloured froth. A few spots of lacing speckle the pint glass.

Nose is perfume, flower petals, peanut brittle, hints of rubber and plastic, bread dough, strawberry, and weedy-grassy notes. Hops are very "raw" in this beer, but the aroma isn't particularly appetizing. Smells like an amateur home brew that's trying to be a hop bomb but falls short.

Taste is floral and spicy hops, more nuttiness, toffee, cotton candy sweetness, faint strawberry, weak bitter finish with a green grassiness on the cough. A weird melange of flavours, quite muddled and not overly enjoyable.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, a little slick and oily, sharp carbonated bite precedes a mild citric bitterness and drying finish. Better than the taste at least.

Overall, I was excited to hear that RCB was doing a fresh hop IPA, but it seems like they don’t know how to brew with high levels of hops. This beer is too green, perfumey, and flowery, in an unpleasant and novice sort of way. The rubbery, plasticy, and strong nutty elements are probably unintentional (still having equipment problems and resin build-ups, perhaps?) and the bitterness is subdued for the style. I wanted to like this ale but it’s dreadfully flawed. When will this brewer step up its skills and improve its quality control? I’m concerned we might never see that day come. A massively disappointing beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 20:09:40 | More by cratez

GoHabsGo

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +0.9%

04-19-2013 21:46:34 | More by GoHabsGo

mjacquard

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +8.1%

01-26-2013 04:19:05 | More by mjacquard

Kremlock

Ontario (Canada)

3.24/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Alc./vol 6.5%

A: Pours a medium copper, sort of like a clover honey colour. Frothy white head about 1 inch then falls after a few minutes to a film. Lacing is low-medium throughout. Beer is very clear.

S: Grainy malt with hints of caramel and biscuit. Hop aroma is very floral with hints of grass.

T: Sweet yet not too malty. Hints of biscuit, some floral flavours. In the background there are some fruitiness present. Flavour is a bit watered down though.

M: Thin, watery, carbonation is low-medium. Dry and bitter finish.

O: Not all that impressed. The taste and mouthfeel are not what I had expected after smelling the beer. This is a very average beer and the mouthfeel just puts me off.

Serving type: can

01-24-2013 02:00:18 | More by Kremlock

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +15.3%

12-01-2011 11:57:56 | More by beerhunter13

jsnoek

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +15.3%

11-24-2011 04:26:51 | More by jsnoek

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

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

My favourite Railway City brew, so delighted to see it and enjoy it again!! Beautiful amber colour, head and decent mouthfeel.

Aroma has a malt backbone with citrus hop twist. Not too sharp, but not dull either. Flavour is well-balanced (buttery diacetyl at a minimum), and really well done : citrus and pine finish plus an excellent grain portfolio.

This keg was fresh and brilliant. Definitely recommend!

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2011 04:00:48 | More by hopsolutely

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle- Pours a turbid orange with a frothy and lacey eggshell cap. Nose of apricot,pear, some c- hops with pine and some grapefruit. The aroma also has caramel and odd notes of warm butter. Tastes mildly leafy bitter, mostly sweet, with apricot and other fresh fruit,a bit of earthy funk, then comes the citrus with medium bitterness lingering and a medium body. Not all that bitter really when compared to regular DEA. A disappointment. The only they doubled here was the price.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 22:08:21 | More by mrmanning

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at C'est What's 2010 Fall Festival of Craft Breweries. Pours a clear orange colour with some foamy white head. Smells of citrus hops with a small bit of caramel malt coming through. Some bitterness and hop flavour, but not up to a double IPA level. I thought the normal dead guy was more like an APA than an IPA, just as I think this is more of an IPA than a IIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2010 15:08:06 | More by kwjd

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.9/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On-tap at C'est What Fall Festival 2010 of Craft Brewers. Not very popular, this wa but a fair DIPA. Above average carbonation with below average mouthfeel. Yellow and oh so lacey. Not very drinkable. Not acidic but not flavourful melang of ingrediants.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2010 03:35:43 | More by northyorksammy