Snake Handler Double IPA - Good People Brewing Company

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.1/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Half-gallon milk jug (I guess it qualifies as a growler for serving type, as it was filled from a keg at a package store - damn Alabama liquor laws; even after the hops have been freed, things are still far from right - but I digress) into a Mad Elf tulip.

A: Clear, brilliant copper/mahogany body with a 3/4", creamy, light tan head; solid retention and tons of tight-knit lacing. Beautiful, rich-looking beer - by far the best I've ever seen come out of a plastic milk jug!

S: Pungent aroma of piney hops, caramel malt, and...Belgian yeast? Really? In a DIPA? There's definitely a deep fruity, nutty spiciness on the tail end. Unexpected and delightful; I can't wait to dive in.

T: Follows the same progression of flavors as the nose, with a hearty slap of pine right away, followed by a thick, rich dose of toasted & caramelized malts, and then an intensely complex wave of spicy yeast. All of this is rounded out with a supremely bitter hop finish - too bitter, in fact, to the point of being somewhat acrid; this is the only flaw I can find, though.

M: Medium body with very light carbonation.

D: The acrid edge on the finish recedes halfway through the second glass, making it easy to drink the third, and the fourth, and the...

Notes: One of the most complex and engaging DIPAs I've encountered, this is not a beer to miss. Good People make great beer.

Cheers!

Serving type: growler

01-05-2010 04:13:06 | More by woosterbill

PeterLemonjello

Alabama

4.35/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Draft at the J Clyde

A - Nice hazy rusty orange hue with a nice think head. Sufficient carbonation and sticky lace down the side of the glass. Looks like an IPA. Lacing looks as it's dripping with hop oil.

S - A touch of sweetness following by intense hop aroma. Pine, pungent, lemon zest, orange, spice....lost of aromas.

T - Very good. A touch of caramel sweetness making an appearance but being dominated by hop flavor. Nice bitterness followed by flavors of pine, herbal hops, pungent, lemon zest, orange, simcoe, grapefruit ending in a dry finish.

M - Nothing thin about this beer but not too think to take away from being refreshing. Has a certain slickness to it which is very nice.

D = Hard to believe this is a 9% beer. Very drinkable for such a beer and complex beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2010 03:24:50 | More by PeterLemonjello

Vancer

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Oh, got a chance to sample this fine beer, hauled in from Alabama by my nieces' great husband, Cody - thanks big guy!

Strong, big and powerful in all aspects - this has been a treat. Caramel color, strong sweet malt and orange/citrus aroma and taste. Damn close to barleywine with the orange liquor aftertaste - which is a 'sweet" and pleasant surprise.

Rich bodied brew, but no hint of any booze in this bad boy, except for the lingering red cheeks.

Serving type: growler

09-18-2009 13:40:24 | More by Vancer

everetends

Alabama

4.28/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Hey look, my first growler review! I have had this beer before at the Magic City brewfest, and although I had many 4 oz samples, I didn't feel right reviewing until I had a tall glass of it sitting in front of me. Well, here we are, glass in hand and many more in the growler. Served in my DFH shaped pint glass.

A: Well this growler is sitting at about a day old so it has lost some carbonation, but it still looks pretty good. Pours a thicker than expected, brown with hues of light orange and dark yellow peaking through. Has an absolute haze to it, definitely no where near clear. Held to the light, more yellow and oranges come through, making the beer more of a copper color. Pour gets me less than half a finger of white head, but no real lasting power an very little lace. Falls to a thin ring. Still, the striking part is the color to me. Very vibrant and impressive. What I think of when I pour an IPA or DIPA.

S: Getting a good amount of caramel malts coming across first off. Nice and sweet and very present for a DIPA. Not always expected or wanted these days, still nice to me. Then coems the hops to cut it up a bit. Nice grapefruit citrus coming out with a touch of lemon coming out. Then there is a bit of some earthy hops coming out on the backend. Slight amount of grains as well. Nice but everything is kind of muted.

T: Uh . . . yum. Just as tasty as I remember. Nice biscuity and caramel malts coming through. I mean its sweet but damned tasty. All that goodness provides a very good malt base that I believe all DIPAs need to be successful. Nice butter cracker type flavor really mingle well with that caramel. Then comes those hops. Very citric and bitter ass hops. Tons of grapefruit and lemon rind and zest brings that bitterness. You get some spiciness as well, but it also brings some earthy hops as well. Its not exactly balanced but it does a great job at putting the hops just a little bit further ahead of the malt presence. Just a really good example of the style for me.

M: A bit wierd here for me but I do right a bit of it off to being a growler. Medium bodied but it has a pretty big weight and creaminess to it. Carbonation is a bit low and that may account for the creaminess that is a bit off. With that said it works, just not expected anda bit off. Nice and bitter on the palate. Alcohol . . . I really can't feel it. Aftertaste is all bitter hops with just a touch of caramel.

D: Well . . . three glasses down during this review so I have to say this is quite drinkable. I just constantly keep noticing that my glass keeps getting empty. Where did it go?! Great beer and so easy on the way down. Flavors are on point for sure and I honestly think this was better fresh on tap. With that said, this isn't anything to scoff at. Good stuff and Good People knows how to brew a fantastic DIPA and beer in general. Keep it up guys.

Serving type: growler

08-03-2009 03:56:05 | More by everetends

BamaBeerBuff

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a coppery orange color with a small white head that retains fairly, but doesn't lay down much lacing.

S: Not really intense, but noticeable spicy, herbal, and citrus hop presence. The aroma is rather unique for a DIPA, they definitely focused on the spicy and herbal aromas rather than citrus, which is interesting.

T&M: Rather well balanced with spicy and citric hop flavor. There's a cracker, bread-like malt base that keeps things in relative balance. Body is medium to heavy, on par for style.

D: For a DIPA, this is actually quite drinkable. The hops aren't overpowering, but they're strong enough to make the flavor quite enjoyable. It's well crafted and really a joy to drink. Nice job, GPBC.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2009 18:26:01 | More by BamaBeerBuff

jaysnooginz

Alabama

4.88/5  rDev +14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Sampled at the Magic City Brewfest in Birmingham on June 6th, 2009.

First, let me say that double IPA is my favorite style of beer. I've had many different DIPA's, and Snake Handler rates at the top of the list.

The smell is spicy and citrusy, not unlike lemon zest. The color is deep copper with 2 finger head and great lacing.

The taste is full of various hop varieties, with incredible complexity due to the insane amount of different hops used. Malty foreground gives way to impressive hop aftertaste. This is a hophead's dream beer.

Even at such a high ABV, I could session this beer all day tastewise.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2009 01:00:20 | More by jaysnooginz

ddarden

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Jason was kind enough to give me an advanced sampling. Its a top quality DIPA with tons of hoppy goodness and a well-balanced malt character. The malt sweetness is spot on for a DIPA, but the hops somehow bring a citrusy-floral sweetness. Very much the equal of any DIPA I've had. A must-have at the Magic City Brewfest!

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2009 21:10:41 | More by ddarden