Double Fist - Revolution Brewing Company - Brewpub

GbVDave

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into two pint glasses. Thanks to pops for the assist!

A: Pours a beautiful brassy gold. Decent cloudiness underneath two fingers of off-white foam. Retention was very good, but not too much lace was left behind.

S: Major hops. We could smell this sitting on the kitchen counter right after we took the cap off. Loads of citrus and spicy pine. Lurking underneath all of the hoppiness was a faint whiff of brown sugar.

T: See above. Pine and citrus hops permeate every single taste bud on m'tongue.

M: Big bitter blast of hops that is kept in line by the aforementioned brown sugar sweetness. That sweetness does a great job of making the alcohol absolutely transparent.

O: An excellent and supremely drinkable DIPA. They hit the ground running with this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 23:44:32 | More by GbVDave

elNopalero

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This poured with a ruby amber color. Not quite what I’d expect from a double IPA but it looks good nonetheless. It has a pleasing grassy hop aroma and a chewy pine flavor. There’s a sharp hop bittering that’s every bit as pronounced as you’d expect from a DIPA and a dry, chewy, grassy-pine hop finish.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2012 22:31:39 | More by elNopalero

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a New Belgium globe. No freshness date marked on the bottle. Thank you Wes.

A: Golden-orange in color with great clarity. Two inch white head settles after a short time, but a thin slip of head always remains. Spidery lacing sticks to the glass.

S: An explosion of citrus fruits on the nose. Lots of tangerine and clementine. Wet leaves, cannabis. Melon and grapefruit rind. Smells like citra. Slight pepper and tropical esters. Malt backbone is toasty, bready, and a touch crusty. Slight caramel as well.

T: Tangerine and clementine on the forefront. Grapefruit rind, pine resin, and toasted hemp seeds. A second wave of tropical fruit hits the palate with passion fruit, kiwi, and honeydew melon. Slightly peppery alcohol. Tea leaves and a hint of tobacco. Firm malt backbone tastes of sweet bread, caramel, and toffee. Malt base is sweeter than the nose suggested. Finishes with bread crust, lingering citrus notes, and hop oils.

M: Firm and thick in body. Velvety smooth and almost chewy. Moderate carbonation pricks at the tongue with a very mild seltzery effect. Light warmth on the swallow from the alcohol.

O: One of the few 'double pale ales' that I've had that actually tastes like a big American pale rather than an IPA/DIPA. The firm, well-textured malt backbone and a distinctly focused and aggressive hop profile set it apart. I guess one could make the argument that it's an 'East Coast' style DIPA. Let's not split hairs. Regardless of what you call it, it's a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 22:00:43 | More by ryan1788a5

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to mar for sharing this growler.

The beer pours an orange-amber color with a white head. The aroma is very nice. I get a ton of dank hop notes, as well as some piney and resiny hops. This smells like a hop bomb. The flavor is more of the same. I get a lot of dank hop notes, but I also get some grassy hops as well as some biscuit malt and somewhat surprisingly, some very refreshing orange citrus hop notes. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very nice beer that I could drink several of.

Serving type: growler

12-28-2010 02:10:24 | More by Mora2000

dirtylou

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on-tap @ Revolution over lunch

from notes

appearance: served in an unbranded tulip, bright straw-orange body, nice fluffy white cap with a sticky lace

smell: nice citrus zest, tropical fruit, a touch of spice, sweet

taste: this was really good - fresh and flavorful, citrus zest, grapefruit, blood orange, sweet sugars, light pine needle, mango, a light alcohol warming. The best beer I had @ revolution on this day

mouthfeel: relatively light with low bitterness but a nice zesty hop profile

overall: solid stuff

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2012 04:39:05 | More by dirtylou

Etan

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz from the first bottling into a tulip..

A: Pours a dark brass with a small head of coarse white bubbles.

S: Aroma of tropical fruit jumps out immediately, just as much as with Anti-Hero. Aggressive pineapple, tangerine, grass, biscuit malts.

T: Earthy bitterness, sweet grapefruit and grass, vanilla, resinous leaf, full bready malt, bit of spicy alcohol.

M: Medium-bodied with a brief wave of carbonation.

O: The guys at Revolution really know how to nail a hoppy aroma. Really nice DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 02:51:26 | More by Etan

MasterSki

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Revolution. Had a 5oz sample glass as well as a tulip a few days later.

A - White foam settles to a thick collar, leaving behind wisps on top and splotchy lace on the sides of the glass. Transparent golden body.

S - Spicy and zesty hops - Amarillo? Pine and citrus combo, with some earthy and herbal notes in the periphery. Light sugary malt backbone.

T - The taste is a tad less sweet, although still with a mild sugar cookie malt bill. Juicy citrus hops combined with earthy bitterness, and perhaps a touch of astringency. Good, but not as nice as the aroma.

M - Super dry, medium body, with medium-low carbonation. Alcohol is well-hidden, and the finish contains lots of enamel-coating hop resins.

D - A very nice beer that I look forward to purchasing in cans down the road. Multiple pours would get you pretty drunk, but I can think of worse fates.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2012 17:28:45 | More by MasterSki

Durtdiggler

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Powered from bomber bottle into snifter glass. Bottle dated 2/21/13. Pours copper/amber and leaves a resinous lacing around glass. Head is 1 finger white, creamy settles quickly. Beer is very clear.

Aroma has lots of nice pine and orange rind swept over with some bready sweet notes.

Taste starts off awesome. Has nice kick of bitterness pine that lasts with a finish of caramel, toffee and a bit too sweet of finish with the malts. Can do with a bit less of caramel malt in the beer but has great combo of pines, malmamade, mango, orange rind.

Mouthfeel is medium. Very easy drinking like a regular IPA.

A great showing. Hop character is outstanding that can be felt throughout the taste. Could be better if the hops were highlighted a bit more with less special malts. More muted for the style, could be an ipa.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 00:17:17 | More by Durtdiggler

mfavoino

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Brixie's.

Appearance: Bright amber-orange with a one finger head that left some spotty lacing.

Smell: Citrus and pine really highlight the nose. Definitely a preview to the liberal amount of hops in this one.

Taste: Sweetness initially, citrus, grapefruit. Caramel malt softens it a bit and then the hops take over again for an aggressive finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a well-hidden abv. Flavor lingers on the palate.

Overall: Impressed with this DIPA and I think it goes above and beyond their Anti-Hero.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2012 16:48:33 | More by mfavoino

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.23/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter.
8% ABV, Dec05.12

A - Caramel-hued golden amber in color, Double Fist pours quietly, generating very little head despite how increasingly taller I poured. A hearty swirl roused up some tan foam which sank to a thin skim while leaving some wispy lace on the glass.

S - A spicy prick of pine needle and toasted pine cone emerge from behind the modest tropical fruit notes of passion fruit and mango; decidedly hoppy but not quite the monster one might expect from a double IPA...then again, this a double "pale ale" (wouldn't that be an IPA?). The malt backbone is complimentary, adding toffee and caramel notes around the toasted bread sweetness for a round, approachable hoppy beer.

T - Hops continue to shine forwards despite the well-balanced malt backbone. It's reminiscent of a "stronger" IPA though, again, a little less than one might expect from a "double IPA". Mango and passion fruit press beyond the earthy pine notes and are supported nicely by toasted wheat bread, caramel, and toffee undertones.

M - A smooth entry leads the way into a robust and round - though not quite full - body that finishes with a moderately bitter kick, putting a wonderful kibosh on Double Fist.

O - Many brewers I meet seem to have a problem with the designation "Black IPA" as the "P" stands for "pale". I find myself in the same predicament with "Double Pale Ale". Isn't that essentially an IPA, not a double IPA? Nit-picking aside, if one imagines this beer as a "double pale ale" and not double IPA, it's quality is immediately increased. Double Fist doesn't quite fit the mold of a double IPA but it's not bad either. Thinking of a pale ale and doubling it, however absurd that would become, makes this beer make sense. The hoppiness is there, the malt backbone is there, Double Fist is a great beer; brewed very well, showcasing hops with an underlying maltiness for a balanced and moderately bitter brew.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 23:04:33 | More by BeerFMAndy

emerge077

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for the leftovers Chris. Poured into a goblet, bright copper orange color, lasting foam that sticks to the sides, leaving a sticky collar of lacing. Super bright jewel tone clarity.

Big citrus peel aroma, papaya, burly caramel malt base in the background. The opposing hop & malt sides of the aroma work well together, intertwining and complimenting one another.

Silky smooth, velvety sticky sweet. Resiny hops, fruity, tropical, and earthy. Some light toffee notes from the malt peek through in the back. Medium bodied, but light enough to easily make it through a couple glasses. Nice work here, hope this falls into regular rotation at the brewpub.

Serving type: growler

11-06-2011 02:29:14 | More by emerge077

WoodBrew

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I thought the Double Fist is a good DIPA. I had it on tap at the Prime Bar in Chi-town. The beer poured a nice clear amber with good slightly off-white head that left a lace. The smell and taste were powered by hints of pine and citrus. The taste also included a nice malt balance. The body was full and good carbonation was present. Overall....quite nice.

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2012 23:58:11 | More by WoodBrew

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.18/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Distorting the notions of what is both Pale Ale and Imperial IPA, Revolution grows a Frankenstein-type ale that retains the even-keel balance of American Pale Ale but elevates the proportions of taste and strength to near imperial greatness.

Double Fist pours with a deep amber, approaching chestnut and mahogany hues. It's beautiful coloration is cast through a mostly clear elixir, albeing the slight gaze of cloudiness persists. Solid white in its foam stance, the beer's froth is steady, creamy, and shows good longevity. Intermittent lacing is yet another testament to well made ale.

The beer's aroma is that of standard pale ale- caramel scented malts and citrusy Pacific Northwest hops remain even, not allowing one set of aromas to pull ahead of the other; but the overall intensity is greater than is expected, suggesting that higher rates of both are employed. A tinge of alcohol lurks on while fruit stresses of tropical varieties pull from the sweetness.

Medium caramel sweetness saturates the taste buds early- giving a light cashew nuttiness, estery character of apple, apricot, and mango. But the middle palate draws upon hop flavors of grapefruit and orange peels, light pine, and an overall taste of gently muddled grass. As the beer turns to finish, it recedes in its sweetness and favors a hop-balance that develops deep resinous bitterness to close.

Medium-full in balance, the mouth registers IPA, but the lingering malt weight and residual sweetness hangs onto the palate to prevent premature dryness, crispness, or heat. But alas, the hop dryness wins out as the gripping bitterness outlasts the sweetness in its extended aftertaste.

It's interesting to see how Imperial IPAs begin to resemble the balance of standard American Pale Ale in most versions, where the IPA is stuck in the middle and become the most hop balanced and driest of the three. Revolutions off-centric thinking about elevated Pale Ale kinda flirts with the lines that separate these styles. But shouldn't a beer called "Double Fist" have more than one fist on the label?

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 16:19:14 | More by BEERchitect

macrosmatic

Florida

4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. Poured from a bomber I picked up at the Root Cellar in Cincinnati into a Russian River pint glass.

A: Pours a clear, deep copper, with a nice 1 1/2 finger white head, and medium visible carbonation.

S: A deep layered hoppiness hits you - primarily I get citrus and pine - under a bready malt with just a bit of sweetness.

T: Grapefruit hops, pine bitterness, and sweet malt with just a touch of caramel that's not offensive. Citrus rind bitterness in the hang.

M: Thick, sticky resin-y mouthfeel, only a bit of alcohol presence, and good carbonation sensation.

O: Not bad at all! Glad I picked this one up, although I don't know that I'd seek another one out. Solid, but not among the best in class.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 04:15:31 | More by macrosmatic

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.14/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The beer style captivates me, the artwork on the label has me sold, but the name Double Fist...c'mon. Okay I'm over it let's talk about the beer, excellent DIPA that's not dumb and boozy. That makes me happy, it looks delicious, deep amber ruby highlighted body with a light off white cream colored head, thick bubbled at first starts streaming fine effervescence. Dip the nares into your chalice, we have pine citrus and floral players from the hop industry dig further and I get pure hop bliss it's that combination of different hops that just serenade the senses and have converted most of us to a conglomerate of beer nuts who call ourselves hopheads. The revolution or change that this beer influences is backing the hops with minimal sweetness finishes almost bone dry with ample hop bitterness and flavor without tripping into barleywine territory. The nose let's you know that there's candy coated hops interwoven throughout this beer, but that first mouth puckering bitterness balanced by subtle sweet caramelized sugars, tropical fruits, citrus, and earthy pine has me begging for another sip. Flavor doesn't let me down in fact for some odd reason it's the mouthfeel the slick oily hops I come to know and love a bit resinous with lingering waves of bitter citrus peel, you might as well brush with a combination of hop pellets and soda water. Okay not that bad but it's one dimension of a really nice beer that could have gone better, carbonation satisfies not overdone just right for this papa bear, however it's the slick oily resinous mouthfeel that clings to your teeth and doesn't let go...oh wait that's what hopheads really enjoy. Okay overall a great DIPA that's not in the ridiculous 10 to 12 percent zone keeps it real and hoppy with an 8% abv, that is just about approachable if not mouth watering for a hophead like myself.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 18:37:22 | More by WVbeergeek

homebrew311

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into snifter. Deep gold with bone white head with decent retention and tons of lacing. The nose is delightful. Aromatic floral hops with loads of mango and citrus with evidence of some malty sweetness and a decent touch of bitterness. Taste is hop forward with plenty of bittering hops up front. Mellows out to some nice citric notes. Great balance. Mouthfeel is relatively light for the style with medium to high carbonation. Overall, this is a great Dipa... Refreshingly hoppy with great balance and minimal boozieness.

Serving type: on-tap

07-05-2012 22:09:08 | More by homebrew311

jrallen34

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at On Photon, one of the highlights of the night...Dark gold with a copper tone, nice off white head, light lacing though...The aroma is citrus, acidic not sweet with some nice pine notes. Not a ton going on, but its decent enough...The taste is much better, bursting with citrusy hops, great balance. This is not as hoppy as you would think being a double, but I like it. I would drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2010 00:00:58 | More by jrallen34

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer #4 in my great Illinois Brew Hunt.

Very strong resin tones on the nose and the flavor profile. Hearty hop character is pushing through a fairly earthy/hoppy thing. I like this one. The citric hop bombs are nice, but the earthy-esqe ones are nice too. I can dig it.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2012 21:01:30 | More by RblWthACoz

KDawg

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

poured from growler into a pint glass. Pours a dark orange color with a nice head

Very good depth with a lot of citrusy aromas, hops, and a lot of florals too

Medium/full bodied with a real good and smooth feel. Well balanced with good hop flavors of oranges, citrus and hops

one of the best offerings from rev. Great feel and flavors while not feeling the alcohol. There are a good amount of hop characteristics to it, but it isn't overwhelming

Serving type: growler

03-27-2012 05:34:46 | More by KDawg

Treebs

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had on tap Brixie's while waiting for the Parabola keg to get tapped. Served in a snifter.

A: Pours a solid golden orange color with some yellowish colored head forming on the pour. It recedes to a decent ring and leaves some sticky lace.

S: Tropical fruits and apricot jam are mainly on the nose. The finish is lightly rounded out with some bready malts.

T: Nice orange and tangerine. Sweet marmalade. Some grass and bittering pine as well. Cracker malt sweetness on the finish.

M: Medium bodied, a little sticky, with a medium carbontion level. Nice sweet finish.

O: I definitely enjoyed this. The abv is at the perfect point and is well hidden. Definitely digging the sweet and tropical fruit notes.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2012 19:00:48 | More by Treebs

MCain04

Illinois

4.04/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Growler fill at the Brewpub. For $26/fill, this better be damn good. Poured into Vault Brewing 16 oz snifter.

Appearance: Deep amber and clear. 2 fingers off-white head with good retention and lacing. Good-lookin' brew

Smell: Floral, grassy hops, with some grapefruit and citrus notes. Slight bit of malt and honey on the nose. Not overwhelming aromatic but it's nice.

Taste: Modest amount of hops in the taste, but a lot of bittering hops that stick on the palate for a while after the swallow. Not very bready or malty.

Feel: Quite smooth throughout, exceptionally dry on the finish.

Overall: This is a solid beer that I could enjoy several times in a sitting. However, there are better offerings out there for the double pale ale style (see Half Acre's Double Daisy Cutter) and at the ridiculous price of $26/growler (and $9/22 oz bottle), I likely won't be coming back to it often.

Serving type: growler

02-03-2013 01:11:23 | More by MCain04

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.04/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Somewhat syrupy, copper color. Light tan, one finger head and some residual foamage. Pretty
good bubbling.

Orange marmalade on a toasty biscuit. Just a little abv%. heat in the aroma.

Sweet and bitter orangey peel front and finish plays well with the toasted caramel malt flavors. Caramelized bread crust citric, orange peel flavors balance each other out very well. Bitter yet toasty and sweet.

Palate is resiny and warm on the finish. All in all a great sipping IPA from Chi-town.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 21:36:54 | More by scruffwhor

socon67

New York

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Amber pour. Insane lacing coated the glass. Solid rich foamy head.

S - Spicy hop scent. Had some peppery component. A bit of pine is noted as well.

T - Very hop forward bitterenss with some earthy spice and little heat to it. A slight amount of citrus is there, but unlike Iron Fist this had much more of a pungent, robustness to the oily hop flavor.

M - Coates the tongue and lingers. your taste buds are killed after this guy, but that's why we drink DIPA's.

O - Found it a cool local hop-bomb, but I enjoyed Iron Fist as a more enjoyable beer. Worth the ride for one glass.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2012 01:30:39 | More by socon67

JamesMN

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Amber/caramel hue with a very thin off-white head.

Aroma: Sweet hops and caramel malt.

Taste: Moderate hop bitterness with a piney/citrusy hop flavor. Good malt bill on this one that creates a decent balance to combat the bitterness. Slightly dry finish. Actually a decently juicy IPA. Don't taste any of the 8% ABV.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and actually thinner than I expected for a double. Above average drinkability.

Final Thoughts: A pretty good Imperial IPA. Delivers a smooth flavor and nice drinking experience. Would I drink it again? Yeah, sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 00:36:34 | More by JamesMN

cadaugherty

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Tulip at the pub-

Appearance- Pours a nice copper with a decent white head, not much lacing.

Aroma- A bit fruity with a little pine. Honestly not as much here as I was hoping for with a double.

Taste- Fresh with a nice taste of piney hops with a good malt balance. Nice bitterness as well.

Mouth- Good carbonation, not to resiny.

Drink- For an 8.3% hoppy beer this goes down pretty easy. Could definitely take down a few.

Serving type: on-tap

12-21-2010 02:36:38 | More by cadaugherty