Hop Baron Double Down IPA - Rivertown Brewing Co.

ltjska04

Kentucky

3.83/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I came across this beer at the Party Source this week and it caught me totally off guard. I can't find any mention of it anywhere, but alas, here it is in my Perfect Pint glass. I'm not sure what the availability is going to be, but I'm happy to finally see a Cincinnati brewery take on a bigger style like this.

This beer is an extremely clear golden orange and pours with a half-finger of head that quickly falls into a ring around the glass. Carbonation bubbles float lazily from the bottom. The smell on this is very nice; grapefruit and citrus up front and more sweet malt as it breathes a bit.

As I took my first sip I was ready for a bitter smack across the face and all I got was a little tap. Where did all the hops from the smell go? There's a bit of hop flavor at first but further sips find the hops getting covered up by sweet maltiness. Damn, I was really hoping for big hop flavor here. There's a little lingering bitterness in the finish but the hops are pretty weak in the taste for an IIPA.

The mouthfeel is pretty much spot on. Carbonation is just right and the beer feels smooth going down. Drinkability is pretty good; you don't taste the 8.5% but can start to feel it halfway through. At $3 a bottle this isn't a bad value but I had high hopes for this that it didn't quite reach. I'm still looking for that killer Cincy beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2010 22:57:02 | More by ltjska04

stabzmcgee

Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into my bells two hearted glass. Thanks to gcurlow for both! Aroma is sweet and malty with a small hint of floral citrus hops. Taste is sweet malts and then followed by a hoppy bitterness. mouthful is resinous and sweet. Overall I this is another beer I would love to try on tap, with some pizza while wat king some ufc.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 02:44:23 | More by stabzmcgee

bevenson

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

No date on bottle. Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass.

A - Orange and clear with a bright, dense white head. Looks just like I'd expect a DIPA to look.

S - Hops are definitely present in the nose. Pine, citrus, and a little pineapple. However, the hops aroma is a little subdued from what I expect in a DIPA. No malt in nose, which would be nice to have.

T - Taste follows aroma. Hops are up front in flavor with a firm, lasting bitterness. Bitterness is a little rough, but not out of line for a DIPA. Light, toasty malt flavor. There's a sweetness present, but from the warming sensation I think the sweet flavor is from the alcohol. Clean yeast character.

M - Warming with a dry finish. Moderate carbonation and very smooth drinking.

D - A very quaffable DIPA. If you took New Glarus' Moon Man and amped it up, you'd have this beer. A beer that would go very well with a strong cheese. The malt isn't too sweet, which is something that I think gets screwed up in a lot of DIPAs. I'd like a stronger hop aroma and flavor in this beer, though.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 00:59:30 | More by bevenson

rangel2

Indiana

3.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not a bad brew, whatsoever. Served into a Saison Dupont ~12 oz. glass. Amber in color, with a little less than a fingers head. Nice tight carbonation around ring of glass.

Aroma was of orange rind, pine, and somewhat raisin.

Taste is piney, more of the orange bitter, wet and oily, yet super drinkable.

As beer warms up, malt becomes more noticeable. The 103+ IBUs are up front, which slightly slope away, with oily citrus there in the middle, followed by a faint woody, bready malt presence, and satisfactory bitter finish.

Drank this one pretty damn fast. Bitter was never biting, and beer was rather enjoyable. Not sure when I'll pick this up again, because at 8.5% abv, I surely wouldn't session this one.

Not bad, though. Try it. It's a rather approachable DIPA I could see my less hop-inclined friends enjoying.

*I don't like to try and get into detail about the color of the beer or head because I am color blind (not fully, but to the point where I can't differentiate purple from blue and brown, red and green from one another). But, if I had a guess, this was a medium tan head, with the beer itself appearing a pretty clear amber.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 01:25:44 | More by rangel2