On The Wings Of Armageddon - DC Brau Brewing Co.

NarrowG8

3.65/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Amber, cloudy with about a good head. Resinous and sticks to glass like a great DIPA

S - Smells AMAZING. Catty, grapefruit, clementine

T - I loved this at the brewery on tap and loved the first half glass out of the first bottle. Than, I don't know if I got a bad batch or what, but it starts out with notes that tastes citrusy, grapefruit, piney. Than I get a HORRIBLE after taste. I don't know how to describe it but it is over the top and almost ruins the drinking experience. I gave the taste AVG because I still don't know if this was just my batch or not because it tasted so amazing straight from the tap. I'll have to try this again unless I hear from others the same problem.

M - Resiny, bubbly, sticky.

O- Not sure until I try again!

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 00:06:49 | More by NarrowG8

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.68/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Meridian Pint, CK and the brewery.

Pours a hazed golden orange with an average white head; moderate retention and lace. Intensely hoppy aroma with pine and citrus rind hop. Flavor is equally hoppy with citrus, citrus rind and caramel malt dominating. Minimal balance or subtlety. Medium to light body with active carbonation. Very impressive, a little too resiny and malty for my taste, but my favorite DC Brau beer to date.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2012 04:21:08 | More by yourefragile

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.83/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Kmccabe33 hooked me up with this one... Very cool trade.. thanks Korey!! Shared with a couple of folks in the tasting group...

Pours clear golden.. foamy white head dies back but leaves decent lacing.. okay.

Nose is great.. tons of citrus and tropical fruit that is bloomed too much by a little heavy pale maltiness..

Flavor is good.. but a little too much malt.. the above hoppiness is carried for a bit and then buried on the finish by the malt.. would be better if it was far drier..

Body is a touch heavy... carbonation is about right but IMO needs a bit more bubble for the body.

A good DIPA and in the right direction.. Needs to be dialed down and have more hop flavor (and a drier malt profile) and a lesser body..

Thanks a ton Korey!! The Boise peeps appreciate it!!

4/4.5/3.5/3.5/4

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 05:57:43 | More by JohnGalt1

Rukasu

District of Columbia

3.93/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Beautiful light amber with a thick two-finger creamy head with a straight pour.

S - Sweet apricot and pineapple, with sour grapefruit/orange citrus

T - Grassy bitter hops, with same grapefruit citrus from the scent.

M - Despite the 100+ IBUs it isn't overly bitter. The 9.2% ABV is nicely balanced out with the intense flavor of this IIPA.

O - My favorite offering so far from DC Brau, glad I was able to get a growler of it, in addition to being able to try the cask version.

Serving type: growler

02-26-2012 22:58:13 | More by Rukasu

russwbeck

Virginia

4/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a firkin at Churchkey in DC. I believe they said it was 115 IBUs

A: Clear yellow pour with a finger or so of white head. Not a lot of lacing noted down the side of my glass.

S: Really nice and bitter on the aroma. Crisp, with a definite underlying maltiness.

T: Taste is light, but certainly hoppy. The firkin sort of takes the bite out of the hops in my experience, and seems to be doing the same here. This beer is balanced, with a nice malt presence noted.

MF: Medium body with an obvious low carbonation. Dry finish.

O: Glad I tried this beer, I love the local stuff. I would pay $3/4oz again if I could try the tap version of this. The hops shined through thankfully.

Serving type: cask

02-17-2012 01:04:27 | More by russwbeck

axeman9182

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a tulip at Meadhall for the American Craft Beer Fest pre party.

On The Wings Of Armageddon pours orange, yielding zero visibility even when backlit. Just over two fingers worth of white foam spring up to top the beer, hanging around for a minute or two before fading relatively cleanly. The nose reeks of tropical fruits, mango and pineapple notes abound. It could stand to be just a little more intense though. The flavor profile leads with just a bit of caramel and candied sugar sweetness. The hop bite that comes next is surprisingly mild in terms of bitterness, before yielding to a finish that, while still primarily fruity, has a bit of a grapefruit citrus edge to it that wasn't present in the aroma. All in all though, it's just not as intensely hoppy as I would expect from a double IPA, in terms of either bitterness or hop flavor. The body is solid, with just a little bit of heft present to support the hops, but the carbonation falls just a touch flat for the style. On The Wings of Armageddon was my first DC Brau beer, and I really enjoyed it (though maybe not as much as the barrel aged The Citizen that was to follow). If you told me this was a 7% IPA I'd be handing out 5s for the score, but it's just not as potently hoppy as a big imperial IPA should be.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2012 03:24:06 | More by axeman9182

ThickNStout

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12oz can from jaheussner (thanks man!). I don't see a canning date but I was told it was 3/15/13. Served in a Three Floyds teku.

Pours hazy deep amber with three fingers of fluffy off white head. The pillows of head linger a long time and leave large splotches of lace.

Smells of robust pine and citrus hops with a nice sweetness in the background.

The big grapefruit and pine hops hit the tongue in a bitter explosion. Other flavors include orange peel, cherry skins, grass, pepper and crackers. Theres is hardly any booze bite for a beer pushing close to 10% abv. Nice.

Oily medium body with moderate carbonation. Long, dry, bitter citrus skin finish.

A nice bitter imperial IPA. Certainly worth a try if you get a chance, particulary when it's this fresh.

Serving type: can

03-22-2013 02:21:46 | More by ThickNStout

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

served at the RFD - Strong Ale Tasting in DC. review from notes.

A: hazy bright orange. nice head and good retention.
S: super American hop-centric aroma. very citrical and very fresh.
T: slightly sweet and definitely grapefruit. slightly more on the hoppy side. this thing is certainly loaded with hops considering i can hardly find any malt and at 9.2% they obviously used a lot.
M: average carbonation on a full body.
D: if i were going to be nit-picky i would say this brew would definitely benefit from a little bit more malt or perhaps a honey addition to lend some more balance to the hop explosion. otherwise, really nothing bad to say. as a DIPA it gets the beauty of the American hops used across in a super fresh way.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 11:42:30 | More by Jimmys

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the smoke and barrel the other evening.

The beer pours a slightly hazy, peachy orange color, with very good head retention and decent lacing. The nose is very attractive in this beer, as I pick up considerable pine, orange marmalade and dry citrus. There's a hint of dank weed as well, but the pine and marmalade dominate the aroma profile. The flavor profile replicates the nose in this well crafted beer, and I appreciate the dry approach to this DIPA. If anything, a bit more malty fruit flavor might benefit this beer, but regardless, it's quite tasty. The finish is long and fairly bitter, with just a hint of alcohol at the end. This beer comes across as very well balanced, with a medium bodied to full mouthfeel. Alcohol is fairly well disguised, though you can tell it's up there a bit, and there's a touch of alcoholic bite as the beer warms a bit.

A good, solid, well crafted beer... for some reason it's not the sort of DIPA that made me want to immediately get a second glass after my first, but nevertheless, I thought this an impressive effort from the folks at DC Brau.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2012 12:11:22 | More by johnmichaelsen

Beerandboards

New Mexico

4.11/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a snifter

A - pours a golden honey color with rocky white head that sticks around throughout the life of the pour. Leaves a good amount of lacing on the side.

S - solid presentation of citrus hop aroma, orange peel, zest, some floral aroma. Then a kick of musty dankness.

T - a punch of citrus hops up front. Orange, and lots of grapefruit. Pretty nice.

M - good. Just enough carb, well presented.

O - I've had this twice now, score and review edited to reflect the second outing. I like this beer much better second go round. There is still a little bit of a strange mustiness to the nose and taste, BUT, its more of an originality point than a demerit. It almost transforms the grapefruit up front into and sort of tropical note at the back. Not my favorite IPA, but very solid.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 06:18:05 | More by Beerandboards

Etan

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle sent by Willcarrera. Thanks!

A: Pours a murky maple-orange with a nice spongy white head.

S: Really nice orange hop sweetness, a bit resinous, with some sugary notes behind.

T: Some fresh citrus notes and piney bitterness, alcohol sweetness, a bit of an herbal character peaking through. Doughy malt body helps things along.

M: Medium-bodied with smooth carbonation.

O: This was a lot more balanced than I anticipated. Tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 22:29:29 | More by Etan

Treebs

Illinois

4.16/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz. can served in a. Big thanks to my buddy out east for picking this up for me.

A: Pours a semi hazy orange color with a yellowish head forming on the pour. It recedes slowly to a thick ring that leaves sticky sheets of lace down the glass.

S: Light pine with an underlying citrus note to it. Swift orange with some minimal lemon peel. Sweet bready malts make up the backbone. Juicy marmalade. Pretty nice.

T: Piney with some nice lemon square action going on. Juicy honey. A little sweet from the bready malts with some orange rind. Slightly floral, but the earthy bitterness takes over on the finish.

M: Medium to light bodied with a medium carbonation level. Bitter finish.

O: Teetering on the bitter edge of DIPA's, it has enough malty sweetness and body to balance it out. Definitely enjoyed it and it's great out of the can as well.

Serving type: can

04-20-2013 01:04:39 | More by Treebs

DovaliHops

California

4.19/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thanks Kenric! Pours a hazy, golden orange color with a small white head. Scent is nice and hoppy, with some stone fruit and citrus aromas. A hint of melon as well. As it warms, the melon comes through more. Just a hint of malt, with mostly strong hop aromas. Taste is quite lovely. Packed with tropical and citrus hops, this beer is not as hoppy as a lot of IPAs we get here on the west coast, but it sure is hop-forward and balanced. Slightly bitter up front, then stone fruit with a hint of melon and pineapple. Finish with lemony-citrus and piney bitterness. Drinkability is very high, as ABV is well-hidden. Mouthfeel is perfectly carbonated and slightly sticky. Overall, this is a fantastic DIPA. I wouldn't compare it to Pliny, Heady, or Citra...but great beer.

Serving type: can

05-08-2013 05:50:33 | More by DovaliHops

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a relatively clear amber color with a smallish off white head. Smells of grapefruit and a bit of pine. Wonderfully intense hop aroma with a barely sweet maltiness deep underneath. Nice bitter resinous flavor with a hint of bread and caramel carry the flavor very well. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a resinous slick mouthfeel. The first beer I've tried from this brewery and wow its a great brew, I can't wait to try some more of their stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2012 21:24:48 | More by johnnnniee

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another friend brought this back from DC.

It looks like a DIPA, and smells like a single hopped one (I know thats true). Theres a dark straw body with a small head. it smells dank and resinous. Honestly, I get more resin that anything. The taste follows suit. Definitely single-hopped, but not a bad way. Its a bit narrow-minded, but those dank, resinous, and piney flavors really work.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 02:54:30 | More by VncentLIFE

nimrod979

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle into my DC Brau tulip. "Bottled in 2012"

Appearance: Pours a hazy but beautifully glowing orange with a one finger white head. sticky lacing and decent retention.

Aroma: Fresh grapefruit citrusy hops.

Taste: Lots of grapefruit citrusy hops Very fresh and tropical with some pine notes showing up. Dry biscuity malt, although there isn't much to speak of. not complaining though. Plenty of flavor in this one. Not too complex. Excellently balanced. Flavors are so crisp and refreshing.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Perfect carbonation. Smooth and a fantastic bitter finish. Another fantastic brew from what is quickly becoming the best local brewery. Shout out to my man Chad for the hook up on this one. I love trying DC Brau's beers.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 23:50:03 | More by nimrod979

smakawhat

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Kaboom we go again!

A nice three finger head, swiss cheesed a little some bubbles bigger than others nothing crazy, really slight orange hue in the head and light very light tan in color. Body is orange amber, cloudy, and also a good bit of yeast chunks in here. Clumpy lacing and holding up

Nose is biscuity malt, chewy grains, and wonderful mellow citrus hop orange like aromas. Hints of wonderful juicy hops, smells delicious as always just like on tap.

In the palate rolling malt, and juicy palate with a hint of wetness. hop oil kicking in with a great orange juicy finish and quality. Carbonation seems fairly low, but nothing flattened as the palate hits some good juiciness. Biscuity malt is there, and the great orange balance still.

Overall not as good looking, and this bottle I think might be starting to fade a bit in the hop department, but it's still a great solid brew worthy of drinking. BRING ON OTWOA IN CANS!!

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 20:29:27 | More by smakawhat

SpeedwayJim

New York

4.23/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a 1.5 finger frothy white head with good retention. Beer is a slightly cloudy dark orange peach. Lacing is spotty and sparse with average stick and thin legs. Very solid.

Super aromatic nose with notes of citrus, pineapple, cane sugar, grass and passion fruit. Very sweet and fruity with a big, bold malt body lingering in the background.

Opens tea leaf bitterness with some citrus, pineapple, passion fruit, cane sugar, and brown sugar. Grapefruit hop bitterness peaks its head towards the middle with more tropical fruit and a touch of caramel at the end. Sweet and juicy finish with some sugar in the raw in the aftertaste. Really tasty.

Light to medium bodied with moderate to ample carbonation. Lively and quenching in the mouth and sweet and warm going down. Finishes messy with a long but mellow aftertaste. Booze is there but this one's very smooth. Can barely taste the abvs.

In a style with a ton of very solid offerings, Wings definitely stands out as one of the best non-Hill Farmstead IIPAs. Nose and flavor is very unique and taste is robust but with the body, very drinkable. Worth seeking out as a great example of the east coast IIPA style.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 20:38:55 | More by SpeedwayJim

ao125

Virginia

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

Serving: On Tap / Growler

Aroma: Grapefruit, Mango, Pineapple

Appearance: Copper

Taste: You get the bitterness from the 100+ IBUs and the clean tropical and citrus flavors mask the 9.2% ABV nicely.

Overall: This a great IIPA, along the same lines as Oskar Blues’ GUBNA. Hopefully they put this one back out in summer. I can’t think of anything I’d rather sip on while flipping burgers by the grill.

Serving type: growler

02-21-2012 18:20:40 | More by ao125

mdfb79

New York

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

Had two 12 oz. glasses of this tonight at Pizzeria Paradiso. Poured into a stange.

a - Pours a bright murky orange color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of citra hops, oranges, citrus hops, fruity malts, grapefruits, and pine hops. Tons of fresh hops, really really nice.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, oranges, pine hops, fruity malts, grapefruit, lemon, and a tiny bit of bitterness in the taste. Really nice once again.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, with a light bit of bitterness.

o - Overall a really great DIPA. Had two glasses of this and two glasses of their BA PQP and honestly I think they're on the same level, depending on what you're in the mood for. OTWOA has a ton of fresh hops to it and feels more like 6.5% then 9.2%, Really hoping they make this again, because it's tied for their best beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2012 00:51:56 | More by mdfb79

kevanb

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12oz can poured into a DC Brau can glass.

The beer pours a nice copper color, fairly hazy complexion, with a few bubbles rising to the top of the glass. A really nice, cloudy white head rises up from the beer, about 2 or 3 fingers high that has wonderful retention and leaves a fair amount of spotted lace behind. The aroma has a nice amount of zesty grapefruit and tangerine, a touch of resinous pine is also apparent before some sweet caramel malt pops out with some faint alcohol. The flavors nice, lots of grapefruit with some crisp tangerine that leads to some earthy lemongrass and dirty pine that is very bitter before the sweet and rich malt starts to take over the palate with just a touch of alcohol heat at the finish. The body is lovely, very juicy, coats the mouth well and finishes very smoothly with an awesome dry kick.

Verdict: An awesome double IPA from DC Brau. It's bitter, it's dry, it's flavorful and has a great finish, all of the hallmarks of a great IPA. That being said, there is a lack of depth in the flavors but the balance is great.

Serving type: can

04-02-2013 01:26:11 | More by kevanb

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler courtesy of drabmuh. Served in a DC Brau cervoise.

Pours a hazed light copper color with a very nice white head. Plenty of sticky lacing on the way down and great retention. The nose carries some heavy pine and citrus hops. Hop overload going on. The onslaught continues into the flavor with a very heavy citrus rind and pine presence. Really great balance between the different characteristics. Light-medium body with crisp carbonation and a nice dry, bitter finish. Very, very solid. By far the best DC Brau beer to date.

Serving type: growler

02-24-2012 17:16:04 | More by Thorpe429

rinhaak

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

On The Wings of Armageddon is an explosion of citrus and hop bitterness. It socks you in the nose with a menagerie of various citrus fruits (grapefruit, orange, lemon, tangerine) and even some tropical fruits (is that a twinge of mango?). The fruit reappears in the mouth: it's bitter, a little tart, but tremendously refreshing. The brewers made an excellent hop selection (100% Falconers Flight), and while it is wildly hoppy, there is so much character to these hops that those fruit flavors really shine.

The beer is backed up with a solid malt backbone that really supports the hop-bomb. The only complaint might be that it was a tad undercarbonated, but that didn't really effect the drinkability.

A fantastic brew and well worth having.

Thanks to user Evan for the trade!

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 14:16:56 | More by rinhaak

vandemonian

Maryland

4.3/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I got this fresh from DC Brau on the first day this batch was released (today). On The Wings Of Armageddon (OTWOA) is a delicious and dry DIPA. If you like dry, strong IPAs then you'll love this.

A: Cloudy yellow colour and a nice 0.5 mm head that lasts extremely well. Leaves a lot of nice lacing. 5

S: Citrus hops with some orange aroma. There also hints of green apple and some tartness. 5

T: Malty with grassy hops and a quite strong flavour of tart green apple. Fairly dry for a DIPA. An earthy bitterness dominates the finish. This is a really nice, dry DIPA but I tend to prefer sweeter ones. 4

M: Foamy and thick. 4.5

O: 4

Serving type: growler

10-06-2012 23:36:07 | More by vandemonian

fmccormi

New York

4.3/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Straight pour from a 12oz can to a tall Ommegang flute; canning date of March 15, 2013 printed on a little pricetag-kinda sticker applied to the top of the six-pack carrier (“031513”).

Appearance (4.25): A solid three fingers of custard-colored foam rises off of the pour, over a very hazy, orange-amber body. Great retention on the head, taking its sweet time to recede, leaving a half-inch thick cap with a crater in the middle of the glass. Lacing is decent, but not outstanding—a few splotches here and there, no collars, but one very wide, thick, long patch on the far side of the glass.

Smell (4.75): Whoa, very fragrant—at first it’s all weedy resin and herbs, followed by a really pungent mix of passionfruit juice, blood orange juice, fresh papaya flesh, some intense sugary notes, some herbal character (mint, basil), and a very quiet dank undertone. This is a very intense nose, but very good.

Taste (4.25): Starts out with a nice jolt of citrus peel bitterness with piney undertones, before moving into the body. It has a relatively moderate bitterness overall, but it blurs the line with the hops flavor very, very well: lots of papaya flesh, minty, herbal bitterness and some earthy tobacco notes, and plenty of grapefruit flesh citrus bitterness in the finish—which hangs on for a good long while. The malt body is simple: moderately sweet and sugary, but very blonde—no toast or roast or nuttiness—like a bread roll with icing on it. But then there’s that really earthy component again . . . The alcohol definitely sneaks into the flavor, but its character is the kind that mixes into the hop flavor and bitterness well, partly boosting and partly being masked by those parts. The earthy tobacco character is what really sticks out, though.

Mouthfeel (3.75): The feel is good, not excellent, but solid. Relatively full-feeling with a somewhat syrupy consistency, but finishing very dry (thanks hops oils and alcohol). The carbonation is low-key but has a fine-grained prickly feeling as it goes down. Also, there’s a pronounced feeling of alcohol vapor that closes out the finish.

Overall (4.25): I can honestly say that this has a pretty unique character for a DIPA—citrusy but with tones most hop schedules don’t hit, plus that very interesting, very earthy, very distinct tobacco-like flavor (which comes through in the feel, oddly, with the strong, vaporous alcohol). Enjoyable, for sure, and points for being unique, even if it isn’t quite on the same level as my favorites. Still, very very glad to have tried and look forward to enjoying this in the future, too.

Serving type: can

03-17-2013 05:08:11 | More by fmccormi