Steelhead Double India Pale Ale - Mad River Brewing Company

kflorence

California

3.93/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy amber, orange in color with a good amount of frothy head that dissipates to a thin film layer and leaves plenty of lacing around the edges of the glass as you drink. Carbonation levels look to be good. Has that classic American IPA look to it. Make sure you swish the last bit of beer around in the glass before you pour so you get a bit more flavor (if you prefer).

S: Really a pretty subtle aroma for a double IPA (especially of the West coast variety). I was expecting an olfactory assault of hops, but actually found a fair amount of sweet malts. Don't get me wrong, there is a bit of hop aroma in there... mostly citrus, but the malts seem prominent.

T: As the aroma led me to believe, this is a pretty balanced West coast IPA. That said, the hops do dominate the flavor all the way through, but only slightly, which was unexpected for me seeing as this is an IPA of the double variety. Anyways, the hops are mostly of the citrus variety, a very bitter grapefruit I would say, with a twist of lemon and a bit of Juniper. As for the malts, I'm getting a lot of bread and sweetness; no toasty or roasted notes. That's pretty much it. Simple, but very effective. It could probably use a bit more balance malt-wise, but maybe that's just me.

M: Medium body with a good level of carbonation, this brew comes off quite creamy with a bit of chewiness. There is a bit of oil that coats the tongue, but the beer finishes dry with a little bit of chalkiness.

O: As a West coast double IPA, I expected something overwhelmingly hoppy. What I got was a great, fairly well balanced IPA with a straightforward flavor, great mouthfeel and very high drinkability (especially for an 8.6% ABV). This will probably disappoint those looking for a hop-high, but if you can get past that, this is a very solid offering and another good brew from Mad River. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 04:25:28 | More by kflorence

SortaAmbivalent

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

06-15-2013 23:50:40 | More by SortaAmbivalent

Mojo

Alabama

3.84/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle -> Sam Adams Perfect Pint

A- Pours up a very hazy gold which eventually settles into a clear gold. Two finger head with a nice retention ring, even a hour later (yes slow drinker) and lacing that would be the envy of many beers
S - Pine, resin, grasses, bread, yadda, yadda, yadda
T - Initial taste is pretty sweet, but the back end is bitter and boozy. Bitter I like, boozy, uh not so much.
M- a little lingering aftertaste.
O -Okay, but nothing awesome to see here. Move along!!!

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 04:27:42 | More by Mojo

MPSTARR

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -15.1%

06-14-2013 21:41:30 | More by MPSTARR

Solrock

California

4/5  rDev +4.4%

06-13-2013 02:11:22 | More by Solrock

scmoore81

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

06-12-2013 01:14:39 | More by scmoore81

bpasquini

California

4/5  rDev +4.4%

06-11-2013 23:16:28 | More by bpasquini

VitoFerrante

Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This beer was a complete surprise. It was given to me by an industry person to try, knowing I am a monster DIPA unfiltered fan! The likes of Artic Panzer Wolf, Heady, and others of the style attract me. I was blown away. This is an accessible example of the style that really shows its chops. Juicy, hoppy, very little boozy smell and taste that many examples of the style have. West Coast pedigree taste, appearance, and smell. And you can buy it!!! This may be my new "go to" for a DIPA. It really compares to Alchemy Hour, Sucks, and many others of this echelon, but is available all year round. You can see the juicy bits floating around in this beer like so many others that are much harder to get. Buy this beer!

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 13:36:54 | More by VitoFerrante

RyanAU

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

06-09-2013 03:40:46 | More by RyanAU

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

06-08-2013 15:27:46 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

06-07-2013 17:58:34 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

trevorpost

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +4.4%

06-01-2013 02:31:43 | More by trevorpost

somelikehops

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%

05-28-2013 23:43:41 | More by somelikehops

KYGunner

Kentucky

3.76/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bright copper to orangey brown the color is striking. The head was light, thin and wispy but with a bright white hue.

The scent is is nice with more malt than hops. Subtle tea leaves are balanced with a grainy maltiness. Light lemon rind and grapefruit are closer to the end.

This IPA derives its taste from the strong malt base and only picks up slight hoppy flavor towards the end. Some earthiness mixes with the malt and then a metallic pine after taste takes hold. That pine lingers perhaps a little too long.

Overall, I'm a big fan of more malt intensive DIPAs so this is right up my alley. Just a little less metal in the after taste and amped up the scent and you would really have something.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 21:26:49 | More by KYGunner

grover37

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

05-22-2013 03:43:56 | More by grover37

buckyp

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.4%

05-20-2013 00:57:52 | More by buckyp

kguard

Iowa

4/5  rDev +4.4%

05-19-2013 14:23:33 | More by kguard

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle was poured into a snifter.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that reduced to a thin layer. It is a hazy orange color with a little clarity and bubbles coming up through through the glass. Nice lacing on the glass as the beer was drank.

Smell: Citrus and tropical hops, caramel, and bready malts. It's hard to decipher the scents in this beer.

Taste: Caramel sweet malts, grapefruit, tangerine, citrus, and bready notes.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, full bodied, tingly bitterness, a little chewy, and medium carbonation.

Overall: A nice DIPA. It could be cleaned up a bit, but still an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 03:19:57 | More by Flounder57

Bustersuess

New York

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

05-14-2013 18:23:45 | More by Bustersuess

TheBadger0289

New Zealand (Aotearoa)

4/5  rDev +4.4%

05-11-2013 01:22:38 | More by TheBadger0289

lighthabit

Oregon

3.6/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

nice off white head dies down to thin layer and stays there, lacing is good. pours a hazy color that reminds me of dried mangos (not bad, that's just what the color makes me think of). smell is resiny hops right up front, not shy at all, as it warms up there's a minor off-smell, but almost missed it. early on it comes across as a bit dry, but that mellows as time goes on. taste is a bit of hidden citrus, almost covered up by the fairly strong hops. it doesn't like to be sipped, this would be great cold after a hot day in the yard - a nice brew for this summer. feel is resiny/oily, smooth, carbonation is there, but i'd almost like just a bit more to make those hops really go "ka-pow!". it's not a hop-bomb, but could be with a bit of a push. glad i tried it, though i'll probably go hunt down something with a bit more citrus when i'm looking for another ipa.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 06:43:57 | More by lighthabit

ejimhof

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -21.7%

05-05-2013 22:17:39 | More by ejimhof

Hanbergb

Washington

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%

05-03-2013 00:46:37 | More by Hanbergb

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a tulip glass. The color is cloudy, amber-orange. It looks thick; orange pulp-like specks are suspended in the beer. About two fingers of dense, eggshell-colored head settled slowly to leave trails along the glass, a thick ring, and clusters of bubbles and skim.

Smell: Invigorating and spot-on! Orange, mellow grapefruit, light lemon zest, peach, pineapple, mango, strawberry, and raspberry. I know it sounds demeaning, but it’s true: it reminds me of a strawberry Orange Julius, or maybe one of the banana and berry smoothies from Jamba Juice. As the beer warms, caramel sweetness becomes more prominent and the booze begins to sneak in. A tame floral hop aroma also emerges.

Taste: The mouthfeel is thick and creamy. The taste is a bit of a letdown compared to the smell, but it is still pretty good. The citrus, tropical fruit, and berries from the smell are less prominent. There is a touch of pine spice as well, but the flavor belongs to pale malts, sweet caramel, and light floral hops. The bitterness is very minimal and the alcohol is almost completely masked.

Drinkability: This is very good stuff, but the flavor lacks the compelling complexity from the aroma.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 04:09:45 | More by TheQuietMan22

capnamerica

Arkansas

4/5  rDev +4.4%

04-28-2013 00:00:44 | More by capnamerica