Steelhead Double India Pale Ale - Mad River Brewing Company

harrymel

Washington

1.75/5  rDev -54.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottled: unk

A: amber diaphanous ale with a finger of transient light yellow foam which remains as a broken sheet of the same. Rare lace.
S: Smells like some noble hops (old and stagnant), oxidized malts and little else.
T: Malt and hints of residual bitterness. Guessing this one's old, but hard to tell without a bottle date.
M: Medium on heavy for the style with moderate carb.
O: This is not a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2011 06:13:54 | More by harrymel

velmalikevelvet

California

2.58/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap in a legally-limited 12oz glass.

A: Straw is not the color I expect in a DIPA, but that's all you get here. Lack of head & lacing contributes to the less-than-average appearance of this brew.
S: What smell?
T: Bland & tart simultaneously; how did they do that? Absence of hop overtones was disappointing, & malty predominance was not my favorite either.
M: Somewhat clingy in the mouth, with a not-entirely pleasant aftertaste.
O: I did not care for this beer at all. Too bad, since it is made in my neighborhood & I'd like to be able to recommend it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 23:25:34 | More by velmalikevelvet

ArrogantB

Colorado

2.6/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

12oz bottle purchased for $1.75 with no bottling date (uh-oh).Turbid and hazy orange color with good head and lacing. Smells old like malt and dead hops, Goddamnit. The taste confirms it, this is old, the hops are stale and the malt tastes like grainy cereal. Mouthfeel is fine but overall this really sucked. I do not feel bad reviewing this even though I know it is old because brewers need to bottle date IPA's and I feel cheated of my $1.75. This is going right down the drain, I won't even finish it.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 03:52:02 | More by ArrogantB

Cresant

Kentucky

2.68/5  rDev -30%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to Flexabull for this one. Poured this 12 oz. brown bottle into a Tripel Karmeliet glass. A small off-white head capped an orange/golden muddy looking body.

Smell was sweet malts. Dates. Alcohol later. Subdued hops.

Taste was vegetal? More sweet than bitter, yet pretty balanced for a double IPA, I expect them to be out of balance toward the hops bitterness. The aftertaste was mildly bitter and long. I think this may have been an older bottle, it seemed rather dulled fron an DIPA.

Mouthfeel was medium in carbonation and medium/full in the body.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2007 03:09:19 | More by Cresant

genog

Ohio

2.73/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Wanted to try this after I saw it for the first time at Grandview Carryout. Thought A cali double IPA would be a win-win.
Poured a dark orange colored, almost brown color with a beige looking head, and a little lace. I thought the smell would be hoppy, but it kinda just smelled like funk. Taste is all caramel malt, followed by intense bitter. Not hoppy, just a hint of sweet malt, followed by mostly bitterness. Not all all what I was hoping for.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2009 03:49:27 | More by genog

MisterClean

California

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bottle from total wine

A - Burgundy pour, moderate orangish head, dissipates slow.

S - Light alcohol, very perfumy flowers, and slight smoke.

T - Lght alcohol, flowers, slight smoke, and malts.

M - Citrusy and yet astringent from alcohol.

D - This is more like a barley wine than anything. Has a very heavy scotch and alcohol flavor. It is a little too astringent for a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2008 22:28:56 | More by MisterClean

BeerSox

Virginia

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into nonic.

Cloudy honey color with a one finger off white head that settles to a thin cap. A wall of solid lacing takes its place. Little bits of sediment are suspended in the beer.

Bready grains in the background with some slightly peppery hops. More noble than anything, not really bursting with the sharp citrusy aromas.

The grains are lightly toasty with an overall biscuity flavor. A mild sweetness comes in toward the middle. The end gravitates toward the hops, with a slight grapefruit sharpness. Full bodied.

Not my favorite DIPA out there. More like an AIPA with some off flavors, and somewhat acerbic. I probably won't be revisiting this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2009 04:27:22 | More by BeerSox

JackieTH

Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Cloudy orange with bits of white suspended throughout. Off white head.

Smell: Pine and citrus and sweet.

Taste: Initially a combined resinous and citrus hop flavor in a caramel malt background which was nice but was quickly overpowered by too much sweetness, toffee, sugar and an odd coppery/metallic taste that was a bit off-putting.

Mouthfeel was a bit too heavy and cloying.

Drinkability: The ABV shows itself and along with the overly sweet and metallic tones...one was enough.

Consumed 6/4/2010; reviewed from notes and a photo.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2010 17:37:13 | More by JackieTH

SpeedwayJim

New York

2.88/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into Lost Abbey stemware. No bottling/freshness date.

A: Standard pour yields a thick, creamy 1 finger white head with moderate retention. Beer is a semi-clear pastel orange. Lacing is minimal with some spottiness and very little cling though with decent legs. Not the best looking brew.

S: Nose is a muted pureed orange fruit hoppiness. Notes of mango and papaya linger. Moderately aromatic with a dense, heavy scent. Balanced but not much going on overall.

T: Opens mango, citrus, and papaya lingering in the back. Sweet fruit is interrupted by a sappy hop bitterness for just a second towards the middle. Cane sugar and more mango and other tropical fruits toward the end. Finish is an accented touch of piney hop bitterness that dissipates quickly. Dry. Aftertaste is a sticky, sappy hoppiness mixed with fruit syrup sweetness. A touch too sweet, even for a fan of malty east coast IPAs like myself.

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Some bubbles in the mouth that dissipate quickly into a smooth, almost oily feel. Goes down smooth with a bit of a bite. Finish is accented and a bit dry with an aftertaste that lingers. Again, rather pedestrian.

O: Overall, this is a slightly less-than-impressive beer. There's a lack of crispness and liveliness that I crave from an IPA that is missing here. In addition, the malt body completely overwhelms the hop profile present. A decent beer but there are many more solid offerings out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 23:42:56 | More by SpeedwayJim

redneckchugger

Florida

2.93/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

poured into a pint glass. about an inch of head, a bit of lacing. smells of piney hops and not much else.
taste is all hops and alcohol, very little malt, i don't expect a dipa to be balanced but this is like a boozey ipa not a double.
mouthfeel is thin with a burn.
This is a decent beer, a bit on the light side for a dipa, and the booze is a bit much giving the lightness of the beer. its a good beer, but not great.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2008 02:47:31 | More by redneckchugger

Beaver13

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -23%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle. Pours a hazy copper gold with a big creamy off white head that retains well and leaves a lot of lacing.

The aroma is some sweet bready malts, a little honey, and some stinky piney resiny hops. It's a little subdued.

The flavor is sweet caramel/crystal malt followed by a big resiny, tarry, hop finish that lingers in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, not a great DIPA. It's a bit one dimensional and not well balanced with a clashing of sweetness and tarry bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 23:57:58 | More by Beaver13

barleywinefiend

Washington

3/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a cloudy deep orange color, nice carbonation, nice small head, some nice islands and sticky going on. Scents of hops, slight malts, citrus, spices, and caramel. The taste is hoppy, slightly sweet, nice touch of citrus, the finish has a nice bitter bite and slightly dry. Medium body. Very drinkable, a decent DIPA from this brewery but many better.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2008 21:31:19 | More by barleywinefiend

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was a little darker than I expected. This beer looked pretty good from it's appearence. It was a redish colored brew with good thick head on it. The smell was nice and piny, it made my mouth water from all the spicy hop aromas the brew had coming off of it. The flavor was no quite where I thought it should be on this beer. I found that for a double IPA that it would have been a little more bitter or citrusy. The flavors were kind of mellow and didn't really tingle my palette at all. I felt that this beer was a little on the bland side. The mouthfeel of this is good. It's heavy enough to be an imperial but overall I wasn't that impressed with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 23:46:09 | More by Knapp85

alenonbeeradv

California

3.03/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

a - golden and yellow hues. minimal head no collar. little carbonation meets the eye.

s - mild fruit. citrus and bitter hops. slight sweet malts.

t - sweet and fruity then malty and bitter. pretty nice but not a very full flavor. pretty tame.

m - medium carbonation. clean finish. medium body.

o - its alright.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2011 06:30:21 | More by alenonbeeradv

haazer

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass.

A- Aggressive pour yields a large, thick fluffy white head. Brew is a murky turbid bronze and copper color. Some bubbles rising to the top to meet the lasting cap.

S- Aroma's of fruity and floral hops. Hints of pollen, honey, and sweet sweet caramel malt. Theres a stickyness in the nose. Hops seem to have faded a bit, no date on the bottle though.

T- The hops have all but faded, but there is a honeysuckle taste in here hinting of the hops. The sticky caramel malt profile is most dominant. Sticky and sweet, but not cloying. A good beer but would be much better fresh I'm thinking.

M- The mouth is light to medium in body with mid level carbonation. Stickyness coates the mouth. No abv detected at all.

O- This is decent but nowhere near the upper echelon of DIPA's. I found it to be solid in flavor and has a strong malt backbone, but this feeds my love/hate for hops. If it's not <1 month fresh lets face it it's not the same.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2012 02:25:42 | More by haazer

klewis

Ohio

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Intriqken and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for this one.

A: Pours a hazy orange with a modest, bubbly head. Moderate lacing.

S: Vegetal hops smell. Not much to it.

T: An earthy and somewhat harsh hops flavor dominates the taste. Lots of bitterness in the end.

M: Medium body and carbonation. Dry finish with a long bitter aftertaste.

D: Decent, but very one-dimensional and uninteresting. The taste is too abrasive to make this one very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2007 21:18:13 | More by klewis

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Tarnished bronze body. Yeast particulates suspended throughout the body. Tight and dense white head. Lacing is sufficient. This one has definitely got one of those pungent and dirty IPA aromas. Not bright in the least. Sometimes I like these aromas a lot, but this one is very dark. Flavor is brighter than the nose, but that's not saying much. Surprisingly, I get a little mint right from the start. Then it moves to the more earthy and grimey and dirty hop flavors. Malt base is pretty full and seemingly toffeeish in nature. There's some alcohol noticeable and it leaves a little sting in the mouth. Body is damn near full. Carbonation moderate. For a DIPA, I've had much better many times. This is not bad, but it is fairly average for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 06:21:45 | More by Bighuge

Jpatrix

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into pint glass. A hazed light orange amber. Lot's of carbonation resulted in a large head, even with a careful pour. Smell was a malty,citrus smell with hint's of hops. Taste was a bit thin but enjoyable with a orange hint int he malt. A nice drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2010 13:19:39 | More by Jpatrix

loubrew

Wisconsin

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A very murky beer, even after a slow pour and leaving a bit in the bottle. Tastes like a decent homebrew IIPA, lots of malt & hops, but it's just not balanced. The flavors just don't meld. Average at best, many better options but many worse as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 22:04:43 | More by loubrew

Crosling

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pros: Nice appearance, long lasting cream. Cracker-like malts, cereal, nice balance and fresh flavors.

Cons: Nose is very light on the hop, slightly milky, sour cream, chive, kinda nasty. Dull. Not very bright, or assertively hopped.

A decent ale..

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2009 14:21:00 | More by Crosling

iasanlee

Nebraska

3.15/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep hazy golden amber with a thick off-white head and loads of sticky lacing. Aroma is sweet caramel and fruity hops. Flavor is almost cloying sweet malts and pineapple hop flavor. Long lasting bitterness and cloyingly sweet finish. Medium full in body with moderate carbonation, and alcohol burn. A bit one demensional for style, but not a bad beer by any means.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 03:47:04 | More by iasanlee

DiabolikDUB

Oregon

3.15/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from Bottle into Snifter glass.

Pours a swirling hazy dark amber, very murky, with a creamy pillowing off-white head that slowly dissolves and leaves nice lacing down the glass. Aroma has a lot of caramel malt and citrus hop and there is something toasted in the nose as well. Flavor is very malty with some citrus and a medium bitterness that resonates for some time. its heavy to medium bodied and fairly syrupy. Too much sweet malt for me, its not bad but its not that great either.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2009 07:00:17 | More by DiabolikDUB

peabody

Kentucky

3.18/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours out a cloudy amber orange with one finger of the white stuff. Slight Lacing
Smell is alcohol and caramel and not much grapefruit.
Taste is alcohol and very little hops. This one is bland for a double IPA.
Mouthfeel is a little oily but bearable.
Drinkability is only average here.
Not Mad River's best effort.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2007 02:29:47 | More by peabody

BilbosNuts

California

3.18/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a gold with somewhat of a haziness to it. It has a medium white head that lowers to a small head in a few minutes with some good lacing.

S: The smell is of a robust hoppiness. The smell also has crisp and refreshing aspects.

T: It has a very crisp taste with a hoppy and kind of bitter aftertaste. It has the hop profile more of an IPA rather than a double.

M: The bitterness adds a stinging and crisp feel that goes away rather quickly.

D: For a double IPA it is very easy to drink. It seems more like a good IPA instead of a double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 05:22:04 | More by BilbosNuts

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.18/5  rDev -17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz picked up at Brewforia tonight on the way home from work... Poured into my small CC goblet... slightly hazy orange brew with decent retention and good spotty lacing.

Nose is pretty standard West Coast DIPA... pithy citrus and good pale malts.. seems pretty blah honestly.

Bitterness begins on the front and builds toward the end of the palate leaving little for hop flavors in the middle... a nice bounce of grapefruit and maybe tangerine hoppiness is blown out by an resounding bitterness on the finish.

Body and carbonation are about right.. Despite the $$ at Brewforia, this is still a pretty decent brew... I would buy it again.

3.5/3.5/3/3.5/3

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 06:05:30 | More by JohnGalt1