Amnesiac Double IPA - Phillips Brewing Company

drrone

Arizona

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Clear straw/amber. 1 finger of head that quickly faded. Light lacing

S - Nice hoppy, pine and citrus nose

T - great hoppy hit, with nice citrus notes, light malt backbone and pine/grass hints. Quite tasty.

M - Easy to drink, light to medium body. Good carbonation.

O - Pleasantly surprised by this. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:27:41 | More by drrone

UCLABrewN84

California

3.94/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to VoodooImpStout for sharing this one at Wowcoolman's tasting.

Best by 7/2013.

Pours a clear honey orange with a foamy bone head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest aromas. Taste is much the same with a citrus zest flavor on the finish. There is a medium amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 00:46:06 | More by UCLABrewN84

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

3.76/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Phillip's Brewing 'Amnesiac Double IPA' the 2012 edition @ 8.5% , served from a 650 ml bottle purchased for $6

A-pour is clear gold with a small off white head leaving a spotty lace along the pint glass

S-grapefruit , floral , strong pine

T-crisp tasting IPA with a huge hop/bitterness at the end

MF-low/mild carbonation , full bodied

Ov-ok/good beer , my least favourite among the brews sampled , a miss for my palate

sampled alongside Lagunitas 'Sucks' , Deschutes 'Hop Henge' & Driftwood's 'Twenty Pounder' recently

prost LampertLand

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 05:03:00 | More by LampertLand

ssmack

Ontario (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A 650 ml bottle that I brought back from the Coop in Calgary.

A light orangey amber colour with medium cloudiness. The thick yellowish white head of fine foam lasted right to the bottom. Average lacing and retention.

The aroma is full of citrus and pine with a touch of sugar. Not overwhelming but a nice prelude for the taste.

A medium hop bomb. Lots of citrus and pine bitterness. The malt mitigates the hops' bitterness very well. The hops lasted well in the taste.

A medium smooth feel considering the hops and alcohol levels.

Amnesiac is a rich double IPA. Oddly I find the malts the real star in this brew. The malt is the real backbone in the taste and allowed me to enjoy the hops. I suggest that some more aroma hops would make this a superior double IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 01:44:39 | More by ssmack

RoryVear

Sri Lanka

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was hesitant for some reason on my first try years ago due to the very simple label, but that's the only modest thing here. Huge nose, beautiful citrus, piney taste and it'll get ya too at 8.5%. This was my first DBL. and I must say, she wasn't gentle at first, but she did leave me longing for her warming embrace.
For Canada, this is the best Dbl. IPA hands-down. Looking at taste, smell, appearance and overall value for the beer your getting. $4.25 for the bomber. That may be on the higher end for US beers but that is low end price for Canadian beers and its competitors are selling for $6-11 a bottle for christs sakes.

Cheers

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 10:03:13 | More by RoryVear

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Got this one from Rutager in a recent trade. Cheers!

From a bomber into a snifter

APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, thicker looking, fluffy, bright white head with great retention. Head slowly faes to a nice foam cap and coats the sides of the glass. A hazy gamboge orange in color with no carbonation evident. A thin wisp remains until the end and leaves lots of nice lacing down the glass. Really nice looking beer.

SMELL: Nice, big nose of pale malts, caramel, honeydew melon and plenty of nice citrus, hoppy aromas. Grapefruit, orange peel and lemon for sure. Fruity, bold, and very enticing.

TASTE: Plenty hoppy again, and lives to the nose for sure. Pale and caramel malts up front, then lots of citrus fruit at the swallow. Grapefuit, orange peel, lots of pineapple and honeydew melon, as well as some nice lemon zest for sure. Big and lingering aftertaste of pineapple and honeydew melon sweetness, as well as lots of bitter grapefruit and lemon flavors. This is flavorful and enjoyable.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Semi-creamy smooth on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes slightly oily and mouth-coating on the palate. A bitter bite lingers as well. Nice and oily feel, though it needs to be a little creamier for top marks here.

OVERALL: An excellent IPA for sure. Lots of big, fruity, hoppy aromas and flavors on this one; another great example of the awesome beer that is coming out of BC at the moment. A slightly creamier palate would have helped support the flavors a bit more and really brough this one to the promise land, but regardless, this is a top quiality beer that I'd love to drink again. Thanks again Rutager! Don't forget this one again next year.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 19:10:36 | More by Jeffo

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden colour, very slightly cloudy. Moderately sized white head. Decent lacing, moderate retention.

Smell contains caramel malt, some citrus fruit and some pine. Not a big smell.

Taste consists of citrus fruit and a fair bit of caramel malt. Fairly bitter. A bit of pine. Pretty good but nothing stands out about it.

Full bodied, moderate carbonation, a bit of an oily feel.

Overall, decent but not exciting.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 18:36:21 | More by jrenihan

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a cloudy light golden/amber colour with a finger width of foamy head.

Smell - Piney hops, citrus, hint of passionfruit, touch of spiciness.

Taste - The piney hops are present in flavour, although not as intrusive as expected. Hint of citrus and fruitiness is also picked up on in flavour. Bitterness does not linger for long.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and dry finish.

Overall - A good offering of a DIPA by Phillips Brewing. I was hoping for more of a bitter hops characteristic for the style, but still a respectable DIPA with some fine tuning required.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 05:51:36 | More by leaddog

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle from a liquor store in Vancouver. Confusing bottling date which I'm assuming is the 4th week of March. Not sure if it's best before or what.

A - Pours a slightly dark golden colour. Bright. Nice carbonation coming up and a one finger white, thick head. Great thick rings of lace with the entire head intact.

S - Resinous, juicy hops, grapefruit.

T - Strong resinous hops. Sweetness up front with some toffee and alcohol. Boozy pineapple

M - Nice carbonation, medium oily body and a dry and slightly bitter finish.

O/D - Doesn't seem like this is too fresh. Tasty but the sweetness is pretty strong which leads me to believe it's a little older. A decent but underwhelming Doubled IPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 23:54:29 | More by tbeckett

McBastard

British Columbia (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a typical murky golden-amber with a frothy white head, which leaves nice lacing throughout. Smells of citrus and pine, with a subtle bready malt sweetness. I take a drink, and bombastic hops storm my palate and beat it into submission. There's notes of citrus and pine... very resinous. It finishes with lip-smacking bitterness, balanced with an underlying caramel malt sweetness. Medium bodied, sticky-icky-icky, with aggressive carbonation. Other than a bit of warmth, the alcohol is really muted. It's dangerously easy to drink. Very nice. This beer will put hair on your chest, irrespective of your gender. A nice hop bomb, by one of BC's most hop-forward breweries.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 01:35:04 | More by McBastard

Intrinsic

Quebec (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The head on Amnesiac is very thick and frothy, with amazing retention. It sits atop a light amber body with lots of creamy looking carbonation. Very nice looking.

The smell has it all - malts and hops mixed with some citrus, a little bit of pine and some spice. IBUs abound in the flavour. Its a mostly citrusey hop variety balanced with mild malt character. It has a relatively dry finish and medium carbonation. Overall, a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 23:57:01 | More by Intrinsic

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden amber appearance with bubbly white head that quickly disappears, leaving good lacing. Smell consists heavily of hops along with a hint of citrus and caramel.

Taste consists of lots of hops, along with citrus, grapefruit and caramel. Also picked up a hint of malt, bread and orange. A flavorful IPA and not overly dominated by hops. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Aftertaste is bitter, hop taste.

Overall, this is a very good IPA. Huge hop flavor, but has some other features that makes it stand out. Wish I got another one; highly recommend if you’re a fan of hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 01:54:55 | More by CrazyMike

timtwoface

British Columbia (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I'm a big fan of IPAs and DIPAs and this one is one I have returned to a handful of times. It's a bit on the more bitter side of DIPAs I prefer, but it's definitely a fully hopped, highly ABVed (8.5%!) DIPA that I could drink over a long period of time, again and again.

And unlike the name, I fully remember everything about it once I'm done. Give it a shot...at $5 for a bomber it's a decent buy.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 05:57:19 | More by timtwoface

SamJory

United Kingdom (England)

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a Leffe half pint glass.

A: Poured a hazy golden yellow with a 2 finger white head with good retention and some nice lacing.

S: Citrusy hops upfront with some tropical fruits in there as well.

T: Hugely hoppy and so much that it masks the high abv. Bursting with tropical fruit flavours and a long lasting finish.

M: Very smooth and quite low carbonation

O: A great double IPA, I could never get bored of this one and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 18:33:47 | More by SamJory

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

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

Poured from a bomber into a schooner at the Sugarbowl in Edmonton.

A - clear amber brew with a half finger head and very thin lacing

S - big grassy hops nose on this; dominates

T - the hops flavor is a little smaller than the nose, but it still solid and gives a strong bitter attack to the beer, in the finish it's well balanced with slightly sweet bready malts. The bitterness endures and sticks in the back of the throat

M - medium bodied and slightly oily; moderate carbonation. The alcohol is well hidden with just a hint of booziness

D - quite drinkable for an Imperial IPA - has a nice balance

Overall a relatively tasty beer; would recommend this for a try.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 22:23:51 | More by DoktorZee

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Part of a gift from my aunt that my brother brought back on a recent trip to their place in Surrey.

Poured from a 650ml. bottle (a notch on 2 & Dec., indicating the best before?) and shared with my wife.

Appearance: A reverse foam effect as it starts with a thin ring but expands as the pour continues. Thick and fluffy. The body is the color of light tangerine.

Smell: Pungent aroma of hops, orange, sweet grapefruit and mango.

Taste: Fleshy fruit, piney but not abrasive, mango and citrus. While not totally mouth filling, it is very good.

Mouthfeel: Bitterness is felt though not overdone. Remarkable balance as it is smooth and retains an edge.

Overall: Very much enjoyed this one. Not a huge hop bomb but it does pack enough flavor and bitterness to satisfy.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 11:25:51 | More by papat444

jdense

Oregon

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Carried back from BC by goodbyeohio, enjoyed 9.16.11. Thanks, Jim.

One finger semi-rocky white head, medium-slow dissipation with above average lacing. Medium amber clear body with orange highlights, several streams of small lazing rising bubbles. Nose is citrus and tropical, neither dominates, good dose of caramel and crystal malts. Taste mirrors nose, got slightly bitter on back end as it warmed. Medium mouthfeel, good effervescence. Nothing earth shattering, but a nicely balanced and drinkable DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 13:51:00 | More by jdense

hoser

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A old favourite bought back from British Columbia by a friend. Maybe I am getting old but Double India Pale Ales are getting harder for me to drink. Golden colour with with plenty of hop bite and always a pleasure to drink even if I still have half a glass after the bottle being open a couple hours. Although I rarely rate beer here because of the word count asked for. My editors at other magazines would cut this review done to one or two sentences as I am padding the word count. All in all a nice DIPA that I would gladly reach for again. Matt please start shipping to Alberta.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 04:19:50 | More by hoser

xuptygm

Nebraska

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A very smooth IPA. Extreme foam and lace. Hoppy citrus aroma. Very refreshing. Alcohol is almost unnoticeable...until you have 4 or 5. I was surprised how creamy this beer is for an IPA. Very bitter yet nice citrus finish. The malt really rounds this beer out into a wonderfully balanced IPA. Every beer I have from Phillips impresses me more and more.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 04:57:36 | More by xuptygm

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

650ml bomber poured into tulip 5/7/11

A hazy reddish amber with a big ass head that has a loose top that appears to thicken closer to the liquid, it falls quickly leaving polka dot lacing

Edit: the second pour off the bomber gave a big three finger light tan head that slowly falls to a brain like looking island caking the side of the glass with lace all the way down +.5

S big caramel nose with some citrus and just a tad of booze

T some pine on top of what I smell with more rind and loads of toffee and caramel, the booze is very well hidden

M thick, syrupy and sticky, coats your mouth with a little slick sweetness lingering after you swallow

O nearly a perfect balance but I wouldn't mind just a little more hops, but I'm sure they were there a few months ago when this was bottled

this one deserves its place in the Canadian top 100 for sure, look for it when in BC because it can hold its own against BC's ever expanding list of hop bombs.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 05:59:17 | More by wordemupg

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: 1/2" of soapy bone white head which left a nice lacing and dissipated slowly over cloudy golden amber liquid.

S: Grapefruit and hops.

T: Natural peanuts and grapefruit. A pleasant aftertaste.

M: Very creamy and nice mouthfeel with very fine carbonation.

O: I quite enjoyed this Double IPA. Would be a great beer to have on a hot summer day while watching a ballgame with a bag of peanuts.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 23:32:08 | More by DaftCaskBC

LazyL

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The soft white head disapates almost immediately leaving a thi cap on a very bright pale copper ale. Their is nice orage highlights from different angles. The smell is fresh and hoppy. Lots of pine and some mild grapefruit. There is also a nice sweetness lingering here. The taste is pine and moderately bitter that fades to a soft boozy sweetness. The 8.5% is very well hidden adding to the drinkability, or maybe diminishing it, depends on the way you look at it. Medium carbonation and not too dry. This is a very exceptable strong IPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2011 00:57:30 | More by LazyL

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was surprised I hadn't reviewed this yet. I've had it a couple times before. Had this bottle at Volo in Toronto. Pours a golden orange colour with a finger of white head. Nice head retention all the way down the glass with some mild streaks of lacing. Smells of floral hops with some pine in the background. Lots of caramel malt sweetness for balance. This is almost like a double English IPA in some ways. Nice medium bodied carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2011 16:48:45 | More by kwjd

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance.Pours clear, copper, golden-orange, half thumb of off-white head dissapating after a minute and virtually gone after a few.

Smell. Strong fruity hops with sweet malt hit.

Taste. Hops and hops. Herbal, alchohol present. Long piney bitter finish

Mouthfeel. Medium carbonation, thinner than expected. Warm at the end.

A solid, local DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2011 23:40:48 | More by Rutager

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Phillips Amnesiac DIPA pours a slightly hazy deep copper with a beautiful head. The aroma is grassy and vegetal, with some citrus and piney notes, but fairly muted overall for such a hoppy beer. The flavor is bitter up front with some nice resiny, grapefruity citrus that lasts through the finish. The beer is fairly malty for the style, with a nice malty background hanging in. The vegetal character is there as well, almost like fresh salad greens, not just grassy like some heavily hopped beers. This one may be on the border between IPA and DIPA, but it's a solid beer in either case.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2010 02:57:26 | More by ericj551