Maharaja - Avery Brewing Company

Sludgeman

District of Columbia

4.58/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Release No. 17, 2013. Poured into a fluted beer glass.

A balanced big IIPA. I love this beer. Heavier and sweeter than Stone's Enjoy By. Almost a barleywine, if not actually one. But no denying that this is a great beer.

A - Pours an orange/amber. Initially beer was cloudly, but allowed to warm and the haze disappeared almost but not completely. A half-finger beige rocky head, which quickly disapates, but better lacing than one might expect.

S - Resiny and sweet floral, ENTICING, a hint of lemon, maybe a bit too sweet (-)

T - Moderately malty, honey sweetness, that sweetness you taste with some whole wheat breads.

MF - Medium to heavy body, smooth with some lasting bitterness and some alcohol warmness that lasts into the finish (-).

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 02:26:17 | More by Sludgeman

Klutch14

Massachusetts

4.64/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

First time actually reviewing a brew. And this beer is the reason I signed up. So I'll keep this simple and base purely on my drinking experience of this IPA

The most unique tasting IPA I've had since I've been a fan of IPA's

Almost belgian style appearance; with little head

Very fragrant, not the hoppiest smelling, a bit surprised with my first sip because of this.

Malt, hop, citrus. First three words that popped into my mind.

Great feeling from first to last sip

And at 10.4% alc, the alcohol was not overpowering at all.

Will be investing more in this brew

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 20:09:42 | More by Klutch14

Benish

Wisconsin

3.84/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Probably one of the sweetest DIPA's I drank. Poured in to snifter glass. Minimal head appeared, I did pour aggressively. Beer was amber colored, seemed more darker than other DIPA's I tried.

Just after opening I smelled citrus, nothing more really. After pouring into glass I smelled primarily pineapples, honey, and some oranges. Very very sweet and fruity.

Wow this beer is malty! It's so sweet it's not even funny. Maybe some hops noted but not a lot. It just seems so rich or maybe cloyingly sweet, then followed by a bitter finish. Hard to define the flavors specifically, maybe pineapples, just really sweet. As the beer warms up, the alcohol is definitely noticeable, not well concealed. The beer has a full bodied mouthfeel.

Overall it's not a bad beer. It has flavor but at the same time it seems so sweet. A little hard to get past the sweetness as I really appreciate bitterness from hops which I did not get a whole lot of in this beer. It is different than other DIPA's, a very malty beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 03:21:24 | More by Benish

guityler83

Wisconsin

4.28/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: A soft yellowish foam built from the agressive pour nearly two fingers tall and retained for a bit before receeding completly. The murky copper color of the beer brightens a few shades when held to a light, but doesn't make it more transperrant.

S: Pungent dank, pine, and resinous hop aroma kills all but faint hints of toasty malt and a wee bit of alcohol.

T: Strong armed bitterness on the first sip, ripe with the same piney dank aromas in the nose. With a few more sips an interesting bread crust, toast malt vibe comes out making it more interesting than the uber dry west coast IPAs (imho).

M: A moderate amount of body and mid carbonation. Resinous sticky hop oils dry out the tounge after a few minutes with out a sip.

O: Flavorful, bitter and aromatic everything I like in an DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 01:15:00 | More by guityler83

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

4.61/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Avery Brewing Co Maharaja

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a CBS snifter. Served chilled...

A) This is a Jurassic Park Amber. There was a nice full finger of slightly off white head. Excellent retention and a shit-load of lacing.

S) It's wonderful... Tropical fruit, mango, ripe pineapple, hint of sweet citrus. A whiff if alcohol as this warms. Shit... This is good.

T) My enjoyment of this brew continues. The flavor follows the nose. Delightful tropical fruit sweetness, with a dusting of table sugar. Nice balance... The 10.4 ABV is very well hidden.

M) A full bodied brew with lighter carbonation. This is some kind of smooth... Light alcohol tingle. Damn, this is all around good.

O) This was fantastic.... What kind of asshole wouldn't enjoy this beer? Glad to recommend.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2013 23:16:20 | More by RoamingGnome

AndrewScottPentland

Florida

4.61/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Pours a beautiful orange/copper color. The head is thick and looks like orange sherbet. I gave it an aggressive pour, but was still surprised by the big three-finger head.

I immediately got intense pineapple and mango aromas. There is some lingering grapefruit and pine, but the most dominant smells are the tropical fruits. Faint light malt smells linger in the background, but are completely dominated by the aromatic hops.

Starts off with a great punch of clean fruit bitterness. The tropical fruits are more subdued than in the nose and the grapefruit and orange flavors become more prominent. Little to no malt presence The malt supports the aggressive hop bill fantastically and helps to balance out the alcohol, but does little to add to the flavor. There are very subtle biscuit and bready notes
, but they are buried beneath the intense hop flavor. Relatively "balanced" for an imperial IPA.

A light to full-bodies mouthfeel. Not chewy - still crisp and refreshing, but not too light for the imperial style.

Unfortunately, I could find no bottling date, but knowing my bottle was new, I would say this beer ought be enjoyed as fresh as possible. Form what I can tell, most of the hops are late additions and their flavors will not survive long in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 17:28:16 | More by AndrewScottPentland

RattleheadKV2

New Mexico

4.66/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from 22oz bomber into Duvel tulip

Appearance: Pours a hazy amber color with a nice 2 fingers of off white head that leaves some amazing lacing.

Smell: Fruity tropical, piney hop aromas; grapefruit, mango, and pine. Followed by a kiss of sweet caramel malt.

Taste: Dank, piney, tropical hop goodness! Some nice pine needle type flavors going on as well as a really great earth dankness, followed by some citirus, and tropical undertones.

Mouthfeel: Nice full body to stand up to the hop barrage, with moderate prickly carbonation.

Overall: Very, very good DIPA, stands up there with greats IMO, would love to be able to get my hands on some more of this sometime.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 06:21:44 | More by RattleheadKV2

bennett_loves_good_beer

Wyoming

3.41/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.25

Pours a dark amber with a pale white head that dissipates rather quickly. Lots of sticky lacing on the glass. Aroma contains tropical fruits, sweet maltiness, pine, and alcohol. Taste has a strong, sweet malty backbone. A little too malty for me. Maltiness overpowers the slightly bitter, fruity hop finish. No date on the bottle makes me wonder about the freshness.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 01:09:07 | More by bennett_loves_good_beer

LCB_Hostage

Pennsylvania

1.5/5  rDev -64.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.75

This is one nasty beer. I will admit that this bomber has been sitting in my fridge for 4-6 weeks, so maybe the problem is that it ages horrifically, but my god, this was awful.

It looked pretty as I poured it into an imperial pint glass, but it was all down hill after that. The aroma was subdued, but what there was was bitter in a way that I can't associate with any known type of hops.

The taste was also bitter, but not in a pleasurable, hoppy way. More of a getting a mouthful of gasoline when you do a shitty job of siphoning way. It just burned itself into the roof of my mouth and back of my tongue and would not go away.

I see from the reviews here that a lot of people have had a much better experience with this beer than I did, so it may have been a bad bottle or at least a bottle with too much age on it. I couldn't find any dating on the bottle, but unless it was several years old, there's no excuse for it going THIS bad. But there are so many great DIPAs out there that I enjoy regularly, I will not be giving this one another shot.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 14:35:54 | More by LCB_Hostage

garuda

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - Deep amber, brilliant, clear, white head has some retention and good lacing.

S/T/M - Huge hoppy nose, mostly pine and pineapple with underlying floral notes. Hint of booze in the smell, a little stronger in the taste. Sweet caramel malts provide a strong backbone, yet the body stays in the medium range. A little sweet overall for my liking, which is the only thing holding me back from giving even higher scores. Still finishes bitter though with resinous pine and a hint of booze.

O - A little sweet and boozy, but still maintains good hop character. I'll pass on another bottle, but would surely get it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 12:40:36 | More by garuda

DenverHopHead

Colorado

4.3/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I was very pleased with this Colorado DIPA, as my expectations were not terribly high. It stands up to some strong DIPA competition. Not one characteristic stands out as being off the charts, but nothing disappoints either. I will have this again if I can get it fresh from the source, but otherwise I'd choose a handful of others.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 19:23:40 | More by DenverHopHead

kemoarps

Missouri

4.19/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Rich clean clear amber. Deep amber, with almost a ruby tint to it. Good little white head. decent retention and minor lacing.

Nose pops hops primarily. there's some pine, some spice, some soap almost? I can't quite pin down the malts, but there's a distinct sweetness to it.

Spoiler alert: this is tasty, and presents mostly hops.
The intro is woven together with the toffee sweet malts and citrusy hops. the next wave i get is almost like a well made gingersnap: the sweetness remains, but instead of what I usually think of as hop spiceness, there's almost a cinnamon/alspice spiciness. Different. Enjoyable.

The citrus hops linger , and the alcohol catches up eventually. More in flavour than in feel.
An interesting take on the DIPA. I enjoy it for its components, but find it to be more of a slow sipper than many other similar brews. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it's just more apparent to me at the moment as I am quite thirsty.
Definitely one to drink, if you can get your hands on it. A tasty, if slightly unique example, and solid entry to a very popular style

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 06:52:50 | More by kemoarps

Lledd

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Even with a small pour there is a nice one finger head. Really beautiful, rich copper/orange color. Lots of webby lacing. Very attractive.

Wonderful caramel malt notes up front, slightly bready. The hops don't stand out in the nose. What's there is crisp and piney. The sweetness of this brew dominates the nose.

Wow the malts in this are outstanding. Bready, and caramel sweet. The hops finish the swallow with mostly bitter notes. Just a tad of astringency on the finish.

Mouth is creamy with soft and large carbonation. This is a thick brew which could be expected at 10.4%.

This is really a great beer. It's not as hoppy as you might expect for an ipa but its hoppy enough and very malty. I wouldn't mind having another one in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 02:57:23 | More by Lledd

macher0

Kentucky

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Light copper. Translucent. Finger head that slowly retreats to a very frothy rim and slight film. Excellent lacing.

S: Pineapple big time. Hoppy at the end. This is where this beer excels.

T: Hoppy, but not very strong and not bitter, not sweet either. A medium citrus note. Balanced.

M: Smooth. Moderate bodied. High carbonation. Smooth. Clean finish.

O: A great IPA with an excellent smell, which is by far my favorite aspect of this ale. I would assume a glass of pineapple juice is under my nose if I was blindfolded. I get big-time pineapple in the nose but citrus/hops in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 02:25:30 | More by macher0

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber, labeled Release 17, year 2013, poured into a FFF teku glass and quaffed today, 5/3/2013

Aroma: Smells incredibly malty and earthy. Loads of toffee, caramel, biscuits along with a background of earthy and citrus hoppiness that I can best describe as grapefruit rinds, pineapple and pine both. This nose is heavy on the malt for sure. (4)

Colour: Looks absolutely delicious. Pours a dark amber colour with a big 3cm, thick foamy off-white head that takes a good couple minutes to settle down into a thick collar that leaves super thick, dry lacing on the glass that persists as I drink it. Definitely an impressive appearing beer, like its namesake. Heck even the bottle with its gold foil and labeling is impressive. Even though I know the bottle doesn't count in the appearance department. (5)

Flavour: Very smooth blast of earthy, floral hops, followed by a big malty presence of toffee and biscuits, followed by a complex bitterness that I can only best describe as bitter pineapple juice. It's got a lot going on and it smoothly moves between all of these flavours each time I take a sip of the beer. It's pretty good, almost a little too complex than I'd expect for a DIPA though. (4)

Mouthfeel: Resinous thicker medium body DIPA that is fairly well carbonated. The finish is clean and smooth but not cloying or dry. It also coats the palate rather well. Aftertaste is like sucking on bitter toffee, but not unpleasant or lasting too long. It's a sipper, certainly not the most quaffable DIPA I've had.. but I think that's a good thing when it comes to its mouthfeel characteristics- it seems like its meant to be savored. (5)

Overall: Very nice, complex DIPA with a different flavour profile than I'm used to with the other west coast DIPAs like Pliny, Sucks, Enjoy By. It's heavy on the malts which I appreciate, bringing a nice balance, but its not too overloaded with hoppy bitterness like Double Crooked Tree is. In this DIPA, the malts are the stars of the show here, with the hops contributing the atmosphere and lighting. It's somewhat like a very hopped up barleywine that is a bit less malty than typical barleywines. Drinks well, very complex and enjoyable- and different than the typical west coast DIPAs that I've had. It's a bigger, more complex version of the DFH 90 min. (4)

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 23:38:15 | More by Stevedore

BradtheGreat7

Ohio

4.23/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2013 bottle was purchased in Feb. 2013. Review taken from notes early March 2013, and another was tasted last night.

Brown bomber style with gold foil gracing the next and cap. A unique foil compared to most I've seen. Excellent quality Label showing The Maharaja' and a bit of Avery's style. A beautiful bottle display if one must know. Poured this into a stemmed, somewhat fat tulip glass.

A - Deep orange/copper hue. Massive off white head sits on top, thick and fluffy. I can't describe how tightly compact this luscious head is. It looks like its been painted or even built and sat on like it's one piece. Slowly dissolves into a thick ring of creamy lace that leaves good stick throughout the entire experience. This may be the greatest head in terms of look and quality ive ever seen. It's a freaking beautiful beer.

S -Big pineapple juice like hop aroma with some grapefruit, earthiness, and a slight touch of fresh tobacco. Very oily/resinous character to the aroma. Bready malt set the back ground and do a nice job of balancing this aroma.

T - huge wave of pineapple hoppiness up front. Grapefruit flavors remain the sidekick to pineapple. A hop oily/resinous character with this flavor just like the nose. Earthiness and tobacco spice find their way into the action as well. Malt is much needed in balancing the intense hop bitterness. Sweet caramel malt and Bready malt do their job of punching the hop flavors in the mouth just enough to make this enjoyable.

M - full and flavorful. Thick and very smooth. It was actually
Very easy going down. It has a huge bitterness but it's well balanced with malt to allow just about anyone to enjoy. This is a hop head's ale, but I'm telling you it's smoother and is easy going enough anyone could experience it. Mouthfeel coats you with flavor and a top notch thickness. Well done

O - This was the first vintage I've had of this. I'm really surprised this somewhat goes under the radar of the craft beer world. Given the respect and stature Avery has become. You'd think an DIPA of this quality would be very sought after. Avery took this in a slightly different direction than most massive IPAs, and it'll be a flagship of that direction for years to come. Its a well done ale and not discussed enough.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 13:40:09 | More by BradtheGreat7

Bosoxfan20

Missouri

3.86/5  rDev -9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A- Great looking dark copper/amber. Wonderfully bright with a thick 1 finger, off white head. Spotty lacing and fair retention.

S- Powerful and assorted hops take over the nose. Fragrence is amazing. Pine, grapefruit, pineapple, papaya, mango...the list goes on. Beautifully put together with the NW hops. Not much malt detected as the DIPA lets the hops reign supreme.

T- Hop heavy as the nose indicates. A lot going on with a terrific hop profile. Some resinous hops also find a way to surface. A little unbalanced as the sweet caramel malt backbone never seems to put up much of a fight to the hops and booze. Pine hop bitterness in the finish

M- Mid to full body. Despite my feelings that this beer has an overshadowed malt base, it remains delightfully creamy on the palate. The alcohol slaps you around a little, but as to be expected for a 10% beer. Dry. Maybe a little undercarbonated

O- A big beer here that while i enjoyed the hop complexity, I struggled to find its balance. Odd, i know, as many people have also said that the malt is too strong. An enjoyable brew that i will try again.

As an addendum to the previous review, I cellared this beer for a couple months to let the hops subside and I actually like it much better. The caramel malt characteristic really shines and seems to make it much more balanced than when I had it fresh.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 19:37:27 | More by Bosoxfan20

meegs

Wisconsin

4.31/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a hazy burnt orange amber with a fluffy off-white head that lingers. The head has a great creamy foaminess that clings to the glass. Really a very inviting beer in the glass.

S - Big resinous hop nose with pine, orange and lemon zest. Malt sweetness sneaks in behind the hops and a definite assertive alcohol in the nose, but not offensive or hot. What you'd expect for a 10.4% beer. No diacetyl or dms. Well brewed.

T - Bready malt mixes with high hop bitterness with flavors of pine and grapefruit pith. Alcohol sweetness on the back end. Finishes dry. Grapefruit bitterness lingers in the aftertaste with a "woody" quality.

M - Medium-full to full bodied. Medium CO2. Very creamy on the palette.

O - A very nice Imperial IPA. I enjoy the big malt bill that balances out the big hops. For a 10.4% beer, it doesn't seem that big, which is a compliment. If it wasn't for that 10.4%, I could drink a lot of this beer. Nice job Avery!!

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 00:53:25 | More by meegs

Treyliff

West Virginia

4.55/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- poured into a tulip glass; pours a dark amber-orange with a copper hue, two-finger creamy white head, good retention with thick lacing as it settles

S- oily hop resin with citrus zest, tropical fruit, dank and earthy, clean mint, hop-dominant

T- pungeant and wet hops with strong notes of citrus, herbal, leafy and minty. Some tropical mango and pineapple flavors mid-palate that is balanced nicely by a slight caramel malt. The finish is nearly bone-dry, but leaves a pungeant oily hop bitterness on the palate long after the pour, with a touch of mint

M- medium body and carbonation, creamy mouthfeel with a warming finish. Drinks no where near the high ABV, very well hidden.

O- this is definitely a hop lovers beer, the hops linger on the palate like very few beers that I've tried, so strong it almost provides an astringency to the flavor. Definitelt some uniquely defining flavors and one of my favorites of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 02:22:17 | More by Treyliff

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

4.44/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Total Wine in Tampa. From notes.

A - Poured bright with a copper colour. One finger of thick creamy off white head. Bright, good carbonation and a half finger of retention with spotty lace rings.

S - Great juicy hops. Pineapple, citrus, good maltiness too. Definitely let's the hops shine.

T - Great depth of flavour is evident off the bat. Great hop blast. Boozy pineapple, piney, resinous. Alcohol makes itself known but doesn't offend. Malt body gives some good sweetness too. Tasty and complex.

M - Powerfull bitterness. Good gentle carbonation and a full body. Really smooth. Good stuff.

O/D - A solid DIPA. Avoids being too boozy and balances well but still gets very hop forward. Well done. A please to sip and enjoy. Wonderfully complex and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 18:23:54 | More by tbeckett

spoony

Colorado

4.34/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

From a 650 ml bottle (Batch 17, Release 2013) into a globe glass.

A-A normal pour produces a nice looking copper/caramel/amber colored beer. The brew is mostly clear with a few chunky bubbles. The head is thin, a thick cap really, and off-white. No lacing.

S-The smell is big and bold. I detect soapy bitterness, grapefruit, peppery spice, pineapple, pine, and quite a bit of fruity, warming alcohol. The scent is intense and biting.

T-The taste, while also huge and brash, is more earthy and dank. There is a lot of peppery spice and bitter, herbal hops. The alcohol is very noticeable, and it gives a nice touch of fruit and warmth. The malts also come through with a little bread dough and caramel. The hoppy finish is one of the longest I have ever experienced.

M-The feel is medium body with an oily character and fine, lightly prickly carbonation.

O-I don't know if I actually like this beer as much as some of the more nuanced IIPAs out there, but I give credit where it is due, and if you like big, bold, in-your-face flavors, credit is due here. Somehow, the malts and fruity alcohol amplify the hoppy bitterness, and while the whole thing can be a bit much, but if you're buying this beer, you probably know what you are getting into.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:59:27 | More by spoony

joeseppy

Illinois

4.46/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Big cascading effervescence with a one inch head that resembles the thickness of my shaving foam. Deep golden amber with ruby hues in the sunlight. Severe lacing.

As far as aroma, not much happening. Faint wafts of sweet grapefruit and hops.

Wowza, wowza, wowza....what a IIPA bonanza! Deep malt backing that supports a muddled sweet mellifluous tropical fruit rush. Guava, papaya, mango and grapefruit. I also imagine myself sucking on a hop bud.

Low carbonation, resinous, sticky, chewy deliciousness.

A tremendously tremendous IIPA holding true to form. This is like squeezing a grapefruit right into your mouth. This is one you can crush. I say amen to this this sir.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 22:54:47 | More by joeseppy

Beerandboards

New Mexico

4.08/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle about 2 months old

A - coppery red, good clarity, loose white head pours to about 1.5 inches and dissipates pretty quickly.

S - citrusy and floral hops, pine, alcohol

T - sweet citrus with a fair amount of alcohol heat. Some pitchy pine bitterness and then more malty alcohol sweetness.

M - definitely the beers low point. At little syrupy almost, the high alcohol content and corresponding sweetness turn the beer almost cloying by the end.

O - an enjoyable beer. I think it would have been better off if it would have stopped around 7%. The citrusy and floral hop notes are great, but are overshadowed by alcohol heat and sweetness. Still, a good IIPA, compared to the average of what's out there, this is a good 2-3 notches better.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 23:20:55 | More by Beerandboards

KYGunner

Kentucky

4.24/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Strong amber/scarlet hue with exceptionally active carbonation. The bubbles built a fluffy white head that lasted for quite some time.

Sweet citrus fruits hit the nose with tangerines, orange, lemon and even a little grapefruit. Light hints of malt, tea leaves and sweet grass hold the back of the scent.

There is a full bodied Pale Ale element to this IPA. Tons of malt flavor with hearty earthy notes like , tea leaves, grasses and caramel malt. No pine or floral hops can be found. At 102 IBU there is a very nice, smooth bitterness and at 10 percent there is an easy warmth. Only complaint is that there is a heavy dryness that assaults the palate in the end.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 21:16:26 | More by KYGunner

darksunshaman

Ohio

3.14/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was let down by what I think is best described as the body of this. I think I was expecting more of a fullness rather than a distinct and almost overwhelming booziness. As far as hoppiness, I like a much more bitter IPA then this. To me the bitterness was almost overwhelmed by the alcohol. I also tend to like more carbonation in my I DIPA, the mouthfeel of this was definitely short of what I was wanting. I think now, my standards for DIPA / IIPA are Alchemy Hour / Leviathan respectively. As much as I love Avery IPA in a can, this just falls disappointingly flat for me. Wouldn't recommend.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 08:59:18 | More by darksunshaman