Exponential Hoppiness - Alpine Beer Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.7/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Faintly fuzzy tangerine with golden honey accents and streams of energetic carbonation. The upper third of the glass is filled with ivory colored foam that is an appealing mixture of creaminess and sticky bubbles. Great glass coverage allows the appearance score to be rounded up rather than down.

Too bad that Alpine doesn't publish the hop bill. Juicy pineapple, pink grapefruit and zesty orange guarantee that the little green cones are of American origin. Nothing else will do in a 'San Diego Pale Ale'. Notes of caramel-butterscotch are slightly worrying... and they even pull even with the hops as the beer warms.

This offering has been on my short list of most-favored wants since my Pure Hoppiness review back in 2004. Amazing beer to the nth power could only be even more amazing, right? Well... not exactly. As the label implies, is EH equal to PH squared? No it isn't.

At this point in its lifespan (late December 2009 release) Exponential Hoppiness is not my kind of DIPA. And it isn't going to improve from this point forward, since alcohol mellowing will be accompanied by hop mellowing. Negatives include too much caramel, too much oak, too much alcohol harshness and not enough bright hop flavor. That last one is the biggest negative by far.

Alpine should know better than to give us yet another hoppy American barleywine rather than a true blue, pale malted, hopped-to-the-gills DIPA. Something akin to Russian River Pliny The Younger was expected, but that is definitely not what was delivered. Has this beer always tasted like this or did they change things up for the first bottling?

The mouthfeel is American big beer good. It's both firm and full, without being sappy or sticky. The carbonation isn't as rambunctious as feared. It adds just the right amount of energy without crossing the line into annoying.

Exponential Hoppiness is the biggest disappointment of the year so far and is exhibit 'A' in proving that ridiculous hopping rates do not always result in amazing beer... even from a brewery that knows what amazing beer is all about. It looks like Pure Hoppiness is still the king. Thanks to iowahawk for the bomber.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2010 15:35:32 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.83/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I have to give a big, big thanks to a wonderful socal BA for sending this growler my way. It has been a long, long journey trying to track this one down. Served cold and poured into several pint glasses, this one was consumed on 04/20/2009.

The pour was wonderful. Rich amber in color with a huge billowing white head on the top of it. Lots of coating side glass lacing. Lots of carbonation could be seen streaming up toward the surface, reinforcing the head with each passing moment. The aroma was perfect. Huge floral hops that were as fresh as could be. Lots of sharp citrus notes, pineapple and bright grapefruit notes were totally leading the way here. So pungent, bright and sharp, it was absolutly just a wonder to behold. As I went in for my first taste I was anything but dissapointed. This was the biggest, baddest, and smoothest tasting DIPA I have ever run across. Such huge hops, some may say one sided, but this is the mouth shredder I would have wanted. It was huge, bad ass, and simply wonderful. Tons of ripe grapefruit just tearing my mouth apart with each sip. Super fresh and dry finish with a long, lingering sharp aftetaste. Smooth medium feel and wonderfully carbonated. I could not have asked for anything more.

Overall I have to say this was hands down one of the best beers I have ever had. It was simply top notch no matter how you look at it. A real pleasure to have and glad I was finally able to tackle this one.

Serving type: growler

04-11-2009 23:49:44 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

4.13/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The pour is a slightly hazy golden color with a finger's worth of white foam on top which has wonderful retention and leaves some nice lacing.

S: The nose on this beer is incredibly floral and piney. The hops do not provide as much in the way of citrus as many California IPAs, but this is more than made up for.

T: This is a wonderfully pungent and bitter IPA. There is a fair amount of grapefruit and orange, which is somewhat surprising due to the absence of these fruits in the nose. The finish is incredibly piney and bitter, but also has a noticeable alcoholic heat to it.

M: The body is full, but almost to a point of syrupy. Luckily there is fairly abundant carbonation after the initial pour, but as this begins to die down, things deteriorate a little bit.

D: This is certainly a fantastic DIPA and one that I'm glad I've been able to try a few times now. That said, it's just very noticeably alcoholic which takes away from the enjoyment a bit.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2010 05:14:20 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

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

Had this one on tap at O'Brien's in San Diego in August 2009.

Pours a nice golden color with a good white head. The hops absolutely dominate the malts in the nose, but it's not quite as hoppy as I would have expected. The same is true of the taste, where everything just doesn't blend together as well as it could, and the hops shine through, but only give massive bitterness without as much of the beautiful hoppy taste that I enjoy. Not at all a bad taste, just not as good as I was expecting. The body was medium with moderate carbonation, and drinkability was good for a hop monster, but nothing too great.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2009 20:57:59 | More by Thorpe429

brentk56

North Carolina

4.93/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Arrives at the table with a hazy medium amber body and a white head that leaves lots of lace

Smell: Sweet grapefruit and spearmint aromas

Taste: Fruity and malty flavors kick off the tastebuds followed by extraordinary but but sweet citrusy hop flavors

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Amazing that a beer this bitter and hoppy could also have such a sweet and drinkable character

Note: I had the Dec 2009 bottled version and was surprised at how different that beer tasted from my memory when I had it on tap in 2006. I didn't recall the woody and fusel alcohol character that the bottled version has at all and, I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed in it. The bottled version was decent but far from what I had anticipated.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2006 03:11:11 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

4.3/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear honey orange with a foamy beige head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, and herbal, earthy, and slightly vegetal hops. Taste is much the same with a honey flavor. There is a mild amount of citrus zest bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good beer with some nice aromas and a great flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 01:42:02 | More by UCLABrewN84

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It's alway an honor to tackle such a coveted beer. The beer has many of the characteristics of a Pliny The Elder but with the power that differentiates it but also detracts from the drinkability. Let's explore more...

A strong golden-light copper color gives a light haze and moderate carbonation. The hop additions give a nice even frothiness to the foamstance that covers the beer consistently from the first pour 'til the last.

Strong aromas of fragrant hops: citrusy grapefruit, orange zest, lemon grass, and secondary notes of pine, perfume, flowery notes and honey-like nectar fill the nose... strap this to my nose and leave me alone, I'll die happy. A background of malty substrate acts as a spring board for all those hop aromas.

Hop flavor also dominates the taste. All that citrus, pine, resiny, tropical mix comes more alive in the taste- especially as the beer warms. More estery fruitiness comes in with apples, appricots, mangos and begins to reach English ale proportions. Estery-alcohol blends bring about a solventy, rose, non-descript fruity alcohol blend that creates as much intrigue, comnplexity, and flavor as it does soapy, light fusal, and nail polish notes. Isn't is always a give and take?

The beer does a great job of seeking an elevated Double IPA status (...as a Triple IPA) without sacrificing the well-attenuated body with a dry finish that hurts most ultra-aggressive hoppy beers. Though the alcohols create confussion and eventually lead to a hard-to-drink character, the beer has enough mystery and intrigue to reel it back in.

On a side note: the light oak aging that is used in conjunction with the dry hops help to give a cotton-candy smoothness to the malts while tempering the malts just a tad (to sand off the rougher edges) and adding a marshmallow creamy malted milk note... reminds me of Double Bastard in the oak nature of the beer...

... aaahh, I hate to see this session end. IndiaPaleAle, you've given me great pleasure in sending me this beer. For this, I thank you!

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2010 06:41:24 | More by BEERchitect

drabmuh

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Received in a trade with stawn, thanks man.

Poured from a bottle into an arrogant bastard imperial pilsner glass. Beer is amber and slightly hazy, carbonation moderate to high. Forms a good one fingered white head of medium to small bubbles and leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

Aroma isn't quite as hoppy as I expected but hops are all over it anyway. There is a malt sweetness to the aroma that underpins the mostly pine hop aroma.

Medium body, nice sweetness up front, not as bitter as expected but there is nice sweet fruit flavors throughout the palate. The beer is surprisingly drinkable, there is no heat or detectable alcohol at all in this beer. Second taste, bitterness grows but I think the sweetness is winning overall. When I lifted the glass to my mouth that time I got punched in the face with the hop aroma. The bitterness builds as almost an aftertaste as I drink. I love it though. Good DIPA (although I think my rDev is going to be negative for this review).

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 23:47:26 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to Exiled for sharing this bottle. This had been on my wants for a long time.

The beer pours a yellow-orange color with a white head. The aroma is very nice and very fruity. I get a ton of tropical fruit in the aroma. Notes of pineapple and papaya are the most prominent.

The flavor is heavy on the pineapples with a little bit of other tropical fruit. The beer is pretty sweet and a little bit syrupy. I also get a bit of spiciness, which I guess is from the hops. Medium bitterness.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A great beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2010 23:39:16 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

4.4/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, amber color with a small, one-finger head of tan foam. Nice retention and miminal lacing.

S - It smelled of grapefruit, citrus and other tropical fruits. The is some burnt toast maltiness and a touch of booziness in the nose.

T - Good grapefruit and citrus flavors. It has a boozy alcohol flavor with some bitter hops. There is a mild burnt toast and caramel malt backbone.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied ale with a dry finish.

D - This is a really good DIPA. Almost too boozy but it was quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 21:10:06 | More by zeff80

MasterSki

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Huge thanks to srandycarter for sending a growler of this to me. Served in my Kuhnhenn tulip.

A - Three fingers of gorgeous yellow-tinged off-white foam with excellent retention and some spotty lacing. Transparent glowing golden orange color with tons of tiny bubbles racing to the top. I could have gone for a touch more lacing but otherwise it's gorgeous.

S - Citrus and pine hop explosion. When I poured this brew I could smell it from like 2 feet away. There's loads of tropical fruits and some dank earthy tinges as well - not sure if those are from a certain hop or from the oak chipping. There's nary a trace of alcohol to be found. This definitely rivals the Kuhnhenn Extreme IPA in the smell department.

T - Tons of sweet citrus, tropical, and candied fruits - a lot like 16 Grit in that regard. There's also a touch of the dank weed and oak flavors early on that morph into more floral, melon, and vanilla notes the end. There is a shocking lack of bitterness to this brew - I'm almost disappointed - it took a good two glasses before it started to accumulate. Again, there's no trace of alcohol.

M - Incredibly creamy and smooth, surprisingly moderate carbonation, medium body, and lots of residual stickiness. I'm getting slightly incoherent at this point, but in any case it is what I expect from a DIPA.

D - Other than the high ABV (which I can't taste) it has all the attributes of session brews - low carbonation, great taste, low bitterness, etc. This is one deceptive - other than the mounting buzz there is nothing to keep me from pounding this one down. I will be very sad when I finish this growler.

This is on par with the other great DIPAs (PtY, 16 Grit, etc.) - highly recommended!

Serving type: growler

04-11-2009 04:15:08 | More by MasterSki

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A well carbonated pour from the growler easily produces a three-finger thick, creamy textured, light tan colored crown of froth. The beer is a lightly orange tinged, full amber color that shows a lightly hop-hazed, orange-copper hue when held up to the light. The aroma is very sticky with hop notes; candied grapefruit, huge lychee, apricot & other tropical fruit notes are quite noticeable even while pouring this brew. A focused sampling of the aroma gets aromatic notes that lean much more towards the herbal / pine side of the spectrum. Though the beer still smells of sticky, sugar preserved hop buds. The sharper side of the hop produces notes of grass, pine sap, some slight chive notes, a huge hemp oil contribution. It is interesting that this was so intensely fruity smelling as I was pouring it, but that a focused inspection of the aroma is much more dominated by concentrated herbal & essential oil components.

Sweet and thick tasting with a ton of residual malt sugars, these are not by any means overwhelming though as this has a huge hop character that easily offsets the malt; in fact the residual malt sugars are not even overly noticeable because of all the hop character. Sharply bitter, with lots of green, astringent hop notes and a finish that tastes like what I would imagine chewing on a fat, juicy, marijuana bud (though there is lots of malt to keep this from becoming over-bearing). Up front and through to the middle some nice, underlying citrus & tropical fruit flavors are found; these contribute flavors of lychee, candied ruby-red-grapefruit, orange-marmalade and peach concentrate. This is clearly dominated by the greener hop flavors; in addition to the piquantly expressive hemp-oil flavor there are notes of chives, mentholated pine, lots of herbal turpenes (rosemary, garlic chive and a touch of sage oil). Thick and chewy, this is approaching a Barleywine in heft, it just retains enough lightness to retain the IPA allusions though. The plethora of hop character also keeps this from every getting sticky or cloying. The malt character is clearly a supporting character, really not noticeable on its own, but it plays a significant role in carrying the hop character.

My second pour of this beer reminds me how very well carbonated this beer is; visually it is quite apparent, but the beer is thick enough that it is not as noticeable in the flavor as one might think, though it does add a certain prickle / lightness to the beer as it flows across the tongue. This beer doesn't seem to take to warming as much as some, the combination of hops and alcohol gets a bit harsh after a bit.

Big, powerful, overbearing, an exercise in self inflicted tongue flagellation, but is it good. It most certainly is, but it is a bit too astringent & hemp-oil dominated for me. There are times when I can enjoy a scathing, tongue scraping, astringently hoppy beer, but most times I like something a bit more drinkable. Definitely a beer for the enthusiastic hop head. I am not sure if I am getting more discriminating or if I am just getting burned out on over-the-top beers, but this is not nearly as enjoyable as I expected. I really do enjoy excessive amounts of hops in a beer, but it has to have a drinkability and finesse that this beer just doesn't quite have. Still this is a good beer, though it is one I really only want a 12 oz serving of (luckily I could share my growler, because there was no way I would finish it on my own).

Serving type: growler

04-22-2008 04:49:25 | More by Gueuzedude

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.26/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This poured out as a slightly hazy orange color with a white head on top. Nice looking lacing with a thin retention on top. The smell of the beer is very piney, very sharp aroma of hops on the nose. The aroma reminded me of another strong IPA I've had before. The taste is malty up front kind of boozy as well. The hops fill in nicely later in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel of the beer is sharp with carbonation. There is a oily feel as well. Overall it's a really good brew, similar to DfH 120.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 22:19:25 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

4.47/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Most recent bottling, thanks to Jason for the trade...
Shared this and reviewed from notes.

Appears to be a murky red in the glass, glowing orange in the light. Spotty islands of foam dot the surface, with plenty of that sticky icky coating the glass and the lips.

Luscious and tropical, peach and mango burst out of the glass. Utterly awesome. Kept sticking my nose in the glass the whole time!

Resiny and herbal, savory, almost like a fruit nectar with low to medium carbonation. Smooth and luscious. Tropical fruits, cantaloupe, melon, a touch sweet with a building bitterness in the vaguely dry aftertaste. Leafy and woody as it sits in the glass. Caramel toffee malt sweetness is there too, underscoring the tropical hop onslaught. It's deceptively mild for 10.5%, with barely perceptible alcohol that comes out as it warms. Pretty amazing!

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 19:36:02 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

4.35/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From a 22 oz. bomber, thanks Jon,

A: Pours a lightly murky yellow orange with a medium white head, solid lace.

S: Dank with a lot of greeness and pot. Hint of Brussels sprouts, lots of white grapefruit.

T: Has more sweetness than I expected which is fine since it works well with the beer. Some oak tannin with a boatload of pineapple, passion fruit and grapefruit. Expansive and big.

M: Full-bodied, silky, super hop oily, smooth for sure.

O: A really good beer, well balanced between the hops and the malt, well done. Reminds me somewhat of Avery Majahraja, they both have a little more residual sugar than you'd expect in a West Coast style beer of its type. It works there, it works here.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 00:41:41 | More by Halcyondays

akorsak

Pennsylvania

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

A glass tasted during Dark Lord Day.

A: The ale is a hazy amber orange color. The travel and open growler have done their number on the carbonation, giving the ale little in the way of head.

S: The nose is a citrusy bitterness, full of grapefruit and pine aromas but not as intense as I expected from a beer called 'Exponential Hoppiness'.

T: The taste does not skimp on the hops, they are bitter with a strong citrusy grapefruit flavor. As the ale sits in the mouth, a huge, intensely bitter hop element quickly emerges, providing astringent grapefruit flavors built on pineapple and pine flavors, creating a thick mouthfeel that burns with hop deliciousness.

M: The mouthfeel begins on an average note and quickly escalates into an all-out hop assault.

D: The 1/2 glass that I had was very enjoyable, full of big hops and quite drinkable even with the hefty abv.

Serving type: growler

04-30-2007 23:41:09 | More by akorsak

barleywinefiend

Washington

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

Poured a gold color with the head modest in size. Massive hop floral spiciness hits your sense first, followed by a sweet malt backing, citrus crisp and fresh, quite clean with the start nicely malted, slightly sweet and the top middling in its feel to the palate. The finish has a fair to middling acidity with as one would expect a "Big" hop bite that lingers on the palate, dry and quite a nice representative to the style, another of the beers I sampled at least three times to get a handle on its flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2008 02:04:14 | More by barleywinefiend

Billolick

New York

4.33/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Liar's club in SD, CA. Arrived light amber, quite clear with a near white head, and showing off wildly scaered lacing. Nose here was very fruity, mangoes!. The intense hop crunch is the signature of this brew, does the term "S.D. style DIPA" mean anything to you? Oily, peppery, more fruit, mango, grapefruit galore. 11% well hidden in this dangerous, tasty, hop bomb.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2006 17:07:50 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

4.3/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass.

a - Poured a dark orangish-yellow color, with a decent amount of carbonation and a small amount of head. It is somewhat murky.

s - Hops jump right out at you. Smells strongly of pine and citrus.

t - Tastes very similar to the smell; lots of fruity/citrus and piney hops. A pretty good taste and you can not tell it is 11 ABV at all.
m - Feels very smooth and only a small amount of carbonation.

d - I actually thought it would be more bitter than it was. It smells and tastes of a lot of very different types of hops, but it is very tasty and smooth. It hides the 11% ABV very well, and I will definitely be having another one of these sometime soon.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 16:38:47 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.39/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to peterdactyl (Reddit) for an awesome huge trade that included this. Shared with rudzud.

Smaller pale white fizzy fluffy head fades at a med pace, light lacing, semi hazy golden almost copper orange color with a bit of yeast or hop sediment.

Nose explodes out of the bottle, big hops, tons of citrus, orange peel, candied orange peel, light tropical fruit tangerine hint grapefruit like, big sweet malts, candy like, some pine almost sap like, and another earthy herbal fir tree pine thing like pine forest , very nice.

Taste is quite nice too but a little different, tons of pine and fir tree, earthy pine tree sap and light resin, etc. Then citrus but lighter, candied orange peel again, a spices like flavor almost the cedar like conifer flavor, almost as if they brewed it with small pine needles. Hint tangerine fruit, light tropical like. I think the oak and pine and citrus mixed give that light cedar like flavor. Bitterness is there but not crazy, fairly smooth, some warming booze but hidden fairly well by the sweet syrupy malt flavors. Finish its sweet, little syrupy, hint biscuity bready flavor, candied orange peel, quite a bit more bitterness and light spicy hops, more lingering pine tree and sap.

Mouth is med to fuller bodied, little syrupy, fluffy carb, some warming booze but not nearly 11%.

Overall very nice, not what I'm used to for alpine or west coast style, big sweet malty balance with booze hidden well, tons of nice hops citrus and pine bomb, but tasty.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 13:10:02 | More by jlindros

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap @ O'Briens (San Diego, CA) on 3/22/10. Served in a pint glass.

Pours a clear gold in the glass, with a thinnish covering of rich bright-white head. This maintains some foamy robustness around the edges, leaving a frothy cascade of lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma is thick in the nose with huge hop character and backing sweetness. Pine, spice, citrus, caramel, bread are all very deep here, with some heavier warmth giving the bouquet a touch of a herbal or medicinal smell. Vanilla and oak are also very present here, really helping to smooth out those strong flavors in the nose and bringing it all together.

The taste blasts the mouth with hops, that just oozes and coats the palate with resins, citrus, and spice. A splash of caramel comes out across the back and once again, that woodiness of the oak and vanilla sweetness are really coming out, with it adding an extra layer of complexity to the profile and helping cover up some of that huge ABV. Lots of wood, vanilla, spice, and bitter fruits hangs hard in the finish. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied and creamy in the mouth. The alcohol content is large and beefy feeling but at no point (unlike the bottle) does this get stinging . This still isn't the easiest drinker out there but it does go down pretty good for the ABV involed.

Well after 3 visits in the last year to San Diego, I guess the 3rd time was definitely the charm, as I was finally able to get to try a pint of this on draft. The oak presence and ABV masking were a big step up from the bottled version, helping to make this even more flavorful and drinkable than it already was.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2010 16:48:31 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Again a big thanks to grub for making this one happen. Shared the growler on our last night in Cali, playing cards and reliving memories, great evening.

Pours a clear orangey gold, nice clarity, brilliant colour, thick and insanely chunky white head forms, drops lace like its going out of style, settles down to a thick layer and doesn't go away. Smell is very complex, a bit spicy, pine, grapefruit, sweet caramel and toasty malt middle, honey, oak, wood comes through underneath the hops, vanilla and oranges as well, balanced and complex, alcohol is there but it doesn't jump out. Taste is insane as well, lots of orange, grapefruit, oaky vanilla, caramel and honey, pine, spicy alcohol, all the elements come together nicely and really complement each other, the finish is dry and woody, balanced bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation, pretty slick and goes down insanely well for such a big beer, very balanced and enjoyable. Drinkability is good but I think 1/3rd of the growler was the perfect amount for me. This one deserves the accolades, just a great take on a DIPA, many different elements and perfect balance. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: growler

09-04-2008 18:01:22 | More by Viggo

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz. Bottle acquired in a recent trade with WeeObese. Thanks again man. I've had this in growler form but wanted to see how the bottled version compared.

Pours a very dark golden orange color that's almost brown with dark hazy golden orange hues when held to a light source and a frothy, soapy two finger white head. Excellent retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap that leaves large chinks of soapy lacing behind.

Uber fresh dank oily hop aroma with lots of luscious citrus and tropical fruit notes. Slightly earthy with hints of pine and marrijuana buds, sweet alcohol and very subtle malt. Lots of orange peel, grapefruit and mango with sme pineapple and a boat load of more stocky resinous hops.

Chewy medium body which is on the fuller end of the spectrum with a lot of uber fresh juicy hop bite that lingers throughout. Plenty dry and bitter with a lot of earthy pine but this is balanced by some sweetness from the high ABV and subtle caramel malt and sweet citrus and tropical fruit flavor. Lots of grapefruit and orange peel as well as some mango and pineapple. Very well balanced and even though the hop flavors are prominent throughout I wish they were moreso. Slightly creamy with a bit too much of an alcohol presence toward the end of the palate. Very good and I actually liked this better than the fresher growled but I still enjoy Pure Hoppiness a lot more.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 04:01:48 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I love casual Fridays. An opportunity to update the tasting list with notes from the past. Today's come from the Double IPA festival in 2006.

A much lighter than expected appearance, a hazy, yet somewhat vibrant yellow. A very sweet, citrus and pine aroma. I mean, I don't think I've smelled something so sugary AND hoppy. Quite nice and unique. We're talking like tropical citrus up in this.

Taste, a big beer, big on the hops, a little lower on the bitterness, alcohol is there, but far from overwhelming. Mouthfeel alternates between sticky and then gets dry thankfully. Nice. Would love to try and get a hold of this stuff in the bottle. One of the best breweries with very little distribution.

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2010 17:04:55 | More by Beerandraiderfan

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a growler fresh from the brewery in SoCal. Many thanks for sharing this beauty with me Dyan. What a treat to try this exceptional beer.

The beer pours a bright gold amber color with great head retention and lacing. On the nose, Jeeze Loueeze!!! Talk about a DIPA nose with a capital D. A huge aroma of pine, dry citrus and tropical fruit erupts from my glass, letting me know that I am in for one extremely hoppy beer. The nose on this beer reminds me a bit of the Hop 15, except the pine aroma is even more pronounced. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose, although once again the flavor profile is dominated by the pine. There is also some noticeable citrus and tropical fruit, along with the long, bitter/hoppy finish. The finish, in fact, is very, very dry, which tends to enhance the beers drinkabiltiy. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and surprisingly smooth. The alcohol is pretty well disguised, but I'm not kidding myself.... I can tell it's right on up there.

This is a fabulous DIPA that is very much in the West Coast style. With the huge amount of pine and dry finish I can see where it might not be to everyone's taste, but it sure was to mine. Delicious stuff.

Thanks again Dyan!!!

Serving type: growler

04-15-2009 15:56:35 | More by johnmichaelsen