Gandhi-Bot Double IPA - New England Brewing Co.

Ezone024

Connecticut

4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

got a growler back in october and was blown away, just picked up a 4 pack of 16 oz cans and once again, am blown away..

pours a hazy copper color with an orange hue, big 1 inch aromatic head lots of retention and lacing.

smells of sweet grass, flowers and a littlle citrus.

Taste is very earthy and EXTREMELY hoppy, 85 ibu's accodring to the can. this is one of the hoppiest, freshest beers i've ever had.

this beer is over 8 % abv and you can't tell at all. it drinks the same as the sea hag (a regular strength ipa) it's extreme hoppiness masks any booziness that most doubles have....if you can get your hands on some... you must!

Serving type: can

05-05-2010 19:37:39 | More by Ezone024

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Gandhi-Bot pours a nice burnt orange color, with a white crown that's small but persistent. It smells incredible, a very nice blend between pine and citrus hops. The taste is a bit of a letdown though, as there's a bit too much generic hop bitterness as opposed to specific hop flavors. The malt is noticeable, but just barely. The beer is adequately carbonated, without being particularly impressive either. I wanted to give drinkability a 3 because of the overly present bitterness to the taste, but NEBC did a great job of hiding the alcohol here so I'll kick it up a little bit. I'm glad I tried it, and both the name and can design are awesome, but there are plenty of IPAs I enjoy more.

Serving type: can

05-05-2010 04:59:45 | More by axeman9182

WanderingFool

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gandhi-Bot pours an opaque copper with a small frothy white head on top. As the foam dissolves a netted pattern of lace clings to the glass.

The aroma is all hops with nice notes of lemon zest, orange and pine.

Each sip of this medium bodied beer is soft and dry with a mild fizz on the back and sides of the tongue. The flavor is mostly hops with a touch of spice and enough sweet malt to keep it in balance. The taste begins with pine and orange citrus. A hint of pepper and mustard lingers in the background. Sweet caramel and dry pale malt make their presence known near the end by keeping the bitterness at bay. It finishes dry and an orange citrus/pepper flavor lingers when it's gone.

This is a tasty, nicely aromatic imperial IPA. It hides the nearly 9% abv well. It's easy to drink and rather refreshing. Well done.

Serving type: can

05-04-2010 22:33:38 | More by WanderingFool

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Got a growler from the brewery.

A: Big fluffy white 2 finger head fades slowly, with a slight haze and golden orange colored beer.

N: Hops galore! Pine crazy! Citrus, musty fresh wet hops, some earthy hops, slight spicy hop flavor. Some tangering and orange peel, touch of grapefruit. Tons of pine with a slight dry sweet malt behind all that.

T: Pale hop flavors to start, with lots of pine again. Then more hops with citrus, chewy hops, bitterness, some maltiness and chewy malts. Slight warming booze taste. The more hops with some orange peel, tangerine, and again more pine.

M: Medium body with decent carbonation.

F: Bitter! Lots of bittering hops, some pine and citrus lingering as well as some chewy hops and earthy. Little orange peel with a heavy bitterness that just sits in the mouth. It starts to get a little astringent which seems to linger for a while.

Serving type: growler

05-04-2010 19:29:18 | More by jlindros

xanok

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got lucky and grabbed a 4 pack before they all sold out in the area. 16oz can poured into my Stone Levitation glass.

A-Pours an odd yet impressing hazy amber/orange color with no clarity. Head is a tad off-white with an inch of head that has little retention.

S-Citrus bomb! Grapefruit and pineapple with some awesome complementary pine hops. Only a little, yet noticeable malt and breadiness.

T-All about the sweet, sweet hops here. Only a mere 80 ibus, but you can taste every one of them. Strong citrus taste like the smell. Malt is a bit heavier here, just enough to add some good balance.

M-The taste is smooth, yet leaves a lingering bitterness on the tongue. Carb is a bit heavier than I like, but just barely

D-Low ABV for the style makes it very drinkable. Body is very medium, nothing out of the ordinary.

This is truly a special DIPA, and I'm glad I have something like this brewed in my home state. Thanks NEBC!

Serving type: can

05-04-2010 03:00:13 | More by xanok

jeffthecheff

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours from a very cool looking can into my tulip glass. The appearance is a little darker and murkier than I expected, but still looks nice. It's got a perfectly tight off white head with great lacing. The color, as I mentioned, is a dark amber and completely opaque with haze.

The aroma is excellent. It's freshly hopped with tons of citrusy fruit notes. Grapefruits, lemons, peaches, and other generally inviting fruits. It's also got a tiny bit of leaf and pine notes to contribute some plant character.

Ghandi bot does a good job of packing in more hop flavor than bitterness. It's light body in the middle helps the malt sweetness seem light and fruity, blending in with the hops. A little bit of earthy hop flavor comes through in the finish.

Mouthfeel is creamy up front with a surprisingly light body. The carbonation is just enough to aid the creamy, smooth body. I'm really digging the abv point, the pricing, and the pint sized serving for this beer.

Serving type: can

05-04-2010 02:47:55 | More by jeffthecheff

Chico1985

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours very dark orange. White head starts big but quickly fizzes to pink size, turning to a ring fast as well. A bit soapy looking. Leaves some lacing. Smell is pretty fragrant, lots of earthy hops and pine. Taste is also full of earthy and piny hops, very dank. Some caramel and citrus and warm biscuit in the aftertaste. At first, and take this as you will, it reminds me of Gubna, except much less intense and more drinkable. But some very nice tropical fruit notes seem to take over towards the middle and really gives the taste a huge boost. Nice bitterness too, the 85 IBU's are definitely noticeable. Mouthfeel is good, carbonation is high and alcohol is very nicely hidden. Overall a very solid DIPA. I loved the cycle of flavors. I like the 16 oz can too, good serving size for this beer.

Serving type: can

05-03-2010 12:26:48 | More by Chico1985

jamie2dope

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to the staff at Berman's for putting the last four pack they had of this to the side for me. Color is a dark shade of orange, and has a finger of white heading. The hoppy aroma, is somewhat musty, but with some pineapple and pine in there as well. Taste is all of dank, resiny pine like hops. It also feels like much more than 85 IBUs, but I am not going to complain or judge. Mouthfeel is medium, juicy at first, and ends on a bitter earth note. I will have no trouble finishing off the four pack, so drinkability is good for me. Final thoughts are that this is a hop lovers kind if beer. It drinks like a straight up IPA, with the ABV behind it to make it imperial. This, as well as Wachusett Larry are welcome additions to the New England beer world's list of India Pale Ales.

Serving type: can

05-02-2010 20:37:00 | More by jamie2dope

Jwale73

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16oz. can served at 50 degrees in my DT tulip. Poured a semi-translucent burnt orange with a one inch, creamy white head. Head eventually dissipates into a fairly consistent skim of a cap that coalesces around the shoulders. Delicate, concentric rings of lacing are exposed during the tasting. Nose expresses sweet grapefruit initially, with a hint of medicinal hoppiness at the back - perhaps a toasted quality in the mix as well. Taste reveals a citrus quality, without the sweetness. Some herbal/medicinal hops bitterness comes out right after the start and carries through to the latter half. Toasted quality also carries over from the nose, with the addition of a hint of caramel, before finally culminating in a lightly lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with an assertive carbonation that falls just shy of prickly and finishes fairly dry. Ghandi-Bot is an exceptional DIPA with a well-hidden abv. My preference for the style tends to migrate more towards the sweeter end of the spectrum, but this is a solid brew. You won't be disappointed.

Serving type: can

05-01-2010 02:20:35 | More by Jwale73

Pahn

New York

4.75/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

16oz can into a wine glass.

Appearance: Free pour yields a 1/3 inch off-white head that sticks to the side of the glass in a ring. Pours a bubbly, hazy amber. Leaves large walls and spots of lacing.

Smell: Some nice, strong and sweet tropical fruit hops up front, with mild pine in the background. The savory note in the taste comes out in the smell as the beer warms, along with some breadiness. Hops aroma is somewhat pungent, which is good.

Taste: The first thing I notice about the taste is the perfect amount of bitterness. 85 IBU sounds about right, but mixed in with the beautiful balance of hops and malt it's not unpleasant in the slightest. There's a dark, savory note going on that I can't quite pin down (someone wrote "scallions" in a review, and it's not far off, but tastes a lot better than that sounds). The hops are mostly piny, with some subtle tropical fruit that's a lot less sweet and more subdued than in the smell. There's also a big, toasty malt backbone throughout, which provides a great counterpoint to the huge hops assault.

Overall, it tastes excellent. It's exactly what I want from a DIPA; huge, distinctive hops flavors, lots of bitterness, and an anchoring malt backbone.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, with the perfect amount of carbonation to complement the bitterness and robust flavor. Feels a little thin, but it's a small complaint.

Drinkability: If I could get this regularly, I would. Another perfect counter-example to "you only like X so much because it's rare." I hope they make a lot more of this so I can grab up multiple six packs every time a fresh batch comes out. As for the 8.8% ABV, I didn't taste it, but I did feel it. And I wanted another one.

Gandhi-bot is an excellent DIPA. It's in the same league as Pliny and Capt. Lawrence. Get it while you can, and drink it fresh.

Serving type: can

05-01-2010 01:06:55 | More by Pahn

mikey711

New Jersey

2.8/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Pours a hazy orange with some rising carbonation. Huge head on this one, but the lacing did not stick. Head retention was good.

S: It seems i am in the minority, but i am not picking up as much citrus as others who have reviewed. I am getting a lot more grassy and herbal notes, with some pininess. The only citrus that i detect is a little bit of grapefruit and maybe some mangos

T: Again very grassy and earthy in quality with some mango grapefruit and pine. also quite a bit of sugar was noticable as well. A bit of scallion seems to be present as well. Maybe i am just used to more intense citrus notes or my palate is off but i am having an entirely different experience than others. I also feel that there is way to much a a sugary character present.

M: Possibly the most remarkable aspect of this beer is that there is no heat present. There is a bit of a rough quality to it, but the body is nice.

D: I really hope i got a bad can because i had high expectations for this beer and really wanted to like, but it missed the mark for me. This is one i would gladly review again to proof myself wrong, but i did not get the citrus aspect that others seemed to find. For now though, this will have to stand

Serving type: can

04-30-2010 21:53:49 | More by mikey711

medic25

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to the guy at New England Beverage who gave me his own can from the fridge when they had none left for sale!
Served from a can into a Sam Adams glass. Orange, slightly hazy color with a thick white head. The scent was powerful; I was able to smell it across the table as I was pouring this beer. Taste was a big hop bomb; nice pine flavor, powerful bitter taste on the first sip. Overall a very nice DIPA; great to see the East Coast putting out some competition to the West Coast super hop brews!

Serving type: can

04-30-2010 02:27:52 | More by medic25

ubufan2112

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased from Redstone Liquors in Stoneham, MA on 4/29/10.
Delivered to store today!

A: Pours a nice apple cider golden brown, with a half inch head that lingered for a minute or two then disappeared into lacing on the side of the glass.

S: Initial smell right from the can shows copious amounts of hops. Citrus, and pine resin notes hit me like a ton of bricks. Upon pouring into the glass the nose opened up a bit and revealed a nice mellow malt backbone underneath all of those hops.

T: First impression is hops and lots of them, but not palate killing. This beer is very well balanced, The flavors of pine resin and pineapple are well balanced with a roasted malt base.

M: Medium body with what I would call excellent carbonation for the style. Again, a well balanced beer with the hops hitting the spots in the mouth that feel the pucker and the malt characteristics adding a roundness and fullness.

D: Very Drinkable for a DIPA. I tend to lean toward the palate killer style of DIPA's. You know, the one(or maybe two) and done types, but I could drink this beer for a while without really getting (palate) tired. Wish I could have purchased more than 2 cans.

Serving type: can

04-30-2010 00:00:52 | More by ubufan2112

Brez07

Maine

4.53/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Growler from last weekend. Poured into a pint glass

A: Orangey lemon pour with a 2 finger creamy white head. It left a ring of lacing towards the top of the glass

S: Wonderful hoppy aroma accompanied by sweet fruit. I get pineapple, mango and orange zest. The fruit smell fades somewhat as the beer warms

T: Starts with sweet hops and transitions to the fruit. Again, the fruit fades as the beer warms, which leads to a slight malt flavor. Finishes bitter, dry and clean

M: Medium bodied with some bite from the hops. Good carbonation. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel

D: Alcohol is non-present. This beer goes down easy - I could drink it all day. It is west coast style indeed, but not over the top "burn your palate after one glass" style. Two thumbs ups

Serving type: growler

04-27-2010 00:01:48 | More by Brez07

Walken

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

New England Brewing: Ghandi Bot DIPA (Growler filled 04/24/10) (Tasted 04/26/10)
64 oz. growler, poured into a cervoise goblet.

Appearance: Hazed golden orange beer with a frothy head, tight bubbles on the bottom, soapy foam on top. Formation is solid, retention measures about three millimeters. Lacing looks like tide rings of wispy foam.
Odor: Very expressive nose, Pineapple and passion fruit in front, suggestions of rich sweet candied malt in the middle, prickly grapefruit rind in back.
Consistency: Pushing medium but not quite. Hop oils lend slickness, aggressive carbonation keeps things pretty smooth.
Flavor: The aroma would lead one to believe that this was going to be a DIPA that is tame on the bitterness and heavy on the hop flavor, the aroma lies. Big grapefruit/pine bitterness out of the gate with hints of toasted malt in the background, who the fuck needs balance? Tang of orange citrus around the edges, finish is dry, hoppy and long with a mountain of bitter herbal hop flavor on the tongue. For an 8.8% beer with scant malt character, there is very little trace of alcohol, giant plus in my book.

Mahatmas Gandhi would not approve of this beer at all, because it brings the smackdown.

Gandhi-bot is a new kind of spiritual leader, he believes in wholeness. You cannot have peace without war, you cannot find inner harmony without embracing the polar traits which make you human. You cannot be one with anything until you are one with the bitter realities of life. Drink Gandhi-bot, embrace bitterness, learn to live again.

Serving type: growler

04-26-2010 19:01:58 | More by Walken

erosier

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Pours a nice clear orange yellow with a tall and thick off-white colored head that laces the glass a lot as it fades slowly down the glass.
S: Smells of a ridiculous amount of earthy, piney, citrusy, and floral hops with a hint of a nice backbone of sweet roasted malts.
T: The hops are nowhere near as overpowering as they were in the nose, but it has a very well mixed toasted/roasted malt base underneath a very nice mix of earthy, floral, piney, and citrusy hops.
M: Very crisp, fresh, perfect amount of carbonation, medium bodied.
D: Very drinkable, I wish I was allowed to purchase more than one can!

Serving type: can

04-26-2010 10:04:52 | More by erosier

Lazerlobe

Washington

4.13/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had this on tap at BA IST and picked up a 4-pack of the 16 oz. cans (best label art on a can).

Poured a rich goldenen amber with a nice cap of white pillowy head. This smells delicious and balanced: citrus, mint?, pine, sweet malt with a little bread. The bitterness overwhelms the citrus leaving a strong bitter flavor, though not too resiny. Some of that sweet malt balances the brew but I will have to acclimate to the bitterness before I can proceed. At 8.8%, the alcohol is much better hidden than some other IIPAs but not totally disguised. Wow, I can't shake the bitter! As it warms, some of the citrus and alcohol come out. Overall, a pretty big beer but even for a hophead like me, I think the bittering hops were overdone.

Serving type: can

04-25-2010 20:01:24 | More by Lazerlobe

callmemickey

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at BA IST release and at Delaney's

A: Dark golden body. Medium sized off-white head. Quickly receded, but left behind a decent coating of lacing on the glass.

S: Huge blast of grapefruit. A touch of pine and some caramel malt. This is a massively aromatic brew. Smells fantastic.

T: I really, really wanted to like this after taking in a hearty sniff of the nose. The taste, however, just didn't do it for me. I found it to be one dimensional: massive bitter grapefruit. It lost the complexity that was present in the nose and was a tad on the boring side of things despite the massive hop presence.

M: Medium bodied. I found it to be over-carbonated and prickly. Huge bitter bite in the finish.

D: In the end, Gandhi Bot was a nice attempt, but ultimately out hopped itself. The taste was bold but one dimensional and the carbonation levels really slowed this down.

Serving type: on-tap

04-25-2010 01:41:39 | More by callmemickey

CHADMC3

Connecticut

4.47/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy golden to copper with orange hues and a thin off white head that quickly subsides but does leave a thin layer atop the beer with thin, yet sticky lacing clinging to the glass.

The label does not lie, this is an intensely hopped beer as the aroma reveals. Grass, pine, and/or floral hops waft from the snifter. There is also a touch of citrus amongst the hops.

The palate is much more balanced than the nose led me to believe, so there must be some generous malt in here. Again the hops are pine/grass, and floral, with a similar citrus taste as well.

This beer is remarkably smooth and well balanced, featuring a medium in body with medium to moderate carbonation.

This is an incredible beer. I am thoroughly enjoying this one, great balance with traditional character one would expect, just done to an extreme and all with no palate abuse.

Serving type: can

04-25-2010 01:22:48 | More by CHADMC3

HopNuggets

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured 16oz can into 21oz snifter. Perfect Fit!

A - Poured a very nice light amber orange with a 1.5 finger off white head that dissipated to a nice covering that leaves amazing lace down the glass throughout the sipping. A bit of what seems to be chill haze, not unfiltered.

S - Sharp grapefruit a bit of orange a bit of carmelly/toffee-ish malt background.

T - Bitterbomb with all 85 IBUs present. Grapefruit upfront for a quick hello followed by more orange than the smell leads you on and some caramel malt to follow and then the bitterness bites you again.

M - Nice medium carbonation and body. Very smooth but makes your cheeks pucker.

D - Very drinkable once you get that first bitter bite down the hatch.

Serving type: can

04-24-2010 00:34:39 | More by HopNuggets

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pour - light amber or dark golden in color. Thick resiny, sticky foamy head on top that sticks inside the glass like honey on a bear's nose. Looks delicious and the smell that comes from that pour is heavenly.

Aroma - oh my goodness. The hop gods have truly blessed the contents of this can. Big, sticky green gobs of hop power has been given to this beer. Piney to the max with plenty of grapefruit sour/sweetness as well as some of tropical fruit aromas. I can't help but think West Coast but hell this stuff is from right here in New England! Every ounce of aromatic hop potential has been captured and displayed beautifully, I like to think the can had something to do with that!

Taste - one big mouthful and I can tell we've got a winner on our hands. This is hopped up like the best of them but so well balanced and almost deceivingly smooth. Tons of hop flower power, tastes almost wet hopped a bit, with some extreme citrus and pine as well as a bit of that danky resiny flavor that comes from all those hop oils. Its a little dry in the finish but that goes well with the crispness that this puts on your tongue. I feel assaulted in a good way.

Overall - a paltry 16 oz. ain't enough! This is pure hop pleasure in a can and I am glad to have a few more to enjoy soon enough. Great work NEBC, I am truly impressed!

Would I buy more of it? - if only I could. I bought my allotted 4 cans and am not sure I'll have the chance to get more before the rest are all gone.

Serving type: can

04-23-2010 03:11:55 | More by indiapaleale

JoshJayne

Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up two growlers yesterday.

Beer pours a nice glowing orange with a rocky beige head. Smells like a west coast style DIPA. Obviously hoppy up front (Amarillo?) with a slight spicy note. Hops hit your tongue first followed by a pale malt slight sweetness. Nice bitter aftertaste (in a good way). Mouthfeel is rich without being too sticky. For a double IPA, there isn't a ton of booze in the aroma or taste so this one sneaks up on you. I hope this stay's on the NEBCO rotation. Cool artwork on the cans too!

Serving type: growler

04-22-2010 20:35:29 | More by JoshJayne

taylorhamrick

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Got a growler of this from woosterbill. Thanks.

Pours out a deep copper color, bordering almost on red, nice clarity, decent sized head, which makes for a nice looking beer. The smell has a nice floral hoppiness. Some resinous fruit is in there too. I get pine and grass, leaves (maybe green tea leaves) and pollen, smells strongly of hop flowers, with some powdery grainy smells. Very nice, I remember breathing it with the glass in front of me and reminding me of smelling blooming flowers. The taste comes out with this dry pine and grass flavor, with a kick of sticky bread in the end. You get tastes of citrus rind, orange peel and lemon juice. Still some leafiness - this to me isn't the fruitiest DIPA, but they don't all have to be. The finish comes back with dryness and leafiness, nice and resinous. The feeling is very nice, sticky and big, but not viscous and syrupy. Really nice in that aspect. The carbonation was lively and enjoyable, made this one easy to drink. The drinkability is good, not too potent, but a nice kick. I wanted a little more (too bad I was splitting it with like 4 people), but really glad to have tried it.

Serving type: growler

04-19-2010 14:05:50 | More by taylorhamrick

gregc

New York

4.83/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler - big thanks to tony (hopstoopid120) for this one.

Beer pours a really nice orange color with a really nice white foamy head. Great looking in the glass.
You can smell the aroma even before you lift the glass up to your face. This really packs an awesome punch. Tons of grapefruit, orange zest, tropical fruit...I really get a lot of Columbus hops ? Super dank.
Taste is really quite nice...citrus, mango, this tastes like five alive ! Really nice tangerine, pine and really well balanced with the malt sweetness. Just right. Almost west coast like in style.
Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, and drink ability is out of control. Great job from Matt and the guys at New England. This one is going to be a big hit once the cans hit the stores.

Serving type: growler

04-19-2010 00:07:49 | More by gregc

woosterbill

Connecticut

4.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Growler into a Duvel tulip.

A: Hazy deep orange-amber body with an inch of creamy, persistent white foam that leaves ample lace. Great looking beer, if a bit darker than I remembered the cask version being.

S: Powerful, fresh, dank, pure hops: grapefruit is the frontrunner by a wide margin, with floral, grassy, and resinous herbal notes as well. Definitely fits the bill for a west coast style DIPA. Awesome.

T: Follows the nose precisely and deliciously. The citrus hops really pop, with a huge dose of pithy grapefruit bitterness on the finish. Clean, tasty aftertaste with just the faintest bit of caramel malt. Wonderful.

M: Smooth medium body with the perfect amount of velvety, lively carbonation. Simply divine.

D: Barely shows its strength at all, and is amazingly clean on the finish. This is dangerously drinkable.

Notes: This is far more direct with the grapefruit than the cask versions I had the privilege of having (and reviewing), and not at all to the detriment of the experience. While not quite as complex, this fresh incarnation is every bit as tasty. In a small DIPA tasting with a couple friends, Ghandi-Bot took the laurel narrowly over the far maltier COAST Boy King, with a three-month old Pliny sadly outclassed by both. I'm so happy to have a truly top-shelf DIPA being made in my backyard. Good show, NEB!

Cheers!

Serving type: growler

04-15-2010 19:39:38 | More by woosterbill