2XIPA - Southern Tier Brewing Company

portia99

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle received as an extra in a trade with richbrew. Thanks! Poured into a Dogfish Head signature glass.

A - Pours a crystal clear golden color with a finger of bright white, foamy head with decent staying power. It slowly falls to a thick layer and leaves some sticky lacing on the sides of the glass.

S - Citrusy grapefruit with some pine up front. Some light sweet malt in the background, and just a touch earthy. Smells quite good, but the aroma is a bit on the low side for intensity. Complexity is also a bit lacking when compared with the best examples of the style, but it is still solid.

T - Grapefruit and pine at the forefront, rounded out with some nice pineapple and some apricot. Bitternes isn't as intense as I'd expect, but it is still strong in the flavor profile. This is a pretty balanced DIPA with near equal parts of hop flavor, bitterness, and balancing sweet malt. Malt component is sugary with a touch of light caramel.

M - Medium bodied and medium carbonation. Feels a bit sticky and resiny in the mouth. Carbonation is smooth and creamy, not really prickly at all.

D - Pretty easy drinking for a DIPA. Alcohol is not detectable, even at 8.2%. If a DIPA can be sessionable this is the one. Nice flavors but not as intense as many others - balance is such that you can tell its an imperial and not standard IPA, but still remains very quaffable. Nice entry level, first DIPA for the uninitiated.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2010 22:43:25 | More by portia99

magictacosinus

California

3.99/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks angrybabboon. Poured into a tulip glass from a 12oz bottle. Bottling date is "02/21/13." Consumed on 05/19/13. Review is from my notes.

Pours a surprisingly golden yellow color with slight amber-ish tones, but in a way that would easily mistake someone of this being a pilsner or something. The head is good, in a way that rises about 2-3 fingers high, but it eventually settles down and leaves a ring behind. Not too many bubbles, although pretty mellowed out for a beer this high in ABV. Definitely a very different look for beers of this style - but its clear, down-to-earth appearance is definitely winning me over.

The aroma is not as hoppy as I expected it to be - but the lack of resinous oils from the hops should have been a first indicator of what I was getting myself into. Light graininess with a touch of sweetness, and then there's a bit of pine, some citrus, apricots, definitely a lot of cider, but otherwise super pleasant and not stinging on the nostrils at all. It's pretty impressive how well hidden the alcohol is here, and while this does smell at all what I'd expect a DIPA to typically be, it's not anything offensive either. Simply a tad underwhelming.

The flavor is similar, but luckily a little bit more of a desired hop-focused character seeps through on the palate. This is very similar to Arctic Panzer Wolf only far more toned down - by that, I mean that there's a far more present grainy, crisp, and refreshing flavor, some butterscotch from the malts, and traces of dried pine needles, oranges, pineapple, and a bit of grapefruit. Not very astringent or explosive, but rather more even leveled - the crisp sensation adds a bit of charm to otherwise tame hop profile, and makes this particularly easy to drink. Over the course of consumption, I began to enjoy this more based on its balanced nature - in a way, it's almost like a dry hopped pale, but it's more than that. The extra alcohol adds consistency to the body, and the golden pale grains make this refreshing in midst of any dryness from the hops. Very, very drinkable, actually - this is still thickened enough, semi-wet, and fruity and dried at the finish to hold interest throughout.

It is so refreshing to see a DIPA that brings forth any nuances from the grains and malts like this one does! The hops are without a doubt a bit more subtle than I expected them to be, but their presence makes itself known throughout, with the solid grain backbone soon following. It's not necessarily the most complex DIPA on the block, but it's undeniably easy going and perfect for even the most casual settings. Not my favorite in the style, but definitely one that I can commend for its original recipe that breaks the mold for once.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 06:35:03 | More by magictacosinus

UWBadgerFan4Life

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-23-2013 01:52:00 | More by UWBadgerFan4Life

Wally

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-23-2013 00:34:44 | More by Wally

DeekNayvuz

Montana

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-22-2013 19:34:32 | More by DeekNayvuz

dcloeren

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-22-2013 19:26:54 | More by dcloeren

scottyu27

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-22-2013 13:08:04 | More by scottyu27

justinm4bama

Alabama

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-21-2013 22:45:03 | More by justinm4bama

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-21-2013 20:33:20 | More by InspectorBob

fredmugs

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-21-2013 18:08:42 | More by fredmugs

joshbrink

Alabama

4.04/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Serving type: 12 oz bottle poured into IPA glass

A: Lighter golden color. Lighter than I would have expected for this style. Still pretty to look at. One finger head, left small amount of lacing on the side of the glass.

S: Definitely can smell the hoppy content of the beer. Noticed the aroma well before I poured it. Very nice citrus and grapefruit aroma. Some floral notes as well.

T: Moderately bitter. Not quite as much bitterness as i was hoping for. Slightly mislead by the great aroma. Slight caramel taste to it. Definitely taste the citrus, fruity flavors, some grapefruit. Masked the higher abv quite nicely.

M: Generally good carbonation. Mouthfeel was not disappointing. Medium body.

O: A good beer, but with so many other rather outstanding IPAs out there, this one may not be one i will go back for on a regular occasion, but definitely glad i grabbed a sixer of it. For I will definitely want more than one glass.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 15:56:01 | More by joshbrink

Josiah2729

Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-21-2013 03:25:13 | More by Josiah2729

nick_asian

Nevada

4.75/5  rDev +17%

05-21-2013 03:07:52 | More by nick_asian

swanson45

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-21-2013 02:33:00 | More by swanson45

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-20-2013 22:17:33 | More by johntfox

marshmeli

New York

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-20-2013 16:10:44 | More by marshmeli

profholt82

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-20-2013 02:33:21 | More by profholt82

Geno206

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-20-2013 02:13:02 | More by Geno206

bcuz7

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-19-2013 22:11:29 | More by bcuz7

randylangford

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-19-2013 19:33:22 | More by randylangford

thaghost

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-19-2013 02:39:18 | More by thaghost

Nunya

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-19-2013 02:12:49 | More by Nunya

Srive009

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-18-2013 23:34:18 | More by Srive009

kjmass

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-18-2013 21:53:16 | More by kjmass

bluestar0828

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-18-2013 21:01:39 | More by bluestar0828