Outburst Imperial IPA - Pyramid Breweries, Inc.

Glibber

Idaho

4.05/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Light amber in color, poured a nice creamy 1/2 inch head that settled out to 1/8 inch. Good thick lacing on the glass. Very aromatic, with citrus pine and peach front. Decent carbonation and smooth to drink for a high octane beer. Nice citrus hop flavor on the back end- warms the stomach. I did not think the hops were overpowering at all. The malts come out when the beer warms up a bit. Very drinkable beer. To tell you the truth, I was suprised it was so good. For the price the beer is a steal.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 04:59:46 | More by Glibber

Scotchboy

Idaho

4.05/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I tried to be as hard as I could on this beer: I have no love for Pyramid products. Or, at least I didn't...

Outburst Imperial IPA, served in a SA PP glass

A medium golden tone with the slightest of haze, a little effervescent (possibly because of the etchings on the bottom of my glass). Two finger off white head is soapy and dissipates more quickly than most double IPAs.

Hop spice on the nose: earthy, grassy, piney with a little grapefruit. Pleasant and not overpowering. No real 'wow' factor though.

Tastes like an IPA. The bitterness is upfront with a small grapefruit presence. It's not quite bitter enough upfront, and the flavors fade relatively quickly, leaving a dry hop bitterness on the roof of your mouth as the aftertaste. Not bad but not impressive really. Just tasty. Hops don't attack your tongue like other DIPAs.

MF starts a little creamy but doesn't measure up to other DIPAs like Tricerahops or Hoptimum, both of which I've had in the last week.

An excellent value, and pretty drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2011 15:09:13 | More by Scotchboy

PougeMahone

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Yea its back. This is probally the best beer for the price ever. $1.99 for a DIPA from my local BIMART. Iam not a fan of most of Pyramids budget series beers. But this one is over the top. Sampled from a 22oz bottle with a best before date of May 26 2012.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 04:00:09 | More by PougeMahone

jsh420

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours bright clear copper orange with a 1+ finger head that faded to a film and left no lacing

smell - tons of pine (whcih i like!!)

taste is right up there with all the big boys from the west coast - again lots of pine cheek puckering bitter grapefruit and the malt to back it all up

mouthfeel is a little on the heavy side with good carbonation

drinkability - the full body and the bitterness make me only want to drink one per session but i will enjoy drinking the entire six pack

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 00:23:22 | More by jsh420

LazyL

British Columbia (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice flourescent orange with a thick off white foam. Lots of lacing and great retention on the glass.
Big orange/grapefruit rind notes and some pine, mint and vanilla to create a beautifull nose.
Same flavours as the nose and the bitterness level is perfect. Mouthfeel is a bit dry and light bodied. Very drinkable especially for the ABV rate.
Really quite good and worth picking up while in season.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 04:00:54 | More by LazyL

philbertk

Washington

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pyramid Brewing Company Washington--Outburst Imperial I.P.A. 8.50% ABV. 80 IBU's. Ignite The Night Seattle Beer Week 6 oz. Taster at Alehouse. Thin mild lace white head. Clear thin bright amber gold color. Soft aromatic Chinook hop front. Smooth creamy mellow sweet doughy caramel earthy pine hop resin infused body. Smooth rich hop spice end. (3.75 / 5.0) Sampled 5/14/2010.

Outburst Imperial I.P.A Seasonal Ale--Spring Seasonal--Dry-Hopped India Pale Ale--2011 12 & 22 oz. Bottle. Purchased at Fred Meyer--Ballard, Seattle on 1/13/2011. 6-Pack 12 oz.--$5.99. 22 oz.--$2.47 each. Sampled 22 oz. on January 15th and 12 oz. on January 16th, 2011. 8.5% ABV--80 IBU's! Rich lacy lasting off white head. Thick pour. Clear rich bright dark amber pretty enticing color. Huge earthy floral pine citrus grassy herbal hop front. Mellow sweet creamy crusty rich caramel hop resin mild fruit slightly doughy chewy smooth malty body. Rich earthy smoothly bitter hop spice mild citrus balanced clean end. Huge Hop big balanced smooth Imperial IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2011 01:25:38 | More by philbertk

Beernoisseur

Utah

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a real nice IIPA. I was pretty impressed at the aroma and flavor. The smell was on par with other, bigger IIPAs, lots of citrus and a smidge of pine. The flavor is more hop forward than malt, but only just. Mouthfeel was medium to full, very pleasant. Nice carbonation. I could drink lots and lots of these beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 05:43:40 | More by Beernoisseur

JMad

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured a 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass...

The beer was a copper color with ruby red hues, there was a lofty tan colored head with medium sized bubbles. The head stuck nicely to the glass and stuck around the whole time.

Smells strongly of hops, grapefruit, sugar and pine with caramel malt. There is also a hint of tropical fruit, maybe peaches. Even though that's not really that tropical.

The taste is more sweet than bitter. There is a rush of sweet malt followed by a citrusy bitterness similar to the peel of a grapefruit, also there are some hints of melon.

Typical thick Imperial IPA, soft, low carbonation and a dry finish.

This is a solid Imperial IPA, and has a reasonable price. I'm glad I discovered this one.
The combination of Nugget, Chinook, Centennial and Simcoe hops creates a great hoppy flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 00:03:18 | More by JMad

gkunkle

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This isn't going to knock your socks off, but for the price, it is definitely worth it. It is a well made beer that is a great value. As a believer in the free market economy, this will be receiving my dollar vote frequently when I just want a good overall beer.

Pours a copper color with a decent white head that left a little lacing in my glass. Smell is pretty darn hoppy, I am noticing citrus and pine hops, pretty standard for the pacific northwest. Taste is surprisingly good, definitely more on the hops side of the IPA balance. The hops stand out, but don't kick your ass like so many others. I enjoy an ass kicking on occasion, but this has the right level of hops to enjoy alone or with a meal. Mouthfeel is good, medium weight with decent carbonation. Drinkability is outstanding for a DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 02:19:27 | More by gkunkle

bump8628

Oklahoma

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear copper/amber with a thin but persistent white head.

Herbal and grassy are the main contributions from the hops with just a small amount of pine and very little citrus. Steely caramel is a bit heavy handed and clashes some with the hops.

I was excited at the prospect of a value-priced double IPA but this one didn't deliver. I found Bridgeport's Hop Czar did a much better job of filling that niche.

Tried the 2012 version and was much more impressed. Nice and dank with a huge smack herbal/grassy hop bitterness and flavor. Malt is firm but not sweet or overwhelming. Clean, but pungent. Really good.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 14:52:56 | More by bump8628

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours amber in color with a dense white head. Sort of surprising from Pyramid--a really nice, fresh, citrusy hop aroma. Heavy on the grapefruit and just as much pine and floral hop character. Mildly sweet with some toffee and pineapple notes. The flavor is a bit more perfumey than I prefer, but still good citrus and pine flavors and a solid bitterness. Just a little bit of malt sweetness and a nice fruity hop profile.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 05:54:47 | More by womencantsail

Zorro

California

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear copper colored ale with a small white colored head.

Smell is strong hops with a spicy evergreen scent of spruce and cedar. Fainter tobacco aroma with a fairly strong malt scent. Little bit of grapefruit but this one is all about the conifer smells.

Starts out sweet with a savory taste. Tropical fruit flavors, papaya and pine apple. Spruce and cedar tastes. Alcohol is detectable as a slight burn.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall a tasty and interesting DIPA. Almost a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 03:07:55 | More by Zorro

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

this is one of my favorite double india pale ales out there right now, and certainly my favorite pyramid brew to date. it has a wonderful nose of fresh citrus fruit. pink grapefruit, tangerine zest, and tart tart lemon come to mind. there is a sturdy malt backing to this one, reminicent of an english ipa, but the hops are the star of the show. they offer all the same flavors as the nose lets on, but also some really resinous pine notes as well as this thirstquenching bittersweet semi acidic flavor and feel thats incredibly satisfying and yet equally difficult to place. the feel is very lively in terms of carbonation, and the body is big, but not too big to be undrinkable. this is in fact one of the most drinkable double ipa's ive had. its perfect for summer and spring, with its impeccably fresh flavor. a really impressive beer from a brewery that hasnt amazed me until now. quality stuff here.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 00:23:07 | More by StonedTrippin

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Clear bronze with a huge, off-white head, leaves plenty of lace. Perfect.

S: Not as much aroma as you might expect from a DIPA, but it's nice. Pine, citrus rind, tropical fruit, sweet toffee.

T: Piny resin, citrus rind, mango, sponge toffee, solid bitterness. It's all good, but lacking the power of some DIPA's (it's more balanced and quaffable).

M: Well-attenuated, moderate body has a hint of hop acidity, with a crisp finish.

O: It's such a pleasant drinker that I question the abv. A REALLY nice IPA, but it's not at all brash or as assertive as some DIPA's.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 04:00:17 | More by Derek

Reidrover

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is now a Spring seasonal. 22 oz from Fred Meyer, North Salem, amazing price of $2.19. dark orange/copper ale , small bubbles of carbonation, small off white head. Tha aroma is SUPERB..i smelled the pine/resin as soon as i cracked the bottle open.Piney,resiney citrus glory!! Taste is like the wonderful aroma but keyed back a bit..but its very nice juicy hops with a substantial malt backing..very nice. Nice palate to the beer also..not spectacular but keeps the intrest. Overall a very nice IIPA and for $2.19 a wonderful value. Thank you Pyramid..this has to be a loss leader!!

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 19:42:44 | More by Reidrover

mactrail

California

4.18/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Mellow hoppy strong ale.

Lovely dark amber in the snifter. Head is fine and leaves nice swirl of lacing. Fruity, nose with a whiff of alcohol. Malty richness gives a heavy mouthfeel but prickled by nice carbonation. Hops are hot and spicy with a big bitterness that mellows along with the complex malt and caramel. Hint of smoke and Scotch whisky.

Just short of a barley wine, but a great example of a maltier and well-balanced DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 05:12:09 | More by mactrail

RyanTeeter

New York

4.18/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Drank from a bottle via a pint glass.

a: The appearance was transparent however not crystal clear. Slight haze to it. Vigorous pour led to a thin head that disappeared within a minute.

s: Wonderful aroma. Full of citrus and floral hop. Wonderful smell - could not get my nose out of the bottle.

t: Great taste. Sweet flavor paired perfectly with the bitterness of several hop flavors.

m: Mouthfeel truly added to the overall flavor as flavor rushed into every crevice within my mouth. Slightly heavy feel to the tongue, flavor lingers just long enough to allow time in-between drinks.

o: I am not always an IPA fan however this Pyramid Outburst Imperial IPA was fantastic. It wonderfully balanced the intense hop flavors with their blended malts to truly give a wonderful experience.

Currently my highest rated beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 01:41:18 | More by RyanTeeter

snohojimbo

Washington

4.19/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really like this beer. As a lover of IPA's, this is, along with Deschutes Inversion, Red Hook's Longhammer, Scuttlebutt's Gale Force, or New Belgium's Ranger, one of my "daily" drinkers.

One of the advantages of this beer is that is just as good from a bottle as it is from a glass. Why drink from the bottle? Well, when I am out biking or hiking in the great Northwest, I like to take a beer or two along, and its tough to pour into a glass on the trail! :^)

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 02:56:51 | More by snohojimbo

biggred1

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear, pumpkin-amber with a foamy tan head that leaves blobs of lace on the glass. Nice, savory pine sap and grapefruit peel with pale malts in the aroma. Big, dank hop notes make for a fairly one sided affair with mild pale malt to balance. The alcohol is well hidden. Medium bodied with smooth carbonation. An easy drinker and suprisingly good. Kudos to Pyramid for making an outstanding example of the style and keeping it affordable. I hope they keep it up.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2011 04:57:23 | More by biggred1

hickmancase

California

4.22/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from the variety pack.

A: Looks like an IPA. Slightly sticky two-finger head. Doesn't quite look imperial.

S: Great flowery, hoppy smell. Almost as pungent as Port Brewing's Whambo (one IPA whose nose I cannot find a match for).

T: Great taste. Excellent hop profile. Can't believe such an excellent offering could come from this bigger brewery.

M: Can't remember.

D: Excellent. After offering a friend the last of the four bottles, I actually snuck it away in my pocket for myself. What a jerk!

8/10

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 20:05:55 | More by hickmancase

ds21tango

Washington

4.23/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into pint glass from 22 oz. Good head and decent lace. Smell was hoppy and citrusy. Taste was good. A little bitter and grape fuity. One of the more refreshing imperial IPA's that I have had. Overall a good IPA. I would recommend it and will definitely get it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 17:33:22 | More by ds21tango

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.24/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25

Big beer! Poured this at a good temperature with a large, thickl, foamy, frothy, light tan head that settled after a bit and some lace. Color is a clear honey amber with loads of bubble trails. Aroma is firstly hoppy, then malty and on the subdued side especially for as brash a beer as this. Flavor has a lot more going on tho it too, is dominated by hop and followed by malt. Fairly dry, and the carbonic tang is just right. Body is perfect. Finish is very long and bitter.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 03:46:49 | More by drpimento

kagent777

Utah

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle from the Utah State store, poured into a goblet.

Appearance: Crystal clear light amber/dark golden. White head settled quickly into a thin island of foam.

Smell: Very nice herbal/pine/citrus hops smell. The smallest hint of toasty malt in the nose.

Taste: This is really balanced for an IIPA. There is a nice only slightly sweet toasted malt note up front combined with a hop note, which recedes into bitterness only at the end of the sip. The hop flavor is not as present in the taste as it is in the nose. Really clean.

Mouthfeel: Crisp carbonation and middling finish for an IIPA.

Overall: I will seek this one out again, pleasant surprise! It is easy for me to get here in Utah. The price point makes this one easy on the wallet, too.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 03:03:34 | More by kagent777

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a nonic pint.

A – Crystal clear amber with a 1 and a half finger head of creamy white suds. Good lacing. Solid head rentention.

S – Strong aroma of cut grass, dank resinous hops, white bread, and citrus.

T – Big, lush, fruity hops upfront with hints of apricot, pear, grapefruit, and even a little banana. Mid-palate features malt dough reminiscent of white bread, and earthy hop dankness. Finishes slightly peppery. Everything works together well. Refreshingly sweet.

M – Good firm body and medium carbonation. Alcohol comes through just a little in the finish. Nice.

O – A damn good DIPA. Very lush and if you favor sweeter, more fruity DIPA’s instead of tongue peeling bitterness, this could be the IPA for you. I’d buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 22:52:03 | More by TempeBeerMan

marcellaproust

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Translucent dark butterscotch hard candy color. Quickly fading 2-3 cm head, coarse bubbles. Carbonation strong. Very light scent--hop on the floral side. The taste is fronted with an IPA cut with smoothness; some kind of sweetness. Not malt syrup but what I would describe as the raw sugar, not processed 'brown sugar' but brown sugar taste of those blocks of raw sugar you can buy in Asian markets. That said, the more time that passed and I struggled to name the sweetness, the less the sweetness, the more the hoppiness. More floral than citrusy; not vegetal per se. Body and toward the finish: silky mouthfeel, dry finish but fading hoppiness and peppery. A totally delightful and refreshing difference from tediously, brute over-hoppy IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 04:02:16 | More by marcellaproust