Big Barrel Double IPA

Poured from a 22oz...
Appearance: Amber/orange, good head
Smell: Piney, grapefruit, pleasant
Taste: Bitter, citrus, hoppy, refreshing, slight malt undertone, pleasant piny aftertaste
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, nice
Drinkability: Very nice. Really enjoyed this beer and will buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 03-04-2010 21:01:03 | id: 1120009

Bottle into my pint glass.

Quite dark honey amber in color. Somewhat opaque. Monstorous 2 and half finger slightly off white head. Head retention is fantastic (about a one finger head remains) with very nice lacing hanging around.

Smells of sweet honey malts as well as some dank, very pineapple/mango hop fragrance. Mostly the mango/pineapple smell coming through. Nice big nose.

Tastes follows smell. Bread and barley up front. Then mango/grapefruit hops dominate the honey malt backbone. Very nice resiny hop bitterness comes through on the back end.

Medium bodied, lots of tiny prickly bubbles. Carbonation is good, nice crisp finish.

Very drinkable DIPA. Gotta tip my hat to Mr. Strauss on this one. I tried red trolley ale once, and pretty much wrote the brewery off as another "micro" with a tendency to try to appeal to the masses. This one is ready to satisfy the most discerning beer drinkers though.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-24-2010 08:31:44 | id: 1113885

A huge thanks for this one, I had heard nothing but good things in regards to it and was really wanting to give it a try. Twenty Two ounce bottle was served cold and poured into a pint glass, consume on 02/16/2010.
 
Pour is big, very big. Dark amber in color with a towering head of off white that goes rocky and cratered about three inches up. This leaves behind nothing but a sticky, web like lacing that coats the inside of the glass so thoroughly that you can barely make out a thing through all the foam. A nice half inch layer then stays nicely up on top and works its way down through the night. Big citrus aroma. Orange rind, lemon, grapefruit all very prominent here and showing their stuff for sure. As it warms buttery, soft biscuit like notes start to overcome and mellow it out a touch, easily coming back in the end though with huge hop notes. Smooth, medium body is nearly spot on here I have to admit, Perfect balance between lip shredding hops and mellow biscuit malts, splendid balance here. Rich, creamy, and smooth, it was nearly sublime as each sip brought a warmness and fondness that I found to be just what I needed.
 
Overall one of the better DIPA I have ever had hands down. This was just exquisite and deserves to be right up there with the big boys for sure.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-17-2010 19:18:16 | id: 1108639

Poured from a 22oz bomber that I got from South Bay thru ummagum into a tulip. No dating info on bottle but was a seasonal release in Oct 09 so fresh but probably some hop fading. Was a hazy amber orange color with good central carb streams. It had a large fluffy off-white head that slowly settled into a small foam cap and thick collar. Great lacing with most sticking.

The aroma, even though faded a bit, is still excellent. Citric hops with tropical fruit twist from the Nelson Sauvin hops. Also grapefruit, pine and sweet malt. Good sniffer. The taste follows the aroma with the unique taste of the Nelson hops out front. Good pine levels with good malt balance. Starts out sweet then the hops kick in and then finish slightly bitter. Really enjoyed this one. Mouthfeel is creamy with resin and good carb levels. Good after taste.

Overall, an excellent ADIPA that I highly recommend. Very comparable to Ballast Points Nelson which also highlights the Nelson Sauvin hops. Good hop aroma and flavor and not too bitter. Rotation[N/S:C] - seasonal and not available here in TX. Got thru South Bay. If here, couple a season.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-17-2010 01:25:07 | id: 1108106

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. The beer is a hazy orange, amber color with three fingers of off white foam. The head stays on this one, dissipating to one finger that remains as I drink. The hop aroma is instantly apparent, strong citrus notes, grapefruit, orange, very nice. Pine is largely absent, but that's ok, this beer smells great as is! The malt makes it's presence known at first sip. Sweet caramel, followed by a tounge punch of bittering hops. This beer gets better with every drink. Hops hang around making the finish dry and bitter. Mouthfeel is right on for the style, carbonation is not overpowering. ABV is well masked, making this a very drinkable beer for me. An excellent DIPA offering from Karl Strauss. Reccommended!

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-12-2010 06:59:54 | id: 1104414

Thanks to Hophead84 for sending a bottle of this my way. There's no date on the bottle, but I'm guessing it's from November based on the other reviews. Served in my Kuhnhenn tulip glass.

A - This is pretty much the perfect DIPA pour. Three fingers of soapy white foam that dissipates slowly and leaves glass-coating lace and a thick cap. Slightly hazed golden-copper body with a fiery glow and a stream of bubbles rising up the middle of the glass. This is reference quality for DIPA appearance.

S - The hop character has obviously faded since this was fresh, but there's still a nice amount of tropical fruit and grape hop character. There's not a ton of citrus or pine, but that's not surprising with a hop bill heavy in Nelson Sauvin, Warrior and Ahtanum. At this stage the malt backbone has moved to the forefront, with spicy caramel and rum-soaked cake flavors. I wish I got to try this fresh, but as it stands its still pretty interesting.

T - Again, the caramel malt is starting to take over, but there's some fierce bitterness mixed in. Reminds me a little of fruit punch actually, with the mix of grape, tropical fruit, and sugary malt backbone. The taste has aged better than the smell, although it's approaching a heavily hopped barleywine. Alcohol is extremely well-hidden, and the finish and aftertaste are filled with strong residual bitterness. Probably more of a 4.25, so I'll be generous in other areas.

M - Great enamel-melting sensations. Very soft, creamy texture, with only a bit of mild carbonation tingle. Medium body that's appropriate for the ABV. Not much heat at all. Pretty much what I want from a DIPA.

D - A pleasant surprise form a somewhat under-the-radar beer. I had no problem downing the bomber on my own. I hope I get to try this one again when the make a fresh batch. Best Karl Strauss beer I've tried so far.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-06-2010 22:04:48 | id: 1100089

Poured from a bottle into a snifter. Beer is reddish and slightly hazy. Forms a thin white head of small bubbles. Head falls away and break into a diffuse thin layer. Head leaves a lot of lacing behind. Looks good.

Aroma is really weak and disappointing. Its a snifter, it should help the aroma. There is some hops and a little malt.

Beer is medium bodied and has a really odd almost cannabis flavor to it. Its the hops I'm sure but its really pot like. There isn't a lot of sweetness and its surprisingly drinkable. Not my favorite (I don't like the flavor of cannabis) but its pretty good. There are some good citrus flavors.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 02-03-2010 02:50:49 | id: 1097648

A - Darker amber color with finger of white head.

S - Caramel, brown sugar, Pine, and tropical fruit.

T - Tastes of Caramel, Toffee, apple, and apricot.

M - Mouthfeel is above average with good carbonation and nicely balanced.

D - Very drinkable especially considering the 9% ABV.

I will be going out to buy another is a week or so.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-28-2010 06:54:14 | id: 1092942

22 ounce bottle poured into a tulip. Comes in at 9%. No bottling info is given.

A-Pours a semi opaque amber with lots of orange when held up to the light. It has a two finger off white head that rests at half its starting level. It leaves some decent patterns of lace.

S-Lots of juicy citrus, particularly grapefruit and orange, along with some dried grass. There is some caramel sweetness. Deserves a 4.25 score.

T-Like the nose, it has lots of juicy citrus flavor upfront along with some grassy flavor. The fruit/grass flavor gives it a unique flavor as compared to other WC DIPAs. There is some lingering peppery spiciness. The caramel malt is noticeable and contains the advertised 90 IBUs. I found it to have a nice bitterness level that was not over the top.

M-It falls on the low end of the medium spectrum and is a touch watery. It is smooth and well carbonated.

D-A pretty good DIPA that is not in the upper echelon of great SD DIPAs. I would say the hops have begun to fade a little on this bottle.

My first bottled offering from these guys. I would have loved to try this a month or so earlier as the hops have lost some of their flavor. Would love to try fresh from the tap.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-26-2010 19:37:46 | id: 1091800

22 ounce bomber bought at LaBodega in Riverside, CA., for $5.99 in January 2010.

Pours a golden-copper color, slightly hazy, with an initial burst of carbonation, which quickly dies off.

Aroma is definitely a DIPA hop profile, but generally thinner and lighter than the typcial West Coast variety- more IPA like in its intensity.

But when tasted, the full flavored DIPA profile is there- rich bready malts, and grapefruity bitter hops. For me, with DIPAs, I often look for balance amongst the hops, rather than balance of the overall beer. By that I mean a mix of sweet, fruity, oily, and piney notes in the hops. This one leans to the more sour/bitter fruits (grapefruit over orange), with the other elements well represented. Maybe it's me, but I miss the sweeter orange notes. But I can't be too critical, this is still a well made DIPA.

Not my favorite, for which I have lowered my overall score, but still quite good regardless. You won't go wrong with this one, especially at this price point- a good value for a very good beer.

Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

Reviewed on: 01-23-2010 01:28:53 | id: 1088768