Big Barrel Double IPA - Karl Strauss Brewing Company

mjl21

California

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

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

01-26-2010 19:37:46 | More by mjl21

Omer4176

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-18-2013 05:02:35 | More by Omer4176

Shogun730

California

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

05-17-2013 22:03:02 | More by Shogun730

Beerswag

California

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

05-03-2013 04:47:53 | More by Beerswag

Yello5

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%

05-01-2013 06:55:49 | More by Yello5

bvermilion

California

4/5  rDev -2.4%

04-21-2013 05:35:53 | More by bvermilion

kingmaker

Louisiana

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

04-19-2013 03:18:08 | More by kingmaker

Zorro

California

4.16/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Clear orange colored ale with a puffy off-white colored head.

Smell is strongly of citrus. Abundant grapefruit with strong tea and malt sugar. Smells woody and slightly smoky.

Starts out sweet with a woody citrus flavor. Abundant citrus flavor like the smell. Little bit of butter and burnt sugar with a slight onion flavor. Tasty yet very smooth with not the slightest hint of how strong it is.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall a tasty and easy to drink double IPA. Not the best but it is nice for the price.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 01:34:03 | More by Zorro

swetsastonic

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

04-12-2013 05:49:33 | More by swetsastonic

hopswap1

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

04-09-2013 16:26:13 | More by hopswap1

Buick222

California

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

04-02-2013 17:49:56 | More by Buick222

dertyd

California

3.35/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

poured from a 22oz bomber to a tulip

A:poured a verry nice amber redish orange rusty color with a decent head that last a wile then fades to lace that clings to the glass

S;grape fruits and other tropical fruits higlight this beer with a little bit of grain and sourdough aromas

T:at first taste you get grains with bitter tropical fruits on the back end then it gets realy piney with the after taste

M:kinda wet and sticky with a piney after taste

O:overall a good beer but not great was hoping for a more grapefruity ipa I think lagunitas spoiled me with all there ipas cause not many stand up to them but this is far from
A bad beer it goes down smooth for the alch%

Live life drin beer!!!:-)

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 07:27:44 | More by dertyd

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to robL for the sweet extra. Tasted 12 March 2013.

Pours a clear medium orange, drifting to amber. One finger of whitish head, good retention and impressive lacing. Thick ring of foam, reaching up with rings of lacing. A few stray bubbles are the only visible carbonation.

Smell is juicy, full of apricots, with a bit of citrus peaking through. Definitely malt-forward, without the hop zip I expect from a DIPA. I like balanced IPAs, but this one's leaning more towards barleywine territory, IMO.

Taste is similarly big and fruity. Lots of stone fruit, peaches and apricots, with honey layered on top. Minimal hop bitterness in the back end. And even that quickly gives way to

Mouthfeel is good. Medium-heavy body, fizzy buzzy zippy carbonation, gently zinging on my tongue. Sticky and persistent.

I'm torn about this beer. It doesn't strike me as a DIPA. Tasting it blind, I would definitely peg it as a barleywine. And not even that hoppy of a barleywine. But it's a pretty tasty, malt-forward barleywine. As a DIPA, I'm not sold. But as a beer, I really like it.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 03:20:15 | More by zeledonia

mactrail

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Attractive sudsy pour in the tall Saxo tulip. Aromas of flowers and overripe fruit.

Quite sweet, but a malty rather than a sugary sweetness. It goes well with the huge fruit flavors. Mango, apricot nectar. Rather tart after some sipping. A textbook example of the Nelson Sauvin flavor, but more bittering hops lurk in the background. However, the bitterness is way less than most big hop beers. It allows the spice and alcohol to give it a livelier taste.

One of the more drinkable DIPAs for my taste. Cheerful and fruity. From the 22 oz bottle bought at Ibis Market in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 04:21:43 | More by mactrail

EyePeeAyBryan

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

03-04-2013 18:03:49 | More by EyePeeAyBryan

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - 3 fingers tightly packed white foam on a deep golden liquid.

S - honeysuckle. Mint. Black pepper. Wild flowers. Grapefruit rind.

T - honeycomb sweetness up front with a hint of grainy cereal. Sweet pineapple fruit character and grapefruit rind in the center. Soft floral ad well. Hints of alcohol on the backend.

M - full bodied creamy texture. High carb with full round bubbles.

O - nice beer. A bit sweet for me but it was still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 03:11:26 | More by Teleweizen2

csustar001

Ohio

5/5  rDev +22%

02-19-2013 14:37:25 | More by csustar001

apf

Utah

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

02-12-2013 03:13:53 | More by apf

Devinph

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

02-06-2013 05:31:17 | More by Devinph

AlbertosTacos

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

02-03-2013 07:28:12 | More by AlbertosTacos

BMMillsy

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

01-28-2013 20:51:15 | More by BMMillsy

cheetsmageets

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

01-12-2013 02:31:11 | More by cheetsmageets

TomD

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

01-04-2013 01:50:26 | More by TomD

shagal

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-03-2013 06:29:00 | More by shagal

PthPndr

Florida

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-01-2013 08:50:15 | More by PthPndr