Big Barrel Double IPA - Karl Strauss Brewing Company

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

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

Halcyondays

California

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bomber, picked up at Mr. Kegs for $5,

A: Pours amber with an long lasting thick white head, full of lacing.

S: Standard DIPA - bitter melon, cantaloupe, white grapefruit. Mango and banana are secondary, but come out a lot more when the beer warms.

T: Sweet candy malt/toffee initially with a lot of orange action. More bitter pine and citrus flavours come in on the back end with mango (which I remember as a distinct note in the Nelson Sauvin Mikkeller IPA). At 6 months or so, we're starting to get a barleywine.

M: Resiny, sticky, chewy, long and full aftertaste. Soft carbonation which I liked.

D: A sipper and an interesting one at that. A unique DIPA, I wish I could have tried it on release, but I can't go back in time.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 03:17:03 | More by Halcyondays

BucannonXC5

California

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. Color was honey orange. About a finger width of head. Dusty white lacing on the top with some bubbles in the middle. Sporadic film on the sides, but not as much as I thought there would be.

Smelled huge hops right in the beginning. Citrus hops as expected with grapefruit seeming to be the leader. Also tangerine in there, too.

Tasted a bit stronger on the alcohol side than I expected. Tons of citrus hops. Seemed to be more tangerine than grapefruit, but it was tough to tell. Bitter on the tongue after.

Medium body. Thin texture. Average carbonation. Bitter abrupt finish.

I had high hopes for this beer, but it didn’t quite live up to my billing. I’d probably try it again though.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 04:59:21 | More by BucannonXC5

SeaOfShells

California

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber into Duvel Tulip

A: Beautiful golden hazy color with about a fingers worth of creamy white head. Left behind some nice lacing. This beer really looked special. Amazing.

S: Lots of citrus, grapefruit pineapple. A nice malty backbone. Typical west coast IPA smell

T: Really well balanced. Sweet citrus up front and a nice bitter finish. A nice malty, bready character. 9% alcohol is well disguised. A really delicious, refreshing drink.

M: Medium bodied, with a nice amount of carbonation. Not too heavy. Very smooth as it goes down.

D: I took down the entire bomber, and that is the perfect amount. I got through it easily. A nice drinker.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 07:35:09 | More by SeaOfShells

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

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks a lot to Tim for sharing this and Dr. B for bringing it back from
San Diego - cheers.

Enjoyed chilled in a snifter.

The color is rosy amber with good clarity and golden hues with thick white head. The smell is floral with pleasant hop aroma -nice hint of light citrus and subtle sweet malt with mild caramel nose. The feel is balanced with malt and light spice with moderate sweet elements and mild alcohol w/ semi-dry finish.

The taste has mild citrus flavor with light vegetal elements and subtle tinge of malt in the middle with a gentle spice and grapefruit note from the hops with caramel malt providing a nice backbone to the bitterness the hops provide. Overall I think this is a decent if not above average example of the style, not aggressively hopped to the extreme as others but a very nice flavor and balance and one I could drink frequently -not a bad beer in any sense.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 14:00:13 | More by Slatetank

rawfish

California

3.8/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy amber-orange with two fingers of parchment colored head. Low retention but manages to leave some spots of lacing on the glass with a bit of stick to it.

Malty backbone of caramel, toffee and sweet breads underlying tangerine, blood oranges, tropical starburst candy and herbaceous mint. A bit faint.

Sweet breads and a touch of grain before the hops come in very sweet and juicy. Tangerines, pineapple and considerable snappy bitterness with a long lasting bitter feel. Flavor lends well to a bit of alcohol burn at the tail end. Finishes with orange rind and a parched slight acidity.

Medium bodied with a light carbonation. Accentuates the sweeter hop profile and big alcohol in this beer. Pleasant bitterness that lasts well past the flavor. Boozy and juicy.

May have caught this one on the tail end of it's life but still punchy and well built DIPA. Similar hop profile to Karl's regular DIPA Tower 20 but without the intense sweetness and more of an alpha acid focus. Will revisit.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 02:09:32 | More by rawfish

FosterJM

California

3.78/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

412th review on BA
bottle to tulip
22oz

App- A very dark sunset orange with amber and yellow highlights. One finger head that was nicely fluffy and white. Very sticky lacing.

Smell- Smells a bit of grapefruit and malts with some fresh mint.

Taste- A bit of a creamier DIPA with some malts being forward and fruits accentuating the big alcohol feel but not boozy.

Mouth- Medium bodied and medium carbed as was expecting but like the taste was a bit maltier and a bit creamier than most.

Drink- Pretty good DIPA, holds its own with some of the big boys but just falls a bit short. Was good but but probably wont come back to this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2011 03:00:37 | More by FosterJM

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Crystal clear hue deep copper with a big off white cream colored head chunky textured billows above the rim of my nonic imperial pint glass. Fine speckled lacing around the sides of the glass. Aroma hints of juicy ripened fruit with citrus/herbal hops in the backend. A bit of maltiness and diacetyl popcorn butter tones. Just a hint of that ,with caramel malt tones earthiness balances as well. Flavor this one is in the mix between a light barleywine and a heavy DIPA it has alot of juicy malt caramelized sugars flowing back and forth. Sugary malt layers is really off putting with a bit of hot alcohol tones this is not refined nice and easy going big West Coast hoppy ales this is a diefferent direction. Mouthfeel is a bit cloying resinous but heavy on the palate residual sugars eliminate the clean drinking experience carbonation does live up to the bigger body. Drinkability has to get better for this style, no more heavy set women taking up arms unless you know somebody is getting to you, and want if you want me to get involved again, then maybe someday we will get a more refined version of what we're looking for.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 05:41:05 | More by WVbeergeek

emmasdad

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours from the bomber a somewhat hazy orange color, with a finger or so of tight white head. Big hoppy aromas here, mostly citrus (grapefruit, tangerine, orange rind) and a little malt. On the palate, this one is very hop dominated, with a little caramel malt and a long bitter finish. I find it harder and harder to get through these hop bomb bombers alone.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2010 04:06:31 | More by emmasdad

womencantsail

California

3.48/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: The pour is a nice looking golden color with a bit of orange to it and a finger's worth of white head.

S: Quite a bit of sweet caramel maltiness with some slightly grassy and citrusy hops. A little maltier/sweeter than I like, but not too bad.

T: The hops have really died out from the flavor. A bit of grass and citrus with only a mild pine on the finish. Quite sweet and malty, lots of caramel.

M: The body is nice and a bit on the full side for an IPA. Moderately carbonated.

D: As I noted in the aroma, this is a bit on the sweet side for my tastes. Still not bad, but I would prefer a bigger, more pungent hop character.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 15:31:35 | More by womencantsail

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

Centennial

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev -31%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz bomber poured into pint glass

A. Rich golden, 1.5 finger frothy head, crystal clear

S. bready honey malt, white grapes, earthy hops

T. heavy on the malt twinge, was hoping for more hop presence but more of bitter with oxidization then with hops and something is weird and yogurt-like in the backbone.

M. all over the place, not sure what's going on here, needs more balance

O. Disappointed, more of a poorly done 90minute ipa then something special.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 16:15:23 | More by Centennial