Single Hop Imperial IPA (Simcoe) - Flying Dog Brewery

Soonami

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks BrewerDan23 for sharing this.

Hazy apricot with a thin ring of foam. SIMCOE! Pine, orange and a little grainy sweetness. None of the onion-y, catty, stinky Simcoe aroma that I dislike. There is an aggresive bitterness with a lingering hop resin. Grapefruit peel flavors adds astringency in the finish which is also very dry with a rubber band kind of aftertaste. This is a slightly sweet beer at first then very bitter in the end.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 19:02:16 | More by Soonami

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.6%

01-26-2013 02:22:57 | More by ColForbinBC

JennieKoeper

5/5  rDev +20.5%

11-28-2012 21:27:11 | More by JennieKoeper

daveshawley

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

08-16-2012 02:48:53 | More by daveshawley

Enoch

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

08-13-2012 18:39:04 | More by Enoch

Mikegsparks

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

08-11-2012 21:51:09 | More by Mikegsparks

aztraz

Sweden

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%

04-05-2012 14:59:35 | More by aztraz

sneth019

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.6%

02-28-2012 03:43:35 | More by sneth019

bark

Sweden

3.43/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Batch 2. Best before August 27th 2011.

The colour is gold with hints of red - brighter than their pale ale is which was a bit unexpected. The liquid is clear. The two-finger thick warm white foam is durable and compact; it leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

The scent is not as strong as I hoped. It is surely noticeable, but it does not fill the room like some DIPA can/should do. I note a sweet tone somewhere between honey and resin. A soft yet strong bitterness, notions of alcohol and bitter orange. A most unexpected note of onions and garlic are also present in the background. I fould some pineapple and pickled apricots, too.

The taste is classic American DIPA: Sweet citrus fruit, tree sap and exotic fruits, a solid (if not overwhelming) bitterness and some alcohol. There are big flavours, at times a little heavy. The sweetness is quite strong, but soft and balanced. It is at all balanced, and nothing stands out: Very well done for a single hop beer. Slightly earthy notes in the aftertaste, like some fresh garlic that comes and goes. Perhaps the bitterness feels a bit tired after a few sips. Otherwise it's mandarins, limes and oranges in a nice mix. In the finish the dry tones of alcohol and honey.

Carbon dioxide is moderate, the many small bubbles soft. The liquid is medium-light and the somewhat sticky.

A very well crafted and complex single-hop DIPA, that may have lost some bitterness during the time since it was bottled, but it sticks together well.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 12:18:56 | More by bark

jaidenjb

Ohio

4/5  rDev -3.6%

02-06-2012 03:56:06 | More by jaidenjb

zenwatts

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -3.6%

01-30-2012 15:52:04 | More by zenwatts

bonbini26

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.6%

01-13-2012 18:48:49 | More by bonbini26

lccrunchy

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

01-11-2012 23:31:01 | More by lccrunchy

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #55 (August 2011):

Nothing but Simcoe hops (70 IBUs) in this brew, which are used for both bittering and aroma-enhancing properties, and known for their often fruity, piney and woody characteristics. Cloudy golden with a massive creamy white head and impressive lacing. Dank, musty, pine-laden, citrusy nose that has a calming effect if inhaled deeply. Super creamy and light on the palate. Biscuity sweet malts. Earthy. Woody. Warming alcohol. Sticky, oily hops. Tons of pine, resin, grapefruit, citrus rinds and spice. Sticky as hell. Bone-dry with a hint of chalky aspirin. Leafy finish. This is a must-try for hopheads and standout amongst other “single hop” attempts.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 13:13:49 | More by BeerAdvocate

JohneHoodlum

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.6%

12-08-2011 23:15:24 | More by JohneHoodlum

ROGUE16

Delaware

4/5  rDev -3.6%

12-08-2011 19:59:34 | More by ROGUE16

cfinch2

Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.6%

11-20-2011 01:18:11 | More by cfinch2

oline73

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.6%

11-16-2011 02:18:03 | More by oline73

adrian21

Virginia

5/5  rDev +20.5%

11-16-2011 01:08:15 | More by adrian21

bmur112

Maryland

5/5  rDev +20.5%

11-15-2011 21:45:16 | More by bmur112

BrooBub

Maryland

5/5  rDev +20.5%

11-15-2011 02:16:36 | More by BrooBub

AlexM

California

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

11-14-2011 19:26:48 | More by AlexM

mcphish22

Maryland

4/5  rDev -3.6%

11-14-2011 14:02:46 | More by mcphish22

Morey

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle with no freshness date. It does say 2011 on the bottom left corner of the label, but that's not good enough for me. This is an Ipa after all.

Poured hazy orange in color. It's topped by one finger's worth of fluffy white head. It's settled to a thin layer after only about 5 minutes or less. There is however, a pretty significant amount of lacing on the sides of the glass...especially for a beer that's 10%.

Initially (after the pour) I got a good dose of citrus hops in the nose. I'm still getting them a bit, but the malts, along with the alcohol are much more dominant in the aroma now. A bit of a metallic smell too.

Taste is malty and slightly metallic up front. Nice hop bitterness towards the middle. A little alcohol heat towards the end, but it's not overwhelming at all. I could use a bit more lingering bitterness in the finish. Alcohol and malts round things out for the most part.

Medium bodied with a relatively low carbonation.

A pretty good DIPA overall. Nothing worth searching out, but it's definitely a good beer.

Morey's Bottom Line: I really wish that I knew how fresh that this beer was. I'm guessing that it's at least a few months old. Would love to have a fresher bottle, but since FD chose not to date this, I reviewed it anyway.

**Note- drink this cold! The alcohol shows itself more as the beer warms, and the hops show themselves less.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 15:02:26 | More by Morey

whatthehull

California

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tulip

A - swampy orange, sediment, half finger white creamy head and little lacing

S - Citrus, pine, malt, slight yeast, dry wood, and green earth tons of hops and slightly sweet

T - Very bitter, wonderful simcoe taste, so smooth, malty, nice sweet malt and yeast, slight booze, lots of pine, citrus, flowers, wood, earth and fruit. There is some slight fresh cut grass flavor and very crisp water

M - Full bodied, well balanced, long finish, nice complexity and medium acidity

D - Great beer, easy to drink, tons of flavor, nice balance. Very crisp and fresh for a bottled beer. If you like hoppy beer, this one is great. Even with a huge ABV this beer is for all hop lovers

Final thought - Get the 12 pack with the mystery Imperial IPA and you won't be disappointed. Great deal at $14.99 a 12 pack

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 23:45:21 | More by whatthehull