Dankenstein IIPA - Pearl Street Brewery

SpdKilz

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A big thanks to TheDudeRules for this extra. Cheers!

Appearance – Pours a very dark brown color into a tulip with about a half finger of tan head that dissipates quickly leaving slight lacing.

Smell – Heavy malts, slight hops, resin, that’s about it.

Taste – Heavy malt, alcohol, and just a bit of hops. I’m not sure if this is an old IIPA but this sure as hell tastes like a barleywine.

Mouthfeel – Medium to heavy bodied, syrupy, chewy, lower carbonation.

Overall – An odd tasting DIPA and if you even try to consider it a barleywine, it is not all that good.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 00:52:07 | More by SpdKilz

parejkoj

Minnesota

3.36/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Picked up a 4 pack of 12 ounce bottles from Casanova in Hudson, WI.

Appearance: Dark amber, almost mahogany, very clear. Decent head that lingers. Good carbonation.

Smell: Nothing remarkable. Was expecting more hop aroma, the caramel/amber malts overpower any possible hop aroma. A little 'dankiness' can be found though. Almost smells oaky. Can smell a little toffee (oxidation?).

Taste: I like it. As other reviewers have mentioned, it's clearly a barleywine hidden behind a IIPA facade. Perceptible alcohol up front, but lots of caramel malt come through quickly. Noticeable bitterness toward the end, but I wouldn't describe it as 'dank'. Although, I'll admit I haven't had that many dank IPAs. It's not bad, but not what one would expect as an IIPA.

Mouthfeel: Fairly smooth, although the noticeable alcohol is upfront at first.

Overall: I don't think it's too bad. I think it could be a lot better if they eased off on some of the caramel/amber malt and bumped up the late-addition aroma hops, if they want to stick with IIPA. Otherwise, it could be a solid barleywine. I enjoyed their other beers while in undergrad at La Crosse often (Downtown Brown and El Hefe) so I'd really like to see Pearl Street Brewery do well. La Crosse deserves a good brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 02:43:45 | More by parejkoj

jreindl

Wisconsin

2.5/5  rDev -26%

04-20-2013 05:19:40 | More by jreindl

SnatchyMcPants

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%

04-03-2013 20:36:42 | More by SnatchyMcPants

BellsFan

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%

03-30-2013 00:30:25 | More by BellsFan

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

4.64/5  rDev +37.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very murky amber color with a 1/4th finger of a tan head.

smells like a hop forward barleywine, pine, caramel, plums, toffee and earthy hops.

taste is piney hops, caramel an toffee malt flavors, grapefruit dankness, earthy bitterness on the finish that lingers.

Mouthfeel is rather silky, very low and I mean low carbonation but it works very well.

Well I see some of the reviews of this are not so hot.... I may be lucky living in La Crosse so I can get it a lot fresher, They seem to date all of their beers except this one, which makes no sense obviously. I think people would like it more if they tried to fresh, really decent stuff at a steal of a price!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 17:41:26 | More by nickapalooza86

OliverBlaze

Wisconsin

1.88/5  rDev -44.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75

First of all this doesn't taste like an IPA at all, but more like a dark beer. You can taste a hop presence, but it is quite weak. I don't know what it is, but this IPA just tastes watery to me. Pearl Street does an awful job of masking the hefty alcohol content in this brew as I struggled to choke down this beer and anxiously awaited the end of it. I am a fan of Pearl Street's Pale Ale, but this attempt at a double IPA was an utter failure. I wont be trying this again.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 00:42:20 | More by OliverBlaze

assman79

Wisconsin

2/5  rDev -40.8%

03-05-2013 02:42:28 | More by assman79

Gotti311

Wisconsin

2.25/5  rDev -33.4%

03-04-2013 18:51:19 | More by Gotti311

MIA4IPA

Illinois

3/5  rDev -11.2%

12-18-2012 23:29:18 | More by MIA4IPA

pabney

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +33.1%

11-06-2012 12:55:52 | More by pabney

maximum12

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Just showed up in Hudson across the river for the first time (that I've seen anyways) & I was feeling froggy, so in the back-seat it goes. 12 oz. stub-nose.

Pour is red. Red, like, man, dark red, almost turning to brown out of a direct light source. Looks zilcho like the picture on the brewery website. llljhszAESDCVBNM,. Sorry, that was me wiping Dankenstein off my keyboard after being confused by the nose...all malt, all the time, with a caramel pick. Hops? Nope. Huh. This is a rather odd start.

Dankenstein, I'm not sure what you're meant to be. Quadruple hopped? One hundred percent sure that someone's been swiping those hops before they hits the kettle. As the nose suggests, this is a malt nuke. Earthy, caramel, with a Gabriel Sledgehammer of sweetness & sugar. Hops? Present only in a limp handshake of an aftertaste, bit floral, more earthy, maybe citrus if I squint hard enough. Hugely sticky. Weirdly appealing to drink, though I blame that on my sweet tooth.

Good thing I don't score to style, or this beer would be in negative numbers. Amber Ale? Barleywine? It's closer to either of those than an IPA or IIPA. Even the advertised dankness is missing. Decent enough, but a true mystery of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 02:40:44 | More by maximum12

WoodBrew

Illinois

3/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Murky orange pour pour with lots of little bubbles when held to the light

Smells, if possible, sticky. Very earthy hops.

Taste reveals s sticky, earthy, smack in the jaw. Far more strong ale than DIPA. Malts punch through with a vengeance while a big orange hop and pine cone finish that grips at the molars.

Mouthfeel is thick and well carbonated.

Drinkabilty is difficult to judge based on a style that is tough to match to the label. She's a rough, abrasive powerhouse.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 17:16:45 | More by WoodBrew

soccerfancooch

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%

06-19-2012 19:03:12 | More by soccerfancooch

Kunstman

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%

06-10-2012 14:27:31 | More by Kunstman

wakajawaka76

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +10.9%

05-30-2012 16:25:56 | More by wakajawaka76

Chaz

Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours into my tulip with a decent sized (two-fingered) head, a nice, even khaki color, rocky and not goin' anywhere for a while. This impression is a good one. Color is darker brown with highlights of copper, and the clarity is hazey as this one wasn't filtered; plenty of gunk left on the base of the bottle and I'm leaving it there ; )

On the nose there's nothing really goin' on that would lead me to think this was a D-IPA. A whiff of bittering hops, a load of yeast, and some lighter phenols, but I'm smelling a classic strong ale/barleywine, more of the British tradition than anything else -- it's not as if that's a bad thing of course, just not what I'd expected. Reminds me of "Old Man Winter.." from up in Duluth (that's a *good* thing.) Lightly metallic, lighter plum and cherry...

First sip is sweet, pungent, and a little boozy! Notes of ripe fruit (red-skinned apples, sharp plum) and more of that yeast that I just don't ever really get in some takes on the classic American Double IPA style. Mouthfeel is full and creamy (again, owing to the yeast) and this is a bigger-bodied beer. Frankly I like it for what it is, but it will leave some people confused, others disappointed (but for $7.50 a 4-pack I consider it a nice buy.)

Lasting impression is of a sweet, big, sippin' beer, but it's not one that will totally wreck your palate if you're going to be indulging in a hoppier beer sometime after this one: anything with enough hops in it will wipe this flavor off yer tongue! The bitterness is there, but only just: judging by all the placements I saw in town on my recent visit, this is a fresh batch, and I'd expect a greater degree of bitterness in addition to a LOT more floral and aromatic hops on the nose.

Not bad altogether -even though it falls short as a IIPA- and it's one worth trying again sometime. I might cellar a bottle, just in case (it does have the legs for it...)

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 16:21:06 | More by Chaz

jera1350

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Deep caramel brown, but with transparency. The head is a very thin layer of tan foam, but it is of tiny bubbles and has a velvety appearance. Decent lacing.

Huge malty sweet nose. Think Double Crooked Tree here. Getting nary a hop here however.

Very malt heavy with lots of sweetness. Caramel and toffee with burnt sugars. Moderate alcohol presence with a hop bite at the back end. Lingering hop bitterness in the aftertaste. Very barleywine like flavor.

A bit light in the body. A problem that seems to be a theme with this brewery. The carbonation is a bit low also.

Not too shabby a beer, but it does have some kinks to be worked out. This absolutely fits the barleywine category, not the DIPA as listed. Definitely one of the better brews I've sampled from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 00:30:23 | More by jera1350

EvanEngelstad

Oregon

1/5  rDev -70.4%

04-14-2012 01:34:40 | More by EvanEngelstad

joefeidt

Wisconsin

2.7/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours no head at all. My glass seemed clean so i'm confused.

Dark for an IIPA. Kind of walnut colored.

Smell is a heavy malt perfume. Resinous.

Taste is a blast of malt followed quickly by hops. Something is slightly out of whack here, not balanced.

Mouthfeel is very big and bold. Alcohol blast is noticeable.

Overall I'd have to say a good effort by a good brewery, but it falls short mainly because of balance. It seems like the hops can't quite match the heavy malt. Ten years ago I would have killed for this beer but now I'm another spoiled beer brat!

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 22:33:17 | More by joefeidt

htomsirveaux

Texas

3/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle tried 18 Oct 2011. Bottle courtesy of R&S, thanks! Served in the 0.4 L Sonnen Gold-Ex becker.

Small tight tan head. Well carbonated. Very dark walnut leather in color. Slightly hazy. Fragrant, like hop syrup, resin, and orange, some ethanol noticeable. Starts malty sweet, quickly becoming quite bitter. Orange and grapefruit pithiness. Medium sticky body, ethanol is warming. Finish and aftertaste are fairly bitter. Becomes more of an aspirin bitterness as it warms.

Nice aroma but a slightly unpleasant bitterness in the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 16:14:07 | More by htomsirveaux

jakea

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%

01-28-2012 23:57:56 | More by jakea

Localdrinklax

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +47.9%

01-05-2012 22:04:51 | More by Localdrinklax

whartontallboy

New York

2/5  rDev -40.8%

01-02-2012 22:27:46 | More by whartontallboy

Jparker37

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A - A vigorous pour into a pint glass resulted in a small white cap of head. Very hazy due to its bottle conditioning. A darker amber colored IPA, on the dark side for the style. Lacked any lacing down the glass.

S - Quite a "stinky" IPA. Some pear/apple like citrus hops. Many dry hop scents given off. A noticeable amount of an alcohol spice to it.

T - Big caramel malts, overall reminiscent of a scotch ale. Lacking a distinct hop flavor but a bit of bitterness. Finishes with a little to much sweetness and doesn't dry out like most IPAs.

M - A rather large body to this beer but lacking on carbonation. Not sure this 4pk has been on shelves.

O - Overall it had great hop smell, the maltiness of the beer threw me for a loop, again it reminds me of some scotch ales. Not my favorite IPA but again not overly familiar with double IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 23:22:21 | More by Jparker37