Dankenstein IIPA - Pearl Street Brewery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

richkrull

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tried this one at The Roman Candle on Willy Street in Madison, WI.

Pours a cloudy amber color with quite a bit of head on it.

Smell was nice and hoppy, but I didn't get a lot else coming through.

Taste was good but not great. Caramel flavor upfont with a decent bitter hop finish but not as big as I was expecting/hoping for.

Mouthfeel is light to medium. Went down very smooth.

This is a good drinking beer. I wasn't amazed by it but I would drink it again if I saw it.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 20:36:07 | More by richkrull

burnheartsMKE

Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to my brother (wonderhinterland) for two bottles.

Bottle #1 was drunk about a month & a half ago and most memorable by the playful name, but I wish I had reviewed it then as I seemed more enjoyable at that time.

#2 was consumed tonight while watching, Good Hair, a documentary by Chris Rock about the black hair industry.

My first impression is that this refrigerated bottle #2 appeared a bit murkier, or shall I say danker, than #1.

Smells of heavy malts and over-steeped tea.

Tastes of burnt sugar, grapefruit rind, resin and oddly a licorice note that seemed to momentarily numb the tip of my tongue.

Perhaps it was in pairing with a documentary that spent ample time on the subject of sodium hydroxide, but i just couldn't get this beer to "relax" me. I gave up before I could see the bottom of my glass and long before the movie had ended.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 06:04:11 | More by burnheartsMKE

daledeee

Iowa

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

Poured this into a snifter glass

Did a glug glug pour and got no head. Dark chestnut clear body.

Nose at first contained some bourbon but later was not much.

Taste is citrus, hops, malt with a rind finish.

Mouth feel: Well... No head, no bubbles, bad mouth feel

It's too bad, I think they have a good recipe here. The taste is pretty good, but I must discount it due to the lack of carbonation. Gotta pay attention to quality control folks.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 00:13:42 | More by daledeee

coldmeat23

Oklahoma

3.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

GLASS: Snifter
TEMP: Cellared @ approx 55 degrees
Thanks to my friend Tom for this one.

Well, it says that it's alive, because it's naturally carbonated in the bottle. Upon popping the cap, I had to get my glass under it, quickly, because it did indeed try to foam over the top of the bottle. All is well though and I managed to catch it all.
This liquid is a medium shade of golden amber. The two-fingers worth of beige foam that make the head recede to a solid, surface covering, film about 1/16" thick. The lacing is in assorted strands and spots which are nicely sticky.

I expected to get hit in the face with an all-out hops assault, with a name like 'Dankenstein'. This is not the case. This really doesn't smell too much like an IIPA. It's more like an American Strong Ale or an English Barleywine, even. Tons of caramel and malt notes fill my senses. Lots of earthy-nutty notes. There is a decent amount of hops presence, piney and citrus-like, but it's definitely below the surface.

Okay, I found the 'dank' characteristic, but it's not the quality that I was looking for. This has a slightly musty (dank) quality to it. Very earthy with slight hints of dirt. This dirtiness is rubbed all over some nice caramel and toffee notes that are almost 'chewy'. This is then covering some good hop presence, which is so far down and buried, that I question calling this one an IIPA, once again.

Just barely full-bodied with a light-to-medium level of carbonation. Mostly smooth, yet it has a touch of sharpness around the edges. A nice hint at some good creaminess.

The 9.50%abv is not completely hidden, but it is sufficiently masked, so as not to be brutal to the palate. It is a touch warming, though. That, combined with the fact that I believe this beer to be mis-categorized, knocks it's score down.
Perhaps Pearl Street needs to adjust this recipe. Better yet, they should just call it an American Strong Ale and it's already a winner.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2010 18:40:43 | More by coldmeat23

drizzam

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I can't remember which friend of mine gave me this brew...whoever it was, thanks!

A - Pours a deep cloudy amber in color, so cloudy indeed that it is completely opaque. The beautiful body of this brew is topped by an off white two finger head. The head has excellent retention and leaves a nice veil of thick lacing down the inside of the glass.

S - Not especially aromatic, I get a light sweet malt aroma and some sweet citrus hops. Certainly does not smell like a hop bomb.

T & M - A big caramelized malt body plays nicely with resiny, piney hops. There is an understated complexity here between malt and hop. Very thick and creamy mouthfeel...it seems to almost coat your tongue with malt and hop oil. Finishes with a tart hop bitterness.

D - This is a very solid brew...and my first from this brewery. I'm interested to try more from them, because this was excellent!

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 02:01:08 | More by drizzam

e11a627

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Shared with hu5om.

A: Orange-yellow, golden brown, cloudy.

S: Some hop aromas but very malty.

T: Nutty, almost like a brown ale. No IPA taste at all really.

M: Good tongue tingle, smooth.

D: Definitely doesn't taste like a double IPA but it's a good beer. I wouldn't guess that this was an IPA if I hadn't seen the bottle. It's a great dark ale but not an IPA. Also, very tasty for a 9.5% ABV but the bottle is just labeled wrong - closer to a strong, dark ale.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 16:21:15 | More by e11a627

hu5om

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

finally reviewed this one after having a few around town.
a-murky amber/orange, with a slight clarity. light ring of cream color foam leaves decent lacing.
s-pretty malty actually. sweet carmel and nuts. some citrus, but the malts are far more prominent.
t-sweet malts with a slight lemon zest aftertaste on the back of your tongue. nutty, an iipa it ain't but a strong/old ale it may be.
m-a bit syrupy. a little hoppy resin vibe. smooth though. a bit of boozy tingle. low/med. carbonation and moderate body overall.
d-if you want a great strong/old ale, you got it! not sure if it's any kind of pale let alone a Double I. As a strong/old ale, i really enjoy it, but the label is just confusing. in a straight up blind tasting, i would call this a very good strong ale. maybe it's different fresh from the keg, but haven't had that in a while. and for 9.5% it's a sneaky devil, better than it should be. love me some dankenstein strong ale!

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 23:33:29 | More by hu5om

emerge077

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a couple pours at the Pearl St. tap room in La Crosse. Not sure if kegs make it out any further than that. Looking at other reviews, I have a feeling this doesn't travel well or hold up well in bottled format. I've seen cases of it stacked and sitting around at beer stores, really makes you wonder how fresh they are. Review from notes.

Reddish orange, high clarity. Half inch of foam that leaves a lacy ring around the edge. Served in a pint at first, then a snifter.

Huge cantaloupe aroma, tropical and sticky sweet. Mild maltiness in there, dwarfed by the fruit notes.

Subtly bitter, big fruit flavors (cantaloupe, melon), slightly resiny. Light traces of alcohol, malty in the dry aftertaste. Mellow, supple feel. Almost cask-like, with no visible carbonation. At 9.6% abv, this stuff can be dangerous. It goes down like the sweet nectar that is Hopslam. Get some on tap...

Serving type: on-tap

07-24-2010 07:20:03 | More by emerge077

dudemuskie

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Scored a 12 oz bottle of this brew at Dark Lord Day 2010 after trading it for a Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree. No born on date.

Appearance- Pours a deep reddish amber, hazy with sediment from bottle. Large sediment deposit in the bottom of the bottle. Very light beige, tight, almost creamy head slowly builds. Bubbles appear to be slow to rise in this potentially viscous brew. Some lacing.

Aroma- Big malty nose with lots of deep caramel, burnt sugar, and warm malty breadiness. Almost has a sweet creamy aroma. Nice floral, piney/resinous, and nearly muted citrusy hop notes. Some higher alcohol aromatics noticeable. Fairly nice aromatic balance between hops and malt for an IIPA!

Flavor- Quickly fleeting caramel malt sweetness starts off followed by slightly prickly CO2. Effervescence opens up to loads of pungent, resinous hop flavor that fills the mouth along with a healthy dose of hop bitterness. Some notable booziness but primary flavor in long and lingering finish is pungent, almost green, fresh hops with a soft vein of burnt sugar.

Mouthfeel- Lighter bodied than expected with a nice medium fullness brew. Higher CO2 a bit distracting from the complexities in the beer. Hop-centric, but decent balance, especially in the aroma. Not too sticky with a slightly drying finish. Some warming alcohol, but surprising drinkability for such a strong beer!

Overall- This is a pretty good IIPA, but I would have liked to know how old it is! I think some of the hop character has faded, so maybe this is a bit older. Pretty good either way, and definitely has some well hidden alcohol! I wouldnt mind seeking this out fresh to really soak up the hops...

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2010 04:14:09 | More by dudemuskie

Florida9

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from the bottle into a tulip. This beer was just waiting for the opportunity to be freed from the bottle as it formed a good two inches of frothy head. Head reduced rather quickly to a relatively large surface coating with a good amount of lacing. Cloudy, medium brown in color.

S: Sweet citrus and alcohol. Not too far off from a screwdriver.

T: Sweet maltiness moves into a spicy, fusel bitterness. Maybe some citrus type hops, but this one is malt forward with a decent bitterness on the end. Hops are not on showcase here.

M: On the thicker side of medium. Sticky, sweet, and malty. Lively and active carbonation.

D: Not a bad beer, just not what I was expecting. I will admit I fell for the marketing on this beer: Dankenstein just sounds like a full on hopped up monster, but in reality it's much more like a strong ale or even approaching a barleywine. Either way, its a respectable beer, just not one I'll be searching out again.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 01:05:41 | More by Florida9

Vonerichs

Illinois

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

I was surprised to find this was a gusher as soon as I popped the cap. This sat in my fridge for a couple weeks, then only moved to the counter before opening. Point being, there was no agitation that would have contributed to the aggressive and annoying gushing and huge head even after it had a chance to stop spewing from the bottle. The color was amber and the body looked good, but I can't get past the unnecessary amout of head.

The hops are earthy, musty, and a little pine. There is a huge toffee sweetness to the malt.

This resembles a barleywine or strong ale more than a DIPA. The malt contributes just as much, if not more, than the hops. There is a musty aftertaste (yes, dank.)

Mouthfeel is sticky and sweet, heavy in body.

It was a bit boozy and the strange aftertaste put me off a bit.

For a DIPA labled as "Dankenstein" I was expecting much more from this and was let down. For a DIPA, this is just not that good. It was more like an average barleywine than anything else.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 14:16:29 | More by Vonerichs

DrDoitchbig

Michigan

3.18/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Poured a hazy color caught somewhere between amber and brown. With any kind of light source behind it slices of orange show themselves. The khaki head start off at about one and a half fingers, but vanished to a cap within minutes. Lacing was pretty much nonexistent, but there were a few dimples here and there.

Smell: It's apparent with the first whiff that this brew was aptly named. Resiny, dank, pine infused hops are on the forefront and they come on strong. After the hop bum rush the alcohol rears it's head, generally the hops in this style do a better job covering it up. I'm also picking up on some sweet malt and perhaps some citrus based hops as well. I have no real problem with any of these smells on there own, but for some strange reason the combination keeps reminding me of some kind of industrial solvent. Very strange.

Taste: Thankfully I'm not reminded of solvent in this category. However following the smell the resiny, floral hops are firmly in control. There's a touch of earthiness to them, with a nice dash of grapefruit to boot. Somewhere in the middle there is some of caramel malt, which is whisked away by the lingering bitter finish. I have a couple complaints here. First off I'm all for the dank, resiny hops, but I feel they work much better when they complimented by other hop flavors. This is just one-sided with it's resiny onslaught. It sort of reminds me of weed, honestly. Secondly, while this brew is completely hop centric, the flavors really aren't that strong. The level of bitterness and hop flavor is closer to standard IPA levels. It's like they forgot to add some extra aromatic hops to this batch.

Mouthfeel: The body is a solid medium and the carbonation is spot on. But there is an astringent aspect here that I am not feeling.

Drinkability: This really isn't a terrible beer. But I've had some of the pinnacles (in my mind) of this category and this just doesn't stand up. I've had many that were absolutely teeming with every kind of manifestation of hop flavor you can think of. This was just too one dimensional for me and as mentioned a bit on the weak side. I'm tired of drinking it after one serving.

From the amount of reviews this beer seems to be new to bottles. I'm not familiar with Pearl Street, but it's possible they could be new to bottling as a whole. If I only lived in Wisconsin I'd give this one another chance straight from the brewery. In it's current state though I just can't give it high marks.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2010 06:26:37 | More by DrDoitchbig

blackie

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

ay, que sucio

a: snifter serving, pours a healthy cream colored head atop the deep copper colored ale, quality retention and light lace

s: nose of sweet pine and citrus hops with a full, sugary caramel body, candied fruits, nice hop punch, mild booze only after warming

m: smooth carbonation and medium-full body gives a nice, creamy feel

t: chewy caramel structure, big pine and hop flavors, solidly on the malty side with a moderate bitterness, nothing standout but certainly well constructed

d: no issues here - quite easy given the alcohol content

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2010 05:10:55 | More by blackie

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a snifter

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

02-19-2010 01:16:33 | More by BarrytheBear