Heavier Handed IPA - Two Brothers Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.7/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Gorgeously glowing topaz with a faint yeasty haze and polished brass trim. The milkshake creamy crown is equal parts pale orange, eggshell and ecru. It melts in appealing fashion and is beginning to decorate the glass with scads of sea foam lace.

The nose is modestly caramel malty, doesn't have a ton of oakiness, and has quite a bit of orange peel hoppiness. Two Brothers used three different hops (Willamette, Cascade, Super Galena), but only one per batch. Trouble is, they didn't put any sort of identifier on the bottle or label.

Heavier Handed IPA is the latest version of the oaked (D)IPA style to remind me that I'm not thrilled with most oaked (D)IPAs. The wood takes too much of the flavor focus away from the hops, which should have almost all of it as far as I'm concerned. That said, let's see how things shake out with time and warming.

Two Brothers says this brew is bigger than an IPA and smaller than a DIPA. To my eyes, nose and tongue, it looks, smells, tastes and feels like a DIPA. Caramel malt sweetness is at least as prominent as hop bitterness, although the alpha acids are beginning to rough up my tongue now that the middle of the bomber has arrived. For comparison's sake, this bottle is now about four months of age (early November release).

Flavors include caramel-toffee, orange peel soaked in Stolichnaya, ripe apricots and more oakiness than is optimal. Less time in the foudre (a large French oak cask used for aging wine) would have garnered the next highest score for taste and drinkability. As is, they almost got there.

The mouthfeel is solid in all respects. It's closer to DIPA than IPA, is velvety smooth and has the soft sort of carbonation that makes drinking quickly or slowly equally enjoyable. The latter is definitely the way to go.

This beer's little brother, Heavy Handed IPA, is good stuff. How one feels about Heavier Handed IPA depends on how one feels about oak-aged DIPAs in general. While it isn't a trend that I fully support, there's enough hop flavor and bitterness that I don't regret a penny of the $7.99 purchase price.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2010 15:42:33 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

dark orange amber color and a huge head of white coming up and over the top. Majestic looking would be the right word here. Thick lacing up and down the sides of the glass throughout. Most pungent aroma I have come across in as long as I can remember. Thick dose of grapefruit and orange right up front. Huge sticky hops just dripping off of this one. Rich and sweet as I take the first sip. Grapefruit and sugar dipped orange just coating the tongue. Soo fresh it almost hurts. Even warming it brings no relief as the hops are soo thick and omnipresent that you are just taken a back and completely blown away. Long dry finish is coated with soo many flavors, again I am blown away.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2011 02:25:38 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from notes.

Pours a nice moderate amber color with a tiny bit of haze. White head and some lacing. The nose is pine and citrus. Good amounts of those without much malt in the background. What is there counts toward the caramel tally board as well as some slight bread dough. The mouthfeel is good and bitter, while still a bit sweet. Drinks quite well and is a nice brew from the folks in Warrenville.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2010 01:34:53 | More by Thorpe429

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The Heavy Handed IPA has been one-upped in this robust Double IPA. As if that's not enough, Two Brothers decides to age and dry-hop the beer in their exclusive oak foudre.

The pour delivers a hazy deep amber color, releasing a dense creamy off-white head that retains and laces extremely well. A grainy appearance is due to suspended dustiness seen through the glass.

Pine, citrus, and soft woods play at the olfactories and give impressions of caramel, toffee, and English-like fruitiness. Piney hops remind me of juniper and gin.

Lightly syrup sweetness soon gives way to intense piney and grassy (hay-like) hops and tannic/tawny wood flavors. Agressively hopped, the wood aging refines the beer with a smooth marshmallowy creamy malt flavor; somewhat cask-like.

Weighted and syrupy-oily early, the beer's alcohols and woody textures lighten the beer slightly to allow for ease of drinking.

A very nice Oak Aged Double IPA but the sweetness and weight of the beer hurt its introduction. The finish does little to promote the beer further.

Thanks again Cheezdawg!

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 05:01:08 | More by BEERchitect

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a shaker pint glass at The Firkin.

Glad I got to try this one on-tap before my only option was a $50+ 3L beast. It pours a clear amber topped by a thick finger of cream-colored foam. The nose comprises mandarin oranges, lemongrass, light onion, and mild toffee. The taste holds notes of miscellaneous greens, flowers, pine, and light toffee. The body is a solid medium, with a smooth carbonation and an unsurprisingly smooth feel. Overall, a fairly solid DIPA, but it seems a bit weak, as though they tried too hard to make a hop-bomb but instead came away with a strangely mild and one-dimensional brew. It's not altogether bad, though, and is definitely drinkable, but it falls short of greatness.

Serving type: cask

11-19-2010 08:16:58 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Clouded golden/orange appearance. slim white head. lace leaving.

Gorgeously herbaceous aromatics, bristling pine, vibrant citrus. lemon and grapefruit. Mmm.

Tasting: Big bite of bitterness up front, followed by a flash of sweet, flush with flavor, filling the mouth, then slowly fading in intensity, but not without leaving hoppy trails in it's wake. Oak-aged leaves traces of woody texture, a definite difference detected. Good mouthfeel, nice play on the palate.

And every subsequent sip leaves me wanting another.
Fruit and wood join forces in every taste, hop delivery remains undeterred. Nice complexity, continues through the drinking.
Persistent puckering from never-ending hop attack.

Batch 3109, not sure what the hop was used, ..but I'm a fan of this one. I believe I'll have another.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2010 00:09:59 | More by feloniousmonk

drabmuh

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A continuation of the IPA and DIPA project, this is the first beer I've had from Two Brothers and am looking forward to this review.

Beer poured from a bottle into a Stone Arrogant bastard glass. There appears to be a blank box on the side of the beer label where a freshness date COULD go but there is nothing printed there.

Beer is brown / copper and slightly hazy. Carbonation is moderate there is a single fingered head made up of medium to small sized bubbles. Leaves lacing as the beer is drank. Looks good.

Smells awesome. There isn't a lot of malt up there but there is a lot of nice hops, a mixture between the pine and citrus variety. Amazing wonderful smell.

Medium body (approaching full), sweetness and nice hop flavors in the midpalate and bitterness up back. There is a slight aftertaste but overall really smooth and good connectivity. Second taste, its a little thin in the front mouth but it carries well. Mouthfeel is good and drinkability is high.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 02:05:20 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to zdk9 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours an orange color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the orange and pine hops. The flavor is more of the same with orange and resiny hops with some oaked notes. The hop profile is heavier on the citrus hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. This was my first Two Brothers beer and I hope to try more from them in the future.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 02:15:03 | More by Mora2000

MasterSki

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a super-fresh bomber at Armanetti's today. Shared with d0b and served in my Kuhnhenn tulip glass.

A - This is one dark brew - transparent mahogany/amber body with a big conical stream of tiny bubbles rising up the top of the glass. Two fingers of orange-tan foam that laves nice concentric rings of lacing and dissipates slowly to a thick cap.

S - Tropical hoppiness, sharp oak spice, a hint of pine, some light vanilla, and a nice toasted bread malt and caramel backbone. The nose isn't super big and the hops smell faded, which isn't surprising considering this was oak-aged.

T - The taste starts with a nice mix of vanilla and melon sweetness, but then quickly morphs into some sharp wood flavor. There is fairly strong residual hop bitterness mixed with some tannic notes, but it's under control and dissipates fairly quickly. The malt backbone is even further in the backdrop, with a bit of bread and not much else. I'm not getting a ton of dry hop character.

M - Slick, oily, hop resins. Smooth, medium body. A bit of warming, but not too hot. Lower carbonation.

D - My 11oz went down pretty fast. It's an interesting and pretty unique DIPA compared to the other local selections. I'm not generally a huge lover of oak-aged/barrel-aged hoppy beers (other than Exponential Hoppiness), but this is a pretty successful one.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2009 23:36:44 | More by MasterSki

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired from pochman, courtesy of BA Secret Santa 2009 so a big "Thank You" goes out to him. Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep golden brown color, with a large dense off-white head that fades very slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, piney hops and citrus.

T: The taste starts out very sweet with strong flavors of caramel, brown sugar and citrus. Then a hearty malt character comes in. The hops presence takes some time to take effect and it seems rather subdued, but it's certainly there and brings a good balance. There's also a little bit of an alcohol sting which is kind of strong for a beer that is just over 8:00% ABV. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style, it's a solid 2IPA to drink for a while but there are others in the style that I would choose first.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 03:15:49 | More by TheManiacalOne

emerge077

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"Oak Foudre Aged"

First release of this beer, aged in the brewer's new oak foudres...

Pours a deep orange-red copper color, plenty of lace sheeting and coverage across the surface. Admirable amount of head retention, no matter how distracted I get, there's a generous head when I return to the beer.

Some fresh PacNW hops in the nose, just resiny and sticky sweet. Oak is there too in a fruity sense. A swirl renders it dank and skunky. Somewhat dry and malty too in the residual aroma. Uniquely fruity cantaloupe taste, some pale malt in the middle, with a drying finish and moderate bitterness. Fairly hefty body, yet still very drinkable. Apparently quite a jump in ABV from regular heavy handed. Overall I like this quite a bit, and hope that the foudres turn out some good oak-aged beers in the future...

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2009 03:59:31 | More by emerge077

jwc215

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours copper with a thin tan head that holds up pretty nicely. Trailing lace follows the body down the glass.

The smell is minty/spicy with woody notes, vanilla and some citrus. Some caramel backing comes through.

This is a barley-wine-ish DIPA. Caramel, pine, vanilla/oak and fruity alcohol mingle. Sweet-ish, but with a bitterish bite that shows more in the first few sips. Oak and booze dominate as it progresses.

It hits full bodied - not too thick. Has a rawish kick, but pretty smooth despite that.

The booze and oak aftertaste. It has a strong malt, hop, oak and booze character. An interesting sipper - a pretty intense one.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2010 14:02:51 | More by jwc215

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.72/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pretty much a hazed beefier version of the Heavy Handed IPA aged on their new French Oak cellaring vessels. Appears a slightly clouded caramel amber glowing hue with a large frothing head that is the same color as a frothy whipped egg. Big chunks of glorious sporadic lacing presents itself extremely well from the glass, this one was poured into my Gulden Draak chalice.

Aroma is chalk full of hops including pine needles, floral accents, and citrus peels. A whopping blend of hops with a bit of malt and booze. The dominant tones come off as an oak aged dry gin with citrus squeezed into it. The brilliant oak tones come off very much like fresh cut wood giving an earthy outdoorsy experience to pair with the fresh hops.

This one is dangerous weighing in in the 8th percentile with the alcohol this brew throws huge complex hop and malt combinations at the imbiber. I'm loving the caramel booze with the citrus and earthy notes that could remind someone of some weed. Dry yet slightly tart and boozed hop candy in a glass, my mustache is coated in hops and I can honestly say this isn't an issue.

Mouthfeel is oily with hops dry with a slight oak finish boozed with a slight tone of burning sensation in both the nares and palate. Warming alcohol fuller bodied DIPA, this beer needs to be enjoyed slowly so it doesn't wreck your palate or your car. Hop oils surge with citrus peel and herbal floral hop accents.

Drinkability is killer one of the most enjoyable well represented oak aged beers I've come across this one is focused on the wood rather than iself, the hops, or it's alcohol content. Okay children sit down and surround us while we take on a thrilling twisted and turned navigation. Well represented oak brew in front of me way better than other run ins with Oak barreled DIPAs namingly both the New Holland, Southern Tier, and other Bell's offering Founds did something well original.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 15:48:41 | More by WVbeergeek

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a snifter)
A- This beer has a dense deep orange body wit a thick foam of light tan on top. There are strands of microbubbles glidng to the surface.
S- This beer has a perfume green hop aroma with a soft oak hint burred in the background and finishes with a pine green hop note that grows a bit when warm.
T- This beer has a rich creamy caramel sweet malt flavor with a soft hop finish that is green and pin with a slight grassy note. There is a pungent green flavor that lingers a bit and grows more as the beer warms.
M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat noted.
D- There is a nice full green hop flavor with a mild bitterness making it a good IPA, but nothing special. Especially for the price and hype on the bottle. I didn't really notice much wood either.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2009 22:12:03 | More by rhoadsrage

Billolick

New York

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bomber, pours hazed darker almond amber, with a dark orangy hue. Respectable, daker khaki head, stays around forever, thick collar, sheeting and plenty of bits of lace left behind. The old sniffer picks up a healthy dose of resiny and pine soaked hops, and a base layer of sweet malt. Dangerously easy drinking DIPA. A little less then full bodied, but flavorful and quite enjoyable. Crunching, citric hops abound, balanced out just a bit by whole wheat crust infused malts. Love the style, this one is smooth and easily approachable, well worth a try. Served as a fine night capper after a day of Thanksgiving eating and imbibing

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2009 04:51:08 | More by Billolick

plaid75

New York

4.18/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On draft at The Blind Tiger, NYC.

Poured a medium amber hue with a one and a half finger foamy white head. There was good retention and very good lacing.

The smell featured a resimous hop and a moderate caramel.

The taste was very well balanced with an upfront balmy hop oil that quietly leveled out and melted into te moderately sweet malt.

The mouthfeel was toward the lighter side of the style.

Overall a a DIPA with very good drinkability.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2009 22:45:09 | More by plaid75

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at stubs.

Served with 1 finger of white head that fades to a ring. Leaves slight splattered lace. Color is a clear golden orange.

Aroma: Vanilla, oak, floral hops, caramel malt. Reminds me a lot of ST OA Unearthly.

Taste: A lot of vanilla and oak here. Nice kick of floral hops and tons of caramel again. Just like the aroma.

Mouthfeel: Bitter, smooth , and a touch of heat. A very warm ipa. Medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. Ends very dry with oak flavors.

Overall, this simply reminded me a lot of ST OA Unearthly, however it was very warm and I didn't enjoy it as much. Just not my thing, but it was decent.

Serving type: on-tap

01-26-2010 19:49:45 | More by mothman

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear yet rich copper amber. The head is only one finger in thickness,but this thin foam lasts through all 22 ounces. The yeast adds some depth to the oak aroma as it offsets some of the heavy orange peel hops scents. I'm starting to like oak aged IPAS more and more. The taste is caramel sweet then quickly orange and mint bitter hop cones. That same caramel malt turns into a more oaken flavor while giving the hop flavor a more even keeled bitterness. The abv. is only noticed in the smell just a little, but not really in the taste. Resiny bitter palate with a touch of caramel and honey syrup sweetness. A DIPA that isn't just a slap to the palate, but more of a warm and smooth intro to what hops and oak have to offer. Just a lovely local sipper. For me anyway.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 05:43:37 | More by scruffwhor

jrallen34

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I drank this from a 22oz bottle into my Rochefort glass.

The beer pours a dark orangy brown with a very light tan head that disappointly rises only half a finger and is gone immediately. The lacing is light.

The aroma is light for a dipa, there is a light sweet citrus to start then you get some hops, alcohol, and soap.

The taste is spot on with the aroma a little sweetness on the front, in the middle you get a lot of alcohol mixed with some hops and it finishes with a light hoppiness.

The mouthfeel is real viscous and lasting.
This beer is drinkable but you probably wouldn't drink more than a bottle yourself.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 01:44:16 | More by jrallen34

dirtylou

Washington

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber, nominal fiscal fee, jenny st market

appearance: served in hopleaf tulip, glowing orange-amber body, frothy white cap with minimal retention

smell: lush tropical fruit, green hops, oak and cherry, bright citrus

taste: very very good - wet hopping done extremely well. The oak presence is secondary to the hops...tropical, waves of citrus sweetness, green and fresh. glad i bought 2 of these

mouthfeel: nice bitterness, slick

drinkability: lovely

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2010 22:21:16 | More by dirtylou

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Heavy Handed IPA which has been "Oak Foudre Aged", oak cellaring barrels. The beer is hazy dark copper colored with a large creamy head. Hoppy aromas dominate, citrusy and floral, with a strong malty background. As expected from the color there was a lot of caramel malt in this beer, giving strong counterpoint to the hops which I'd prefer take a stronger lead. I guess I couldn't find any oak flavors, I haven't had much luck tasting the wood in anything but stouts so far. Thick body and sticky in the mouth, this beer was very satisfying overall. My personal preference would be to cut down on the caramel malts and concentrate on pales to let the hops make a more aggressive statement. But that's just me.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 02:23:04 | More by TurdFurgison

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip. 19.2 degrees plato, 84.3 IBUs, 8.1% ABV, "unfiltered", "oak foudre aged", and "fresh hop harvest". Space for a date but none printed there.

A - The beautiful beer is an orange amber accented by golden highlights and slightly hazed by tiny floating particles. The head rose up to just under two-fingers fairly quickly. It went down with moderately slow speed and left two stages of off-white lacing in the glass.

S - The aroma is so fresh it's reminiscent of picking my Cascade and Chinook hops; resins coating my fingers. Fresh and moist, the American-smelling hops are bursting at the seams like the way they are portrayed in the label art. Lots of resiny pine, a mellow grapefruit citrus, and a perfumy floral aroma. A slight herbal spice is hinted at too. The malts are buff too, giving the hop nose a solid backbone to rely on. A strong malty sweetness of caramel and honey with a flaky, biscuity nose. A small earthy wood hint is there from the oak foudres (I would assume). Very well balanced and aromatic without a slap to the face like most other DIPAs.

T - As the aroma suggests, this is both a more mellow but complex beer as well as being very nicely balanced. A sweet malty beginning of biscuits drizzled with honey is slowly overtaken by the oaky hop flavor. A lot of earthy notes pull out of it like the oak foudres, resiny pine-needle flavor, and floral and herbal hints. The citrusy grapefruit flavor is last to come across and is met with a bit of pineapple. Both leave a dryness in their stead that combats the sweet malts.

M - This full-bodied DIPA has a lot going on in the mouth. The sweetness rounds it out and balances it well as well as making it fairly smooth. The hops give the finish a nice dry feel and lingering moderate bitterness that seems to get more intense moments after the swallow. Nicely carbonated for a lively feel.

D - Another superb beer from Two Brothers, it's extremely well-crafted and delicious. One I was surprised to see and happy that I grabbed. A great sipper and a good beer to coax less hop-inclined drinkers into the world of DIPAs (as if they would start there anyway). I'll need to collect a few more on my next run south.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 04:52:18 | More by BeerFMAndy

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.68/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 12/20/2009. Bottle. Pours a clear orange with a small white head. Aroma of piney hops, sweet citrus, tropical fruits, and caramel malt. Flavor of caramel malt initially with light citrus hops in the finish. Pretty good IIPA with strong malt overtones.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 16:30:24 | More by LilBeerDoctor

AgentZero

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer buyer at a store recommended this to me as something new. Was in the mood for an IPA so thought I'd give it a go.

A - Much darker than I was expecting, reddish brown, dark amber. Nice soapy two finger head that left some very solid lacing down the sides as it dissipated.

S - For an extreme IPA the hops in these are definately present, but nicely mellowed, maybe it's the oak influence? Nice light fruity hints, can't tell what it is, pine notes are there, but not overpowering, great balance.

T - Alright, you definately get the hops, but I actually taste malts in this, it's so nicely impressive for such an "extreme" beer. I think the oak really takes the edge off the pine and hops notes. Even get a little vanilla in there, very pleasantly balanced although very hoppy as well. Does have the nice bitter twist at the end.

M - Very resiny, it almost coats itself and then breaks into a somewhat oily feeling liquid. Not unpleasant, works well for this brew. Heavier end of medium bodied.

D - Pretty drinkable for something that is this hoppy, could do another bomber, which says a lot for this brew. Surprisingly complex for this type of beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2009 04:21:35 | More by AgentZero

blackie

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

passes this one up in a store in ohio, but the dirtman insists...

a: snifter serving, an attractive off-white head rests on a gorgeously deep orange-amber beer, retention is good

s: hefty caramel body dressed with a big tropical hop aroma, fresh young pine, juicy mango and red grapefruit, a little booze, really enjoy the oak presence here

m: carbonation is delicate and smooth - on the lighter end of medium, body on the medium-full side but not too heavy or slick

t: big oily hop flavors applied to a formidable caramel malt base, blend of tropical citrus and young pine, mild spicy oak pulls through in the finish with a strong bitterness

d: just fine

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2010 03:33:44 | More by blackie