White Knuckle Double IPA - Marin Brewing Company

kojevergas

California

2.64/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

8.0% ABV confirmed. 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with branded pressure cap served into a conical Samuel Smith's pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are above average. Acquired earlier tonight at an L.A. bottle shop. No best before date. "Double India Pale Ale."

"Serve at 45 F." Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

Not paired with food.

A: Pours a three finger beige colour head of nice cream and thickness, and quite good (~6 minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a clear translucent copper-amber of good vibrance. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Thin sticky lacing as the head slowly recedes. It's par for the style - not unique or special - but the retention is impressive and it has no obvious flaws. I'm excited to try it.

Sm: Floral hops, nectary hops, grapefruit zest (from hops), hop bitterness, and light vague pine. Pale malts. Soapy (too long in primary, methinks). Light resins. The soapiness bothers me, but hopefully it'll turn out alright. A moderate to fairly strong aroma. No yeast character or alcohol is detectable.

T: Clean and soapy. Some detergent notes. Grapefruit. Floral hops. Hop bitterness (a sign of lack of balance). The pale malts lack backbone or body, and can't subdue the hops adequately. I don't get any yeast. A bit of alcohol comes through, but I wouldn't dare call it boozy. Soap is dominant; this definitely spent too long in primary. Bright citrus in the third act. Resiny, with a terrible nectary finish that doesn't do it for me at all. Boy, this lacks balance; suffers from the biggest IPA flaw of all. IPA brewing is not about dumping more hops in than the next guy; balance and subtlety are key features. This has neither. Bold and assertive but lackluster.

Mf: Smooth, soft, wet, chewy. Good carbonation. Not bitey or sharp. Poor palate presence, though. Unrefreshing. The mouthfeel is decent for the style, but is far from ideal considering the flavour profile. A bit thin, actually. Somewhat oily.

Dr: Drinkable but underwhelming. ABV is hidden okay. I wouldn't get this again; it's poorly concocted. I wish American breweries would figure out what real IPA brewing is all about - balance, balance, balance. None of that here. This soapy IPA will satisfy many, but I need more from my IPAs. I wouldn't bother with this again.

C-

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 05:50:16 | More by kojevergas

OTB

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

My first time with this beer. Pours a really nice dark amber with a nice off white head that fades leaving some nice trails down the inside of my tulip. The nose offers up some grapefruit rind, a little floral kick and some sweet baked honeyed bisquit. The flavor profile is where I was taken away by this beer, big sweet red grapefruits, honey coated citrus and a nice bittering from the hop bill. The mouth is fine, sweet oily resins drape your tongue leaving a sweet honey drenched tangerine flavor that lasts for minutes. I like this beer a lot, its well made and delivers on all levels.
Highly recommended !

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 03:31:33 | More by OTB

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.65/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass.

Look – orange/light amber in color, hazy, with about a finger or so’s worth of cream-colored foam that dissipates somewhat quickly.

Smell – hoppy, but with a hint of orange peel or maybe some other blended fruits.

Taste – pretty hoppy in taste, but not terribly so in bite. There is a bitterness, but it approaches only in the middle. Pungeant, but not overwhelmingly so. Aftertaste is bitter, and it only gets strengthened by each sip.

Mouthfeel – pretty well balanced, but leans a little more on the watery side.

Overall – not a bad brew at all. Interesting to think about and taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 04:41:10 | More by Nerudamann

nataku00

California

4.15/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a tulip glass. Beer pours a hazy copper color with half a finger of soft off white head. Head dissipates to a layer of bubbles and leaving a bit of sticky lacing. Carbonated with plenty of tiny bubbles.

Nose is grapefruit peel and pine dominated, backed by caramel malt sweetness. Huge nose on this that wafted from the bottle as soon as you open it.

Taking a sip, follows the nose, bitter grapefruit and pine hop flavor hits the tongue first, mellowing into sweeter citrus and caramel malt mid tongue. Lingering grapefruit peel bitterness.

Medium body with plenty of carbonation. Pretty easy to drink beer and flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 22:39:44 | More by nataku00

david131

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Pours a hazy dark orange liquid with a thin but creamy off white news that leaves some nice lacing.

S- Grass, pine, and caramel dominate with some fruit and oddly noticeable alcohol on the tail end. Not all that complex and a bit old school.

T- Sweet caramel, grass, and pine. There is a bit of smoky flavor as well, which is a bit odd. The maltiness is a bit excessive.

M- Sweet and kind of bitter. The carbonation is a bit lacking.

O- For the style, this is pretty old school and not all that interesting. Pretty rich and malfunction, especially when considering the alcohol content.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 06:12:17 | More by david131

mdfb79

New York

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Received a bottle of this yesteday from Whatsarezaf; thanks Reza! Poured into my Hopleaf tulip from a 22 oz. bottle.

a - Pours a murky, medium red-amber color with one finger of fluffy off white head and moderate carbonation evident. Head lasts for two minutes and laves some spotty lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of citrus hops, fruity malts, grapefruit, pine hops, and some bready/biscuity malts. Pretty nice, some nice pein and citrus hops.

t - Tastes of fruity malts, citrus hops, grapefruit, pine hops, bready malts, biscuit, and caramel malts. A little maltier than the nose but some nice hops still. Some decent bitterness in the taste, very hoppy bite.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Big bitter bite.

o - Overall a really nice DIPA. Tons of citrus and piney hops, and a lot of bitterness. A hop bomb for sure, would like to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 23:03:37 | More by mdfb79

Hatzilla

California

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a cloudy reddish-orange with a slowly dissipating head and leaving slight lacing. Interesting color for a DIPA - reminds of a red ale.

S - Lots of mango, pineapple, sticky pine needles as well as caramel and roast malts.

T - Much like the nose; pineapple, mango, pine and pine needles as well as robust caramel malts. Bitter - The hops give the tongue a good slap in the face.

M - Mouth is slick and oily with medium carbonation and a lingering hoppy, grapefruity finish.

O - A solid DIPA w a well hidden ABV. Great hoppy/malty taste and a solid aftertaste. Glad I picked this one up, and will seek out the draft version very soon.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2012 00:12:29 | More by Hatzilla

mactrail

California

3.6/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Rusty amber in the big chalice. Decent foam on top, but not much lacing along the glass. Woody mouthfeel. Barrel aroma with a nice hint of toffee. Lots of malt with a touch of oak. A little winey and medium bodied.

Lots of hops, but not a totalitarian rule. Warm and rich malt, plus some astringency. Only slightly sweet. Bitter with hops but ends with that woodsy taste. Too bitter to drink a lot of, but a pleasant sipping brew. More vanilla as it warms.

From Best Damn in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 06:07:58 | More by mactrail

ocelot2500

Arizona

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy copper color with a tight, white head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells of bright citrus and caramel malts.

Tastes of the citrus mostly with some cutting sweetness. Starts with big fruit and grass notes. Gives an orange with a bit of grapefruit and pineapple that has light bitterness. A moderate sweetness comes and adds to the fruits almost giving a candy like feel to everything.

Mouthfeel is full with a creamy amount of carbonation.

Overall, this is quite good, but is particularly more malty than I would prefer.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 02:35:52 | More by ocelot2500

wrycon

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy, reddish-orangish-tan hue. Tiny off-white head dissipates at a moderate pace. Smells of ripe tangerine, pine, slight wood. Nose is not sharp, but thickly malty and musky. Malt presents itself first along with that tangerine; almost a blackened tangerine. Hops explode after, changing the dynamic to a sharply bitter, piney affair. The back is a combo of the two with the malt cutting just enough of the hops to leave the mouthfeel full, but not overpowering. A bit maltier than I prefer my IPAs. I can get over that, though, due to the rich flavor.

Like It? I Do

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2012 01:38:06 | More by wrycon

CooperEllis

New York

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Well, "site maintanence" just lost my review so here's the abbv. From Mr.Bubbler as a top-notch extra in a recent trade.

22oz. into Otter Creek World Tour glass.

A: Dark amber, cloudy in the middle and nearly brite at the edges and a large fluffy lacing.

S: Muted with the malt notes and spices keeping the large hops presence from the taste from coming out.

T: excellent balance, with orange pith and spices at the end, but caramel notes in the middle. There is a bit of ginger and floral hops in the end as well but the front is dominated by the maltier notes.

M: Full bodied, well carbed and crisp in the front and back ends.

O: Top notch. Not sure on freshness w/out bottle date but this came straight from Cali, 1 week in my fridge and into the glass so should be good on that note.

(172nd)

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 01:50:53 | More by CooperEllis

icepik

Rhode Island

3.6/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: amber color, cloudy, light head, but good lacing.

S: Somewhat lighter hop aroma compared to a typical west coast style DIPA, has pine and citrus notes with grapefruit being the dominant aroma. Some caramel malt notes as well.

T: Caramel malt flavor hits you first, with hints of honey. Hops provide nice balance with some citrus flavor and a good bite of bitterness on the finish. Little bit of alcohol warmth on finish.

M: Somewhat heavy mouth feel, carbonation is good.

O: This is a really nice tasting DIPA. If you are looking for a hop bomb DIPA (like Heady Topper), this probably is not going to be your favorite, but if you like DIPAs with a strong malt backbone, you will definitely like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 20:58:13 | More by icepik

flannelman808

California

3.98/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

No bottle date but there are plenty of award accolades all over the place...

A: muddy brown pond scum with a slight yellow orange tinge. head is not significant and has a honeycomb like structure with poor retention but solid lacing.

S: Caramel malt is all up in this b and very much in the forefront of the aroma. A subdued note of greenery is hidden way in back as well as limestone.

T: The flavor is thankfully much better than the nose. Ruby red grapefruit zest intertwines with other citric suggestions. This has a good deal of tight carbonation and just enough bitterness to counterbalance the sweeter malty flavors. This resembles some kind of citrus cake. Im enjoying it more as it warms up and shows more hop driven flavors (nearly all of which lean toward citrus peel and maybe a hint of grass).

M: Strikes an even keel between carbonation and richness but does not linger around for very long.

O: At first sniff I was disappointed but in the end surprised by the depth of hop driven flavors which all good Ipa's ought to have. Solid outing though for the most part this misses the mark on the nose.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 07:44:41 | More by flannelman808

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy dark amber/orange color with a massive frothy white head with excellent retention, slowly fading into a lasting cap. Large chunks of soapy lacing left behind.

Floral hop aroma with a good balance of dank earthy and sweet citrus notes. Lots of resinous pils and pine needle countered by citrus ring, mango and pineapple.

Chewy body with a complex hop profile that is faintly countered by some biscuity pale malt. There's a blast of dry earthy hops with some piny bitterness up front which is quickly balance by tropical and citrus fruit notes. Hints of mango, pineapple, grapefruit and lemon peel lingering into a dry finish.

This beer isn't talked about all that much but it's one of the best WCIPAs out there. An excellent balance of dry, bitter and sweeter notes with a nice touch of malt balancing thins out. Full bodied and comp,ex yet still extremely quaffable.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 01:32:45 | More by corby112

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip. Thanks to Tieman for putting this in my box.

Appearance: White Knuckle pours a mostly transparent amber color with a creamy white head. Fairly nice retention on the head with a few spots of lace.

Smell: There is a firm caramel malt presence. The malt has some spicy amber notes as well. Nice grapefruit malt with a lot of spicy pine.

Taste: The flavor starts fairly sweet, but there is a good amount of spiciness throughout the flavor. Caramel, brown sugar, a good amount of spice. The hops are grapefruit and spicy, prickly pine. The finish is mostly clean with a light bitterness.

Mouthfeel: This is sweet, a little bit sticky. Lots of spiciness throughout gives it a prickly sensation. As the bitterness grows, the hop oil mounts on the tongue, staying there for the duration of the sip.

Overall: As far as DIPA's go, I would prefer them to have less caramel malt. Actually, less malt in general is better. More hops and less malt, that is a good rule.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 05:15:19 | More by KickInTheChalice

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a nice clear, ruby color with very tight carbonation and a thin lacing.

S - Spicy, garlic, onions, vinous, vegetables, earthy, tangy, dark citrus, and musty.

T - Earthy, vinous, spicy, moderately boozy, medium amount of warming on the way down, citrus and pine are evenly blended across the sip. Has a sweet hoppy presence, dark and spicy, pineapple, and oranges.

M - Heavy medium body, viscous, and leaves a heavy orange citrus coating that lingers with a metallic aftertaste. Lots of orange metallic tang.

O - An awesomely brewed beer!

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 03:41:10 | More by jzeilinger

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Golden slightly cloudy grapefruit colour. Bursting with flavour, and so so well balanced between the citrus grapefruit orange tangerine hop flavour and the malts balanced and adding above average mouthfeel. Lovely refreshing drinkability. Almost all the bomber was mine, and a couple sips felt like a bit over the top bitterness, that's what the style does.I have fond memories of Marin beers and this one did not disapoint. Thanks Augustgarage for coming through again.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 03:38:00 | More by northyorksammy

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.73/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thank you David!

22oz bottle with no freshness date poured into a New Belgium globe.

A: Darker than expected, this beer pours a hazy copper color (brown/orange/amber) with an off-white head that clings viscously to the glass. Unorthodox but I still like it!

S: Intense nose, with hints of earthy/herbal hops, spices, some bitter citrus, pineapple/tropical fruit, and miles and miles of caramel malt.

T & MF: Suprisingly this beer is only moderately bitter. Loads of caramel malt add smoothness, depth of body, and sweetness. There are lots of nice woody notes, some tropical fruit (pink grapefruit and syrupy pineapple), and those herbal/spice notes. Viscous body on this beer, almost a bit chewy, and not too dry (I like my IPAs/DIPAs dry though). Mouthfeel seems off; most Cali hoppy beers are refreshing, with a body that is soft and moderate.

O: A beer that seems closer to several Americana Barleywines I've tasted rather than a West Coast DIPA. Not the biggest fan but it's still a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 23:22:31 | More by Scotchboy

avaldivia

California

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured Bottle into a Belgian style glass.

A: Hazy Orange color. Nice white head, about an inch or two thick. Great Lacing.

S: Citrus. Fruit, reminds me of mango. Nice malt caramel.

T: Bright, fruity, citrus, Great malt backbone.

M: Nice and heavy. A bit chewy.

O: This was the first DIPA, I ever liked, and it still holds up with the best of them. The problem with getting it in a bottle is freshness. I was lucky because I the guy who orders beer at a store and he said they had just gotten in the Warehouse's newest shipment. I must admit, avoid going bottles, but if you ever see it on tap, do not hesitate. It is a great one.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 15:35:57 | More by avaldivia

mdvatab

Indiana

4.1/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bottle into imperial pint glass.
No bottled on date.

Aroma: Herbal, medicinal hop note up front. Pineapple upside-down cake, pineapple juice, and then more herbal hop.

Appearance: Very hazy amber body, off-white one-finger head hangs around for a while. Pretty decent lacing on this one.

Flavor: Earthy, woodsy, herbal hop note. A strong, dry bitterness shows up next. Some sweetness provides balance, but in the end doesn't stand a chance against the almost harsh bittering hops profile. Bitter iced tea finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation, medium body, dull bitterness clings to the tongue, and tannins are a bit drying.

Overall: Not bad at all. Definitely not for someone who's averse to some bitterness in their brew. The hops in this one are a tad bit drying, but I personally prefer a dryer DIPA than one w/ a syrupy sweet malt bill. I had a taste for a bitter one tonight, and this one hit the spot!

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 00:01:38 | More by mdvatab

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

White knuckle has an orange colored body with a solid looking beige head that has good retention and lacing.

My nose is greeted immediately by powerful hop aromas, with citrus, tons of pine, and the promise of bitteness. Malt sweetness is also apparent, with caramel coming through.

The bitterness is like a punch in the mouth immediately. The pine and resin flavors are tongue-buckling, and they make up the most powerful components of the flavor profile. Next comes a good bit of citrus flavor from the hops, with grapefruit leading the way. The hops never truly die in this one, but they do allow the malt bill to express itself a little bit. Along with the obvious addition of lots of hops, the malt bill in this one is pretty big, with loads of sweetness, biscuit and caramel. Caramel might be the single strongest malt flavor.

Bitter and oily, pretty full.

Not a touch of alcohol in this one, which is very nice. I like the hops, and I like that although there is sweetness, the beers doesn't turn into a cloying mess that features sweet, boozy flavors instead of hops.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2011 20:11:52 | More by Hojaminbag

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Ordered this bottle online from Blackwell's. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Pours a moderate copper color that is fairly clear. Several finger white head, good foam, and a nice bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries through some strong citrus and pine with grapefruit pith coming forward. Though the color was a bit troubling in terms of what the malt was going to bring, it was a minimal component of the flavor, adding a touch of bread crust and very light caramel, leaving the hops to shine. Quite bitter with a dry finish after a medium body of moderate carbonation. I'd been waiting awhile to try this one, and it certainly delivered.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 12:23:21 | More by Thorpe429

LSUPT

California

2.95/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22oz bomber, no bottle date, poured to a NB Globe, split into two servings.

Color is pretty good, medium amber/orange, but it is extremely cloudy and hazy (second pour was sightly hazy but not cloudy at all?) ¾ inch beige head that leaves some lacing.

Nose is pleasant. Very sweet, floral and fruity notes mostly apricot with some mango. Big soy sauce taste is the finish is very off-putting. Other than that it is a very malty beer but has a ton of hop bitterness to the taste. Caramel, apricot and mango are all there but are hard to notice beneath the bitterness and the off flavors. Mouthfeel is weird and the drinkability suffers because of it. Very full bodied, which give extra emphasis to the bitterness, and medium to high level of carbonation with small bubbles that gives a creamy feel that leaves a film on the tongue.

Overall, a very disappointing beer that I was looking forward to. Still I owe a big thanks to DearthVader for hooking me up with yet another want, thanks man.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 21:11:53 | More by LSUPT

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.78/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a Pint glass. Thanks bstyle for this one!

A - Dark orange-carmel in color with a one and a half finger tan to dark tan head. Good retentiona and lacing left on the glass.

S - Sweet malts, carmel, wood.

T - Very thick malt profile, but not too sweet, slight pine.

D - Chewy, creamy, leaves a oily feeling in your mouth.

O - I wish there was a bit more citrus flavor.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2011 01:16:17 | More by HuskyinPDX

Klym

California

4.05/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had in another session with Cavery. Poured into a Stone nonic.

A: The darkness of this one caught me off guard! I even took another glance at the bottle to make sure I didn't make a mistake about it being a DIPA. A handsome brown/orange with a two finger head.

S: Hops, earthiness and some unidentifiable funky fruit all spread out and hit at different times in the nose.

T: My first sip I felt like someone at the brewery decided to dump some porter into the batch and make a DIPA black and tan. Smoke punched in the initial taste and transitioned over into hop bitterness and the mysterious funky fruit. My later tastes, though, while still picking up some porterish dark tastes, were much more centered on flavors of hay, hops, and fruit. Taste fades gradually and doesn't seem to change much throughout. Really a fascinating set of flavors.

M: Only one complaint about the mouthfeel but somewhat of a large one: it seemed a bit granular and each sip seemed to leave a grainy residue in my mouth.

O: Have to give props to Marin for a very creative DIPA. An unexpected but not unwanted experience I might well reach for again.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 07:38:40 | More by Klym