Hopsickle Imperial India Pale Ale - Moylan's Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up recently at Olivers in Albany. Hop bomb of delivery of Cascade, Simcoe, Columbus, Ahtanum, and Chinook Hops. Some malting. This is a feeding of hops. The appearance with a golden colour and white head, the aroma-hops. Just too much bitterness one-dimensional. Have enjoyed more balance in this style.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 01:40:26 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.28/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hugely hazy titian that looks like equal parts orange juice and sweet apple cider. The edges are smoky orange in color, further evidence that there's a lot of *something* present. Here's hoping that something is hop flecks. Given the language on the silk-screened label ('super hoppy', 'in celebration of the hop', 'a hop tribute'), I'd say hops are a good bet. The head is pale caramel in color and is firmly creamy. A thick blanket of lace has already shown up, leading me to expect a glass coater.

Super hoppy is right! The nose screams HOPS with full-throated gusto. This American DIPA is absolutely bursting with sweet, juicy fruit: orange, grapefruit, pineapple and passionfruit at least. If the hop bill wasn't printed on the bottle (Tomahawk, Cascade and Centennial), I would have bet the farm that Amarillo was in there somewhere. Pine sap is a welcome contributor as well.

Hopsickle has too much caramel malt for my tastes. The sweet caramel candy stickiness blunts the bright hoppiness to a significant extent. This Moylan's offering falls decidedly into the balanced DIPA camp (that is much closer to an American barleywine), not the souped-up, IPA-like DIPA camp. That makes it sweeter than most, with a brown sugar syrup quality that I'm enjoying.

As noted, the hop flavor has been rendered earthbound by gooey liquid caramel. Grapefruit peel is the dominant hop flavor, with the more tropical fruit qualities of the nose falling by the wayside. Bitterness is still substantial however. This is a major tongue ruffler, a quality that sneaks up on the drinker due to the smoothing, soothing character of all those malt sugars.

The mouthfeel is as expected. That is, full, heavy, syrupy, sticky, honeyish, etc. Since the ingredient that keeps me from loving the flavor profile is the same one responsible for the gargantuan body, I can't very well give it a perfect score, can I? I'd gladly trade a little mouthfeel for a more hop-dominant beer.

Hopsickle is a great name for a DIPA, but Hopsickle isn't a great DIPA. My preference should be obvious by now. Simply put, malt doesn't deserve to share the stage with hops in beer of this style. I still feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to try this one. Thanks lou91.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2005 23:05:22 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a hazy and cloudy orange with a huge, billowing, pillow like head two inches tall. The head just would not give up any ground, very slow fade. Left behind enormous amounts of gooey sticky lace. Fantastic lookng, perfect double IPA look. Smell could have been a bit stronger and that was really the oly downside to the thing. Major contributer here was the citrus hops. Very strong grapefruit and pineapple came through from the start, as well as some of the alcohol, which at 9.4%abv, should come as no suprise. As it warmed, more of a piney, resin type smell started to xome through. Taste was very smooth, not alot of carbonation here, but not really needed. Very strong and very bitter citrus hops in this one. The grapefruit alone will make you take a step back. Hints of pineapple as well, big alcohol taste that seemed to mellow a bit as it warmed. Big dry finish, left you wanting some more. This was a very smooth, very drinkable, and overall really good DIPA. It was a pleasure to try this and I look forward to getting some more!

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2007 01:47:47 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey. Poured into a snifter.

Pours a nice copper-orange color with a fairly-nice white head and a good amount of clingy lacing. Slightly hazy. The nose is quite strong with a load of citrus hops. A lot of orange rind as well as a pine of pine. A touch of alcohol as well.

The taste is quite bitter with a really resinous mouthfeel. The flavor ends up getting a bit jumbled between all the bitterness and a good dose of alcohol, but there are definitely some citrus notes. Good medium body with a nice bitterness. A solid DIPA, but not one of the best.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2010 13:28:22 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

4.03/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Tony's Darts Away in Burbank, CA.

Pours a slightly murky honey orange with an orange-tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of citrus fruit, citrus zest, tropical fruit, and malt. Taste is much the same with some earthy hop flavors on the finish. There is a high level of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good but very bitter beer that lives up to it's triple IPA billing.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 05:28:20 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color with a buoyant head that leaves shards of lacing

Smell: Strong caramel base with a nice dry hop aroma

Taste: Starts out with a serious dose of piney bitterness with plenty of pineapple developing by mid-palate; after the swallow, the caramel flavors build, followed by a return to the hoppy bitterness through the finish

Mouthfeel: Thick bodied with moderate carbonation; slight warming effect

Drinkability: This is one I have been wanting to taste for some time and it doesn't let me down; nice hoppy DIPA, or TIPA as they call it

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2007 00:56:26 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served up at the recent Moylan's release at the Brick Store Pub in Decatur, Georgia.

Appearance: Dark amber body showing nice clarity and layered with a wispy, off-white head.

Smell: Pleasingly fragrant, slightly sweet-scented hop aroma conveys large, deep notes of pine, citrus fruit, and flowers. Distant, lesser notes of malt as well.

Taste: Pale malts with a supposed crystal malt sweetness deliver an impression of caramel candy. A sharp, aggressive taste of pine resin, lemon wedges, and white grapefruit bears down on the tongue and unleashes a substantial amount of hop bitterness. The latter half is marked by a now continuous stream of hop bitterness, more caustic pith qualities, and some warming alcohol heat. Some hints of orange blossom develop late. Finishes expectantly dry with a long, bristling bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Lusciously smooth, downright creamy mouthfeel.

Drinkability: A pungent, intense brew, but a good one. If you're in the market for a mouth crammed full of hops then give this beer a try.

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2009 23:21:19 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a bright orangey color ale with a huge foamy head with great retention and good lacing. Aroma of bitter and citrus hops is quite intense. Taste is a mix between a dry caramel malt bases with some intense bitter and citrus hops. Full body with good carbonation. This is really a one-dimensional beer but still well done and great version of a West Coast hop beast.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2008 17:51:10 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am tickled to death to finally open a bottle of this famed Hopsickle. It's one of those beers that I wish I could tie a feed bag strap around the glass and walk around with the glass firmly planted to my nose. The aroma is that good!

Sticky resiny hops give a mouth-watering sensation from the orange rind aroma to the scent of ruby red grapefruits, pine, and fresh-cut grass. This beer is all about the hops.

Big flavors of graham cracker, barley malt, caramel, and syrup provide the sturdy backbone to support the onslaught of hop flavor and bitterness. The taste of hops are as bold as that of the nose and with identical character. Bitterness is very bold and easily cuts through the malts.

Lightly sweet and sticky up front, the beer allows the hops to take over at mid palate and never looks back. Though the beer finishes with alcohol dryness (a little bitter- paint thinner), hop dryness, and a light bitter astringency; the beer holds on to a bit too much unresolved sugars to compete with better (drier) Double IPA's. Still, this beer is way above the frey.

Notes on appearance include a standard protein-rich hoppy look of thick and froathy head of off-white foam; great lacing, and moderate haze (dry-hopping). Amber in color eludes to the sun-kissed barley toastiness (toffee).

Thanks natelocc787!

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2010 03:01:06 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to hoppedup for sharing a bottle with me,poured a burnt orange/auburn color with a tight,sticky two finger white head,a real hop blast on the nose pine needles and intensly resiny no malt traits here all hops.Big,brash,and very raw hop flavors pine and more pine like in the nose intensely resiny will make the tongue curl,only a slight noticable sweeter malt base in the finish.Somewhat of a burn as went down,maybe the biggest DIPA I have had its reckless in the hops department but Iam not complaining. Whoo, a true hop heads beer here dont attempt to drink it if you dont worship American hops.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2006 02:05:42 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

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

9-28-2009, while tasting:

Hopsickle pours a cloudy dark-amber body beneath a frothy head of ivory that holds remarkably well and leaves some very nice lacing about the glass. It's initially a bit sparse as the head settles to a creamy cap, but beyond that it leaves creamy rings that meld together to make a solid curtain! Very nice.

The aroma is decidedly hoppy, offering grassy and herbal notes, followed by glistening pine, and then citrusy, berry, and tropical fruits (tangerine, strawberry, pineapple, papaya). A sweet, caramelish and sweetly bready malt base accompanies the hops, or at least tries to tag along.

In the mouth it's full bodied, and very dextrinous. It's pretty much like wort. And it's smooth as well, with a very fine bubbled median carbonation (thanks to bottle-conditioning). The hop acidity and alcohol, however, do affect the tongue, leaving a sharp zest that livens it.

The flavor is bold and brash, delivering piney hops and spicy alcohol right upfront. It becomes herbal and earthy, almost tobacco-like, and then Grassy notes emerge along with some fruitiness (tangerine, peach, papaya) that widens as you head into the swallow. Fortunately they all fall back onto the massively soft pillow of malt that makes it possible to get all of those hops there in the first place! Still, the finish is sharply bitter and rocky, splashed with alcohol and notes of bristly pine. It lingers hotly, and extremely dry. For a beer that's only labeled at 9.2% by volume, that's really hot! And to be honest, I don't quite believe it. It's got to be higher than that. But OK...

... as to drinkability, we have at least four facets to look at.
#1 is volume... How many servings can you enjoy in one sitting?
#2 is overall enjoyment, as in "how many servings would you like to enjoy in one sitting, if you could?"
#3 is, how many servings can you enjoy before you lose your sense of taste? And...
#4 is how many servings can you enjoy before you pass out from the strength?

I don't know. In a way, after having a lot of hops and malt and heat thrown my way I kind of like the almost vodka-like heat of it. But I've only had 12 ounces and I've already passed beyond the ability to properly taste, so I guess that makes sense. And, it's made me a little tipsy. So what now? Well, like many strong beers, I just sip it. But the flavors are lost. So at this point, why not just drink vodka? The start was great, a big freakin' explosion of hops and malt and alcohol - but like most explosions, it was powerful but short.

I've thrown the numbers in as I see them, all 4's. The appearance almost clocked a 4.5, but it wasn't quite there with all of that haze and just not enough lacing to match. And the aroma was very good, but not great. I've had lesser flavored IPA's that have put forth a much more aggressive aroma. And the flavor is solid, but choked. It comes out in segments, rather than delivering as a rounded whole with spotlights on different elements of it. And although it is kind of balanced, the alcohol is quite hot, which is never good. So for drinkability I give it a 4, and I even question that. "Dis" me if you may, but I've had better double IPA's.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2009 22:37:41 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.47/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Lovely auburn hue, thoroughly hazed, with a sturdy, creamy head, ...nice looking IPA.

Nose is a blistering blitz of hops, big, fat pine resin, slick, dripping citrus, grapefruit and mango, with orange and lemon and lime...rollicking in a pine forest with a cornucopia of fruit rolling through the leaves and the needles...yum...me likey...just the thing for me.

Fresh, and flush with flavor. Huge taste, floods the mouth, and stretches this hophead's lips into a mega-smile, yes, it does. Ample malt carries the thick delicious and bitter hop attack happily along the palate and delivers the drinker into bliss. Yum, again...

Big body, thick texture, long, hoppy, bitter, fruity finish. Non-stop hop attack.

Exactly what you want from a Double IPA. Tomahawk, Cascade and Centennial. 9.2% abv. Dang, this is a great brew from a class act outfit. I would suck this up aplenty if I had easy access to it. You lucky West Coasterers! Damn you to Hell!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2005 10:14:00 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.58/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a cloudy dark gold color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is perfect. It has a solid malt scent that is complimented with a large bitter hop aroma. It's powerful and quite floral; very nice. The taste is great. It has a smooth taste that is bitter and full of hops all the way through. The malts help balance the flavor, but the hops dominate. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a damn fine beer. It's got everything and lots of it; a hop lovers delight.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2006 22:55:49 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.8/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Freshest bottle I could find. I'd try it again if I could get it on draft. Beer is clear and amber with a white thick head that gives a bunch of lacing and has moderate carbonation.

Malty (mostly) with a mild hop aroma. I'm already disappointed. Aroma is strong but the hops are the second note. Earthy and pine.

Beer is sweet and malty. Medium to high body, its quite heavy and gets heavier the more I drink it. I guess this is what some would describe as a "balanced" IPA but the malt is eclipsing the hops in this beer. The bitterness is there, and its strong. It builds over time but the syrupy forward and midpalate flavors are the star. Definitely not my favorite IPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2010 18:15:16 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Poured out a somewhat cloudy, orange color with gold highlights. It had a small, foamy, white head that left some nice lace.

S - It smelled peppery at first. It had a nice pine and citrus aroma.

T - It tasted peppery and spicy with a nice burnt toast maltiness.

M - It was crisp and sharp with a dry finish. A medium-bodied beer.

D - This is a pretty good DIPA. Nice balance with a peppery spiciness.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2009 00:44:33 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.28/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz. bottle into a mug glass.

A: The beer is a cloudy burnt orange color with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is heavy with floral hops along with citrus sweetness and caramelized malt.

T: The taste is extremely well-balanced. The intense floral hops bitterness, fruity sweetness and caramelized maltiness all hit you at the same time and compliment each other very nicely. The sweetness fades after a bit and leaves a major hops bite that strengthens as the beer warms. The after-taste is mostly hops bitterness with just a touch of residual sweetness.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is dry and clean.

D: Very tasty, goes down easy especially if you're a hophead, not very filling, nice kick, excellent representation of style. As much as I liked this beer, I'll confess that I didn't drink it down as quickly as other beers in the style. However, it's a very good beer and a good one to grab if you want good hoppy shot in the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2007 05:38:21 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a beer that a brewery can be proud of. This beer really hits some hoppy high notes through aroma and with it's taste.

A- Is a fairly nice deep amber kinda brownish depending on lighting in the room.

S- Is wonderful. It's got one of the purest hop aromas I've ever smelled. A very stunning noseful of excellent hops.

T- Is of very hoppy. It's got an incredible tingle of bitterness that is the cure for any hophead that's getting thirsty.

M- Has some stinging sensations but for the most part it's pretty smooth.

D- It's a sipper, I don't know why anyone would even want to try and chug something like this. It's very good if you just sit back and enjoy the chaos on your tongue.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 18:05:15 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.95/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Picked up in AZ at Plaza Liquors (Based on notes)

Pours amber with 3 fingers of ceam colored head. Superior lacing & head retention

S: Pineyness & grapefruit

T: Piney hops & a bit of doughyness hiding up front. Much piney bitterness & some traces of honey malt when warm. Finishes with some caramel & tons of grapefruit

MF: Chewy, but I need more malt backbone to cut this hops onslaught. Fairly low carbonation

Drinkability was bit of struggle for me. Hopheads will love this but, I tire of the grapefruit taste sooner rather than latter. One bomber was enough to waste my tastebuds. One to seek out if you like in your face hoppyness

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2008 17:31:11 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.33/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Well I walked into the Stuffed Sandwich, ordered myself a BLT, and quickly became at a loss with all of the beer choices. What was really appealing to me, well Marlene came to the rescue and said that they just got a shipment of something hoppy that i might like. She went to the back and pulled out a bottle of this here Hopsickle, a beer I have been wanting to try.

The aroma is quite raw and hoppy, I get notes of pine, light citrus and a nice floral note. The beer is served just cool, which is perfect. The beer pours with a frothy creamy light tan colored head and is a rich amber hue. The nose has notes of grapefruit and is just so pungent and hoppy. The taste is soft and creamy, yet still aggressively hoppy. There is some very nice malt here as well, though it is of course muted and in the background, but it helps to bring out fruity citrus hop notes of tangerine, grapefruit and orange. The finish is hot and bitter, but with in the boundaries for this lover of hops. In the end this beer is soft & smooth, yet biting & aggressive, wonderfully floral, aromatic and a nice citrus character.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2005 22:52:41 | More by Gueuzedude

emerge077

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This bottle was brought back to Chicago from central IL, where it was available for a couple months before it also showed up in Chicago.

Pours a slightly hazy orange color, spindly webs of lace that become concentric rings and full-on sheets of lacing as the glass is emptied. Foam has a almost resiny stickiness that echoes the big hop profile.

Aromas of resiny cannabis, grapefruit, with a swift punch of earthy hops.

Juicy grapefruit flavors, a ton of pale malt, and a ton of IBUs that give it a long bitter finish. As the hops take their sweet time to fade, there is a distinct numbing tingle on the palate. Velvety feeling with a nice fullness.

Not too big, you could still take a gulp of this if you really wanted to, sadist. ABV is well hidden, however the high IBU level would keep me from attempting a session.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2007 15:45:30 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

4.53/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bomber,

A: Pours a medium amber colour, with a small/medium white head, great lacing though, the bubbles just stick to the glass.

S: Heavy pine scent, very dry, a slight amount of malt and sugar comes out as the beer warms, but this beer is clearly hop driven.

T: Extremely bitter, only Pliny the Elder could hope to compare, this might be even more bitter than Pliny. Heavy pine and white grapefruit dominate the flavour, which rocks the tastebuds into submission. This is one hell of a flavourful, hoppy beer.

M: Resin and hop oils dominate the tongue, puckering bitterness lingers on the palate for a long time after the beer is drunk, almost a sticky feel to the hops.

D: This is a beer that will rip your tongue out with its extreme hop bitterness. Every sip is an experience of the power of the hop, but a very enjoyable one. This is a beer that it is important to find fresh, so all its power is intact. This is a very fun beer to drink, but challenging, however, so be warned, but every fan of the hops should try this beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2007 06:08:38 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bomber, from a visit to Belmont Station earlier this summer. What better offering to kick off Saturday's 'Hoppy Hour'...

This beer pours a hazy medium orange amber hue, with one finger of tight foamy, silky pale beige head, which leaves some bleeding, drooping lace curtains around the glass in its stead as it fades to nil. It smells strongly of big oily pine resin, acrid citrus peel, and creamy caramel, with a small whiff of cold-suppressed booze. The taste is more of the same (thankfully, he said, with an air of joyous melancholy) - very bitter pine and grapefruit citrus hops, with a bit of herbaceousness sneaking in, a somehow up for the job bready caramel malt, with a soft boozy wooden character rounding things out. The carbonation is on the low side, the body pretty full in weight, smooth, and a bit sticky. It finishes still locked in a battle of titans - Hopman vs. Maltboy...

Well the hype lives up to itself in this one. Hoppy, bitter, costume-bulging boozy, and a decent, faithful, supportive, but knows who the real star is, malt. Drink up, up, and away!

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2011 22:40:21 | More by biboergosum

Gavage

New Jersey

3.6/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: hazy dark orange in color sporting a one finger head. Some spotty lacing develops during the session.

Smell: bold bitterness here as pine, grapefruits, and lemon zest leap out of the glass and gives you a fair warning of what the assault on the tongue will be.

Taste: slightly unbalanced beer in my opinion as the bitterness overwhelms the malt profile. Loads of dry pine, grapefruit, green apples, lemon zest are above the malt sweetness. After a while the tongue becomes numb to the hop bite and huge dryness.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy in body. Very dry and smooth throughout. Super long bitter and dry aftertaste.

Drinkability: I found this to be somewhat enjoyable during the first 8 oz or so, then hops overload kicked in. I needed some water during this one to help ease the dryness. I like hoppy beers, but this needs a bit more balance IMHO.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2007 12:00:58 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4.78/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to bitterbill for including this in a trade!

The smell is of pine sap with citrus (grapefruit and orange).

The taste is piney, sappy, citric - a heaping of hops with rounding toffeeish maltiness that is just enough to keep the puckering from hanging around too long, and to allow hop flavor to show off. Alcohol gives a slight warmth, but is well-integrated and not too sharp. As hoppy as this is, there is still balance to it. Finishes bitter and dry, but rounded.

Full-bodied, but not thick, it is both chewy and creamy. Too easily drinkable.

Super-hoppy, but so well-done as the "imbalance" is not only tolerable, but welcomed. A true hoppy work of art. A hop-head's delight!

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2008 03:18:26 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Split a bomber with friends. This is a good DIPA, but the bar is high in this style and it can't match the hops flavor depth of the great ones. There just isn't as much on the palate. Yes, the spicy citrus hops are nice, but I want more. I'd also say that there's a bit too much syrupy malt character, which overbalances the bittness. I will say, however, this beer does at least have a good tongue-coating bitterness that lasts and lasts.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2008 15:29:09 | More by tempest