Double IPA (Brewmaster Series) - Long Trail Brewing Co.

SouljaSaia17

Massachusetts

3.74/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Have had my share of Double IPA's and Long Trail brews, but this is my first from Vermont's Brewmaster Series!

A: This beer pours a hazy-dark Orange color with a lot of carbonation coming from the bottom of the glass. Not much of a head on it, but what little head there is has a thick texture and some small and big bubbles.

S: The aroma is not very strong, but I do get some floral characteristics along with a bit of pine and hops. The smell is more sweet than bitter.

T: Flavor consists of a sweet orange citrus up front, followed by some hops but not exactly the bite I was expecting considering the IBU's. I get a little bit of pine resin and honey in the back end that finishes with a bready, dry yeast.

M: Slightly bitter and sweet, pretty even blend and the characteristics of the beer hide the ABV very well. I would say this is an easily drinkable beer.

O: It actually is a pretty good DIPA considering I have had ones that were gross and lacked so much, this one is well balanced between the sweetness of the fruits and the bitterness from the hops. Definitely worth checking out!

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 23:08:35 | More by SouljaSaia17

Hendry

Vermont

4.06/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lots of players in the selection of IPA & DIPA bombers out there all competing, and
this entry from Vermont is just one more on the shelves and coolers. Spoiled to Lawson's and Hill Farmstead, Heady Topper (in that order), it is rare to find something exceptional and this one almost gets there.

Cloudy off orange with a decent two finger head in the imperial pint glass, the malt is certainly present, but the citrus blast hop character is muted for a DIPA. Decent medium mouthfeel and pretty well carbonated though on the high side: the lingering aftertaste is one that seems more savory to my palate, somewhat peppery and malty with the hops fighting for center stage but playing second fiddle. The flavors are very good but not great, and the price range for a real tropical bomber is $10 generally speaking, so you get what you pay for.

Hard to get a good bomber that offers bang for the buck: McNeil's Sunshine IPA, also from Vermont, was a nice surprise for a reasonably priced entry, and one I enjoyed more than Long Trail Double IPA. Worth a try just to see if you dig the flavors, which are palatable.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 02:24:39 | More by Hendry

Maxwell

Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The beer pours a pale yellow with a slight oranging color. It also pours with a beautiful big creamy white head made of small smooth bubbles. The lacing left behind by the beer is sticky and sheet-like leaving a nice patchwork on the glass. This beer looks pretty in the glass. On the nose, this beer smells a little weak, but does smell of damp spicy pine with a touch of citrus and caramel malt. The malt is a little more prominent than I’m used to in a DIPA, but it smells inviting none the less, and the spice is very intriguing in the smell. On the tongue, the beer tastes light and bitter sweet with a nice caramel malt finish. In flavor, the beer begins with sweet malt and nice bitter bite that moves into spicy sweet malt with a good shivering backbone of bitter pine/grapefruit. The finish is strong with malty sweetness, with a light touch of medicinal bitters. In the mouth, the beer feels just below medium in body with a lightly prickly yet creamy carbonation. The beer is oddly thin and extremely drinkable and smooth for the style, but it lacks the full ruining bitter that I’ve come to expect from a DIPA. Overall, this is a solid beer that really doesn’t knock my socks off, but is tasty and quite palatable and drinkable. It’s a little underperforming for a DIPA, but is almost like an imperial pale ale. This beer is worthy of a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 01:05:07 | More by Maxwell

Altrurian

New York

4.21/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

The first pour out of the bomber was of a light, almost insubstantial-looking liquid of a pale honey hue, topped by an ephemeral white froth which, though short-lived, laced well. The next pour included some sediment, giving the appearance more body, with a pleasantly lingering head.

This beer tastes great. The flavor evokes memories of sweet tangerine, perfectly offset by its opposite: the chastening bitter taste of something like the sectional membrane of a grapefruit. With just the right amount of alcohol volatility, the result is a near-perfect yin/yang hoppiness, leaving one considering buying a case. A surprisingly creamy texture (at odds with the light initial appearance) complements the felicitous taste. One of Long Trail's stronger entries.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 00:19:27 | More by Altrurian

duracell

Quebec (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a snifter.
A - Pours a light gold color. 1-finger, snow-white, creamy head with low retention and beautiful lacing.
S - Nice balanced smell. Slightly caramelized malt with some dry fruits. Fresh, floral, hoppy aromas, a bit citrusy.
T - Malt upfront with a nice sweetness, quickly swept away by fresh juicy hop. Finishes with a bitterness that balances nicely the rest. Apricot, cereals, herbal and floral character in the middle of the mouth. Carbonation is spot on. At the end, alcohol adds some spiciness to it. Lingers very well.
O - Excellent DIPA, recommended!

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 20:21:39 | More by duracell

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a glass mug.

A: Cloudy golden yellow with lots of tiny particles and a one-finger, white, foamy head that lasted a couple minutes and left a nice film. Great lacing.

S: Citrus, grapefruit, pine, malt.

T: Moderate sweetness and moderate bitterness. Grapefruit rind and alcohol.

M: Medium bodied with lively carbonation. Oily, metallic and dry.

O: The mouthfeel really killed it for me. Too dry and metallic.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 01:57:10 | More by SolipsismalCat

brewtus

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grabbed this in Killington, tasting local. Poured 12oz bottle into a redefine glass from the condo, that'll work. Pours bright Orange/yellow, looks great. Single finger head. Smell is hoppy and slightly malty. Citrus smells. Taste is not what I expected, a thick hoppy taste with a coriander hint with some lemon. Very balanced and the faintest Belgian taste. Really glad I got to try this one, very solid.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 00:15:00 | More by brewtus

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.68/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Consumed 11/13/12

Appearance: Bright, golden orange - slightly hazy but mostly clear - small, off-white head, fades to a wispy cap, leaves spotty and streaky lacing

Smell: Damp citrus and pine - floral, oily, and lightly fleshy grapefruit, with some pine needles - lightly grassy, not particularly aggressive overall - cooked and caramelized malts, pretty clean, some booze

Taste: Juicy, lightly sweet, and boozy - fleshy, oily, and floral citrus - orange and grapefruit rinds - resiny pine and some sweet mint - nicely bitter - cooked, caramelized malts and caramel malts - treads the line between nicely sweet and too sweet, and it works - alcohol is pretty obvious, tastes stronger than 8.6% honestly

Mouthfeel: On the heavy side of medium, oily, lightly carbonated

Overall: Good, but has some stiff competition

Double IPAs from Vermont are a force to be reckoned with... in general. Long Trail DIPA is good, but it's not fantastic. I'm not in love with the oily, rind-forward hop profile, or the alcohol. Regardless, it's good for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 05:57:05 | More by angrybabboon

MightyMonk

New Hampshire

4.4/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a snifter.
This beer pours a beautiful orange golden hue with a nice cream colored 2 finger head. Settles nicely with nice lacing. The hop aroma is not as strong as the hop content would suggest. I noticed it to a bit stronger as it warmed in my snifter. The taste is superbly well balanced with citrus and peppery being the dominant tastes to me. Each taste almost demands another right away.(maybe i'm thirsty?)
The mouthfeel is well carbonated yet creamy and easy to enjoy.
I love this beer and lucky that it is readily available in my area. Long Trail Brewery has many great brews, this is up near the top.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 20:04:16 | More by MightyMonk

mpedara429

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours out a cloudy amber color. Two fingers of off white head with good retention and light lacing.

S: Sweet citrus, malt, and spiciness. Some light pine, floral, and pineapple notes. Slightly boozy. Complex on the nose.

T: Orange, biscuit, pine, and some spice. The bitter hops are perfectly balanced by sweet malt. This is no joke at 82 IBUs but they are disguised pretty well with the malt. Just a hint of alcohol.

M: Medium to heavy body with medium carbonation. Somewhat sticky.

O: My only regret is that I haven't been able to find 12 oz. bottles of this. It is so good, that I would like to enjoy it in a more portable form than a 650 mL bottle. I sensed a sort of yeast spiciness in this one that makes it unique plus it had some great characteristics of a traditional IPA. One of the better DIPAs I've had.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 02:26:33 | More by mpedara429

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Nice resiny hop aroma. Very good malt base, a little sweet, but nice creamy mouth feel. Hops come in midway and finish with a thick resiny but mild hop flavour. Average carbonation. Alcohol seems well hidden and aftertaste is hops with a bit of spice.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 23:02:40 | More by Molson2000

Beer_Runner

3.55/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on 06/29/12 (opened 60 days after bottling).
Poured slowly into a standard pint glass.

A: Poured to about two fingers of light beige head consisting of thick, tight foam. The head disapated to about half a finger and lasted until the glass was empty. It also left some good lacing. The brew is a straw color with an orange hue, and it is fairly clear.

S: The aroma consists of citrusy grapefruit and some pine along with some underlying sweet malt.

T: A hops bittereness opens things up, then some citrus comes in followed quickly by just a bit of bready malt and yeast sweetness for balance.

M: The body is fairly light and fairly smooth with a clean finish.

O: An okay IPA. It is simple and not very complex, but it is not quite a pleasing simplicity. It needs some kind of an extra kick or twist. This is a good IPA, but not in the top tier in this hyper-competitive style.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 00:39:13 | More by Beer_Runner

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is hazy golden yellow in color (with some hints of amber) and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige head that died down but consistently left a thin head covering the surface and webs of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light to moderately strong aromas of citrusy hops in the nose—grapefruit and oranges seem to stand out in particular—along with some hints of pine resin.
T: Like the smell, the taste has flavors of citrus as well as some notes of pine resin from the hops and hints of caramel malts and alcohol. There is a moderate amount of bitterness, which especially lingers through the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied, crisp and a bit smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. A very slight amount of alcohol heat is noticeable.
O: This is a solid and well-balanced IPA. I had no problem drinking a bomber of this by myself.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 00:16:06 | More by metter98

WillCarrera

Illinois

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

22 oz bottle, bottled on 06/01/2012, poured into a tulip glass.

A- Pours a hazy golden color, topped with a finger of creamy white head, good retention and lacing.

S- A nice balance of citric and slightly grassy hops with caramel malt. Also getting some pine resin and bitter fruit rind.

T- Nice bitter hop bite at first, some grapefruit and citrus notes along with some grass and pine, towards the finish caramel malt notes take over, it finishes sweet with caramel, toffee and a bit of honey.

M- Medium-bodied, carbonation is moderate to low and the feel is a bit oily.

O- Flavorful and easy-drinking, overall a solid DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 05:37:12 | More by WillCarrera

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

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

Bomber from Consumer Beverages in Orchard Park NY. Poured into a goblet, shared with my wife on a cool late summer evening.

Bright caramel copper, no hint of haze (brilliant colour on this), with a half inch of head that dissolved into a sizable ring with wisps of foam. Some flecks of lace. Nice looking DIPA.

Nose is pine, mango and citrus hops, caramel, sugar, candied fruit.

Great double IPA with lots of flavor and good drinkability. Citrus and pine hops open things off, a nice candied sweetness round the middle, and a dry bitter hop finish cleanses the palate.

Light bodied, slightly oily, mild carbonation, slight warming alcohol burn.

Great double IPA for the price point; hell, in general it's a great brew. Enough weight and hop bitterness for the hopheads, but easy drinking enough that it won't bowl you over.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 02:02:04 | More by JohnnyBarman

scootny

New York

3.85/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A big head develops atop a golden orange fluid with a touch of hop cloudiness. Lace here and there though not a huge amount. Gentle carbonation. Smell is tropical fruits, pine,and orangey citrus fused to a sweet malt body. Caramel and yeast esters give a touch of roundness. Some bread and dough as well as a bit of alcoholic fusel notes. Taste is super balanced, full of big bready malt and sweet caramel. Hops are full spectrum with pine and citrus, grapefruit in the finish and a nice coating of hop oil and heat in the mouth. That mild warmth is the only indication of the abv you will get so be careful. The feel is smooth and velvety with a superb drinkability that comes from a modest weight and quenching overall feel. This is a great value at three bucks a bottle and an excellent, balanced, and drinkable DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 01:34:17 | More by scootny

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.66/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottled June 1st 2012:

Into my snifter:

A: hazy golden body doesn't allow any carbonation to be seen rising. Beautiful light foamy lacing clings to the sides of my snifter. A decent sized white head appears and lasts for a good minute.

S: spectacular combination of hops and malts, citrus, pine

T: pretty much the same and yet a vivacious sweet orange/apricot/peach comes out and really makes a superb taste. Some sugary malts present themselves in this as well.

M: medium with a great creamy citrus aftertaste and finish, slightly sessionable

O: this has a great balance on all levels and is a solid brew that I would have no problem coming back to. I'll go out on a limb and say this is the best brew I've ever had by Long Trail. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 00:29:08 | More by kangarooAdam59

smakawhat

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a nonic and tulip glass. Bottled June 1st 2012. We shall see.

Body color in the nonic reaches a nice orange, almost red with an unfiltered like Hefeweizen appearance. Head is three fingers deep with lots of retention and fluffy, some good sized bubbles in there too, but mostly pretty uniform. Tulip comes off more orange.

Nose is at first a little soapy. Hints of mild hop and salt, soap and cilantro action almost which is odd. Some apricot/peach hop angle sneaks in with a faint malt like light brown sugar.

Taste sort of saves itself. Great solid mouthfeel on this beer, nice and creamy. Sweetness come through of the malt into almost a biscuity sweetness. Finish brings a nice tropical aromatic hop almost, which very slowly builds and lingers. Hints of nectarine and apricot, with a bit of pine like bitterness and fuzzy peach.

Overall, it comes off real balanced, not particular powerful, but also really unique and easy drinking. Pretty decent glad I tried this one out, even though the nose seemed kind of odd.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2012 02:04:45 | More by smakawhat

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dusky golden orange, with impressive white head and commensurate lacing. Brilliantly hoppy aroma of tropical fruits and pine, with a pleasantly caramelized malt backbone. The flavour is well balanced, moving from sweet tropical fruits to an impressively dry & bitter finish. Mango and pineapple also end with an "alcohol burn" that behooves 8.6% ABV.

A very impressive DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 03:00:42 | More by hopsolutely

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.43/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From the big bottle marked: 06011. Sampled on July 3, 2012. How could I go wrong with a Double IPA for Independence Day 2012? The pour is golden with a tremendous cream-colored fluffy head that takes its time to settle in. The aroma is a checklist of wonderful scents including pale malts, wheat, yeast, earthy hops, pine hops, and a bit of orange zest. The body falls into the medium range but it is soothingly creamy and smooth. The taste is well balanced with a subtle notes of sweet malts, earthy hops, orange peel, and yeast. The bitterness is moderate and gains a little more punch as it warms up. This is a fine ale from Long Trail.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 22:51:30 | More by puboflyons

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy orange-ish color with an off white head. In the aroma, orange rind and mango. In the taste, a dry orange rind, with notes of mango, and a pinch of pine. A small hop bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry citrus rind and tropical fruit in the aftertaste. Great citrus hops, note of pine and hides the alcohol very well.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 17:22:43 | More by OWSLEY069

mactrail

California

3.33/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Light amber in the tall tulip. Modest head and pretty short on bubbles in the glass. Reasonably carbonated on the tongue. Aroma of fruit cocktail with some resin. A minty flavor takes you off the beaten path.

This seems to be an unusual variety of IPA. Very thin in the mouth, very light bodied. More astringent and sharp than any DIPA I've tried. Plenty of hops, and verging on the queasy for me. Strong with alcohol, but more of a hopped up malt liquor flavor. I get the taste of canned peaches and pine. It's oddly on the sweet side for being so tart after the first malt taste. The sweetness stays on the lips and the fruity flavor returns even as the stays with the aftertaste. Not so intensely bitter, but more than enough.

Well, this is a different one. 22 oz bottle from Liticker's in Ocean Beach.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 05:33:00 | More by mactrail

BostonHops

Massachusetts

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

22oz bottle served in a snifter.

pours a bright, hazy golden / amber tone yielding 1 and 1/2" foamy off-white head. respectable marks for both retention and lacing.
fragrant nose is rife with citric hoppiness (grapefruit, orange, lemon zest), some pine, and a bit of malt.

citrus strongly pulls through in the taste; a lot of orange with some grapefruit, apricot, and, to a lesser extent, pine. good mix of balancing malt. bitter hoppiness in the finish. medium-bodied mouthfeel with average carbonation.

overall this is a fine double IPA. doesn't really do enough to separate itself from the plethora of great DIPAs out there, but tasty and well balanced. solid brew.

(originally reviewed: 05-10-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 01:55:59 | More by BostonHops

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.18/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

a hazy orange pour with a finger of white head which quickly disappeared. smells of pineapple, orange, raspberry, honey.... this is odd for an iipa...

ok.. just checked the bottle for a date.. 03-31-11... i just bought this a few days ago. damnit, i hate when ipa's are this far from their freshness date, there's going to be absolutely no hop character on this.

very malty with a slight citrus backbone. a hint of grapefruit bitterness is followed by a zesty orange flavor and a caramel like overall taste. not gonna lie, it's not absolutely terrible, but like i thought - there's no hop flavor.

medium body, slightly creamy feel towards the roof of the mouth. mild carbonation.

there appears to be a decent amount of lacing throughout the glass.

overall, this is a decent beer (i am including the non fresh date in judging this). i'm sure it is completely different fresh and am going to have to try it again. all the flavors i tasted should still be there but should only be subtle as a backbone to the supposed 86 ibu's this bad boy has. i'm hoping to see a fresh bottle of this soon so i can compare.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 08:21:42 | More by facundoCNB

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a tumbler pint, the beer is a bright, slightly hazy honey-gold coloring with a tall, chunky, dense, off-white head that sits a steady inch tall on the surface of the brew. Aromas of cut grass and pine lead the way, with a subtle grapefruit citrus highlight behind it. Flavors are hop forward, with a subtle roasting overall, and a tangy citrus and pineapple balance. Hops are resiny, peppery, and rich, and give a bold punch to the palate. Great cling of lace left along the glass as you go, and the body of the beer remains full and smooth despite the bitter characteristics. The aftertaste is bitter, with a good island fruit mix of pineapple, grapefruit, and mango. Smooth, slightly bitter finish. Very easy to drink, although the flavors can become overpowering with subsequent bottles. Good, solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 22:24:38 | More by GarthDanielson