This is the second batch of reviews that will shed more light on this wonderful Friday Night ahead of us. 3 of those are growler wall favorites, while 3 of them are beers that have rarely graced our wall at best. So read on an see which of these next 6 strikes your fancy.
North Coast Acme IPA
I have never tasted this beer, so I had little to go on with it. North Coast, it seems, has an IPA worthy of mentioning. The nose is quite floral with lighter aroma's of pineapple, applesauce, lemon custard, and pine. While the nose wasn't packed full of strong aromas, what it did do it did well. It certainly provides a nice entry into this beer. Citrus hits immediately on the tongue with floral notes and lighter flavors of minerals and lemon juice. The finish was creamy with toasty flavors of biscuits and wheat crackers. While not the most complicated IPA, it certainly is a refreshing and tasty IPA perfect for the hot weather we will be having as it practically contains no bitterness.
Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.5/10
Stone IPA
I shouldn't have to do much to introduce the two Stone's we have on our wall. They are Stone's mainstays and if you enjoy hops...you have had a Stone. Simple as that. The nose is quite the treat on this one. Pine, black tea, lime, pineapple, and lavender make for a fresh hop aroma that is sure to entice you all. The taste has only a slight bit of bitterness to it with strong flavors of grapefruit and pine. The finish takes the bitterness to a new level with flavors of pine, lemon pith, and soap. One of the dryer IPA's on our wall, it is still quite the tasty one despite the slight bit of age taking a little oomph from the grapefruit flavors.
Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7.75/10
Southern Tier IPA
Our only Southern Tier of the night happens to be their single IPA. The nose is still quite prominent despite the trace of age on the keg. Sweet on the nose with subtle aroma's of strawberry, fresh linen, and oak with soft floral notes. Tyler detected an aroma of paint though it seemed to elude my nose. The taste wasn't terribly bitter with this one while providing flavors of oranges, lemon juice, and basil. The lemon was definitely prominent on the finish with lighter flavors of violets, minerals, and thyme. While I wasn't terribly impressed by this IPA, Tyler enjoyed the strong herbal qualities it presented on the palate.
Mike and Tyler's Rating - 7/10
Breckenridge 471 Imperial IPA
Now we migrate into our Imperial and Double IPA's. We start with the Small Batch from Colorado. Breckenridge 471 is definitely a different Imperial IPA, and so Tyler and I sought to break down the intricacies in this brew. The nose was alight with sweet aroma's of woodchips, cherries, lemon zest, and shag carpet with soft earth notes throughout. The flavor was sweet as well with flavors of lemon juice, honeysuckle, oak, and cherry juice. The bitterness smacks you in the finish with flavors of pine, vinegar, and bran. It is certainly a different Imperial IPA and different from most of the others on the wall.
Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.25/10
Heavy Seas Big DIPA
This is our second Oak-Aged Double IPA that we have put on tap for this Friday. I have had this out of bottles and definitely looked forward to tasting it off tap. First off, this has a very light and almost non-existant nose. Light aromas of lemon juice, oak, and fruit snacks was present with an almost swampy note mixed in. This beer was more bitter than I remember up front with flavors of oak and vanilla stealing the show. The finish opens up this beer a little more with rich flavors of grapefruit, burnt wood, dark chocolate, and Nyquil. While some of the flavors would seem to not blend well together this beer was very well-balanced.
Mike and Tyler's Rating - 8.75/10
Stone Ruination Imperial IPA
The last on our tasting list is an old favorite that is sure to be a go to on the wall. The nose is diverse with strong aromas of citrus, pine, lime, and banana cream. It was definitely one of our more aromatic beers that we put on the wall. The taste was bitter up front with flavors of lime pith, resin, and grapefruit. The finish displayed even more flavors with hints of lime zest, lemons, soap, and fresh mint. The bitterness continued but seemed to work with the flavors rather than overpower them. This keg of Ruination was definitely the best of the night and the best we have put up in a while.
Mike and Tyler's Rating - 9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment