Rumble

Rumble
Great Divide Brewing
Oak aged American IPA
7.1% ABV

OG?

IBUs?

12 oz bottle bottled on August 18, 2010 poured into Samuel Adams “perfect pint” on September 28, 2010.


Appearance 3.5/5
Clear dark amber with a moderate off white, almost tan colored, head; average retention; and decent lacing.

Aroma 3/5
Noticeable toasted and caramel malt aroma. Some hops somewhere in the background but malts take the driving seat here. Oak? I don’t know where it is! Aggressive hop presence? Hell no! There’s not much to aroma. If this weren’t oaked, this was making a 2/5 at best but blurring styles saves it. The empty glass smells like vanilla, but nothing exciting, especially for an AIPA.

Taste 3/5
Why would I want to drink an oaked AIPA? I don’t know. But innovation is generally not a bad thing, so why not? However, I don’t get any oak at all in this one. Perhaps the oak aging has let hop flavors diminish but hasn’t imparted enough character of its own, or it might just be me being a dick. There’s some American hops’ flavor and medium bitterness, but I really don’t like the aftertaste. Caramel? No. Vanilla? No. In fact, the taste seems far from description on the bottle. Oak aging or not, a thoroughly ordinary example of an AIPA.

Mouthfeel 4/5
Carbonation is alright and the body supports whatever bitterness is present pretty well. Finishes alright, except for the bad aftertaste.

Drinkability 4/5
Went down alright; but a “meh” beer.

Other
I am not buying this again!