Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003-2008)

Thomas Hardy's Ale (2003 - 2008)
English Barleywine
O'Hanlon's Brewing Co. Ltd.
11.7 % ABV

2005 vintage poured from a 8.5 oz bottle into a snifter. Note that this is not the original Thomas Hardy's ale that was brewed until 1999 by Eldridge Pope & Co.

Poured the darkest copper color, like turpentine oil with brilliant clarity. Most vigorous of pours couldn't force much bubbles but whatever formed stuck around.

The aroma was dried fruit and toasted coconut, caramel, toffee, and some sweet alcohol at the back. Very delicious, rounded and complex. I am giving it a 4.5/5 but I might bump it to 5/5 once I test it against J.W.Lees in a side by side comparison.

This ale tastes of decadence and I am thinking that no one makes a beer that suits my tastes better than the British. Sweet and flavorfuly so, with a lot of dried fruit character of dates and figs, and a nice bitterness towards the end. Very very very delicious.

Just some CO₂ "oomph" on the perfect body... a perfect sipper!

Scores: Appearance 4.5/5; Aroma 4.5/5; Taste 5/5; Mouthfeel 5/5; Drinkability 5/5

Town Hall Barrel Aged Week 2011

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery is one of the most buzzed brewpub in beer circles and their beers always draw a lot of attention. Especially their limited beers like Mango Mama and Czar Jack (A+ on Beeradvocate, yeah!). Every year, at least since the last one, they host a barrel aged week and a new beer is released everyday = trade bait baby! I couldn't attend last year but I made it four out of six days this time to enjoy the beers and purchase growlers. And now I am about 200 dollars poorer! Here are my reviews:

Port Odin

Port barrel aged Baltic Porter
7.5% ABV

Served in a wide mouthed 10 oz. glass at the brewpub on the first day of this year's barrel aged week. 02/21/2011 is the date.

Looks black but not thickly so, with a lighter colored head. Dark garnet highlights tell that the beer is quite clear. The head retention is poor, the lacing is not impressive either but all of that is forgivable for a barrel aged beer. Tartness, reminiscent of milder sours hits the nose first - sour fruit and green apple notes, followed by creamy oak. Smoke emerges as the beer warms up, and the glass gets emptier. Quite layered and complex aroma.

This beer feels fairly light on the palate - light to the extent of empty. There's plenty of tartness for an uninfected beer, some bitterness, and plenty of dark and sour fruit character with some roast. Finishes quite clean; actually tastes quite clean too, perhaps too clean. Later I find that it's not the taste that's disappointing, but the mouthfeel. The taste is actually very good, with layer upon layer of fruit, oak, alcohol soaked dried berries... and all that without much of roast - more like a regular Ale as opposed to a Porter. Eventually, the clean finish gives away to a longer and smoother finish with plenty of tart-bitter aftertaste but no tannic character.

The mouthfeel sucks. Thin and overcarbonated. I would want to ice distill this beer and have it flat. I could drink it as it is, but the mouthfeel... well, sucks.

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 4.5/5; Mouthfeel 2/5; Drinkability 3.5/5

Wee Jack

Jack Daniels barrel aged Wee Heavy
9% ABV

Served in a wide mouthed 10 oz. glass at the brewpub on the third day of this year's barrel aged week. 02/23/2011 is the date.

Dark, unsaturated mahogany brown, and clear, with a small and creamy off white head. The retention is quite good for a head this tiny.

First impression of the aroma is bourbony tart. The smell is familiar and not bad but unlikely for a beer of this kind. I look for malty goodness but don't get any, but I do get some fruity esters; however, eventually the barrel notes eclipse any other notes. I don't like this character in this beer.

The taste is "Scotch" sweet: the sweetness is pleasantly understated. Prune and oak. Hint of tannins and slight bitterness towards the end, followed by a clean finish. I think the heightened acidity plays its part here. Warming, certainly. This beer differs from similar beers and similar styles in the nature of its fruitiness that's not as much dry-dark fruit as a good English Barleywine, but much lighter. Again, this character might have its roots in barrel tartness. Towards the end, every sip starts bursting with sweet and ripe berries and becomes quite an experience.

The mouthfeel is creamy with just the right amount of cleansing carbonation and the drinkability is excellent in the sense that alcohol makes itself felt but never dominates the experience.

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 2/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Drinkability 5/5

Port Frost

Port barrel aged Imperial Stout
9.3% ABV

Served in a wide mouthed 10 oz. glass at the brewpub on the fourth day of this year's barrel aged week. 02/24/2011 is the date.

Dark and shiny looking with barely any head. Smells tart and tastes tart. All the beers in this festival have had a strong fruit and tart character to them! This one is no exception: massive on fruitiness, mostly the darker kind; subdued but present roast towards the finish. Mildly bitter with a fruity and clean finish. Medium bodied and silky with perfect carbonation. Sweet alcohol raises head with warmth but doesn't hurt.

It's hard to say how much of the character is coming from Port wine, but whatever has come has melded very well.

Scores: Appearance 4/5; Aroma 3.5/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4.5/5; Drinkability 4.5/5

Czar Jack

Jack Daniels barrel aged Imperial Stout
9.3% ABV

Served in a wide mouthed 10 oz. glass at the brewpub on the last day of this year's barrel aged week. 02/26/2011 is the date.

Shiny, brilliant, rich, "colorful" black, as opposed to the gray kind, with a thick and creamy coffee and cream colored head that just stayed there for a while. Among the best looking stouts and perhaps the best looking barrel aged example. Very beautiful.

Coconut, banana, other fruit, and roast is the first impression. With warmth the coffee and bourbon character takes off really well. The taste is similar: bitter chocolaty, fruity-tart, and coffee tart. Finishes very clean and leaves a roasty aftertaste with plenty of coffee. Quite warming. The body is thinner than I would like or it might be the higher carbonation lending the impression of lightness. Drinks well and the alcohol never interferes. A very good beer for sure!

Scores: Appearance 5/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 4/5; Mouthfeel 4/5; Drinkability 4.5/5

Beer Trivia

This is a living post, will be updated as I find more random facts to share!

• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is different in bottles and on draft! Proof

Old Ruffian & old Old Ruffian

    Old Ruffian brewed by Great Divide Brewing Co. tops Beeradvocate's list of American Barleywines at the moment. At 10.2 % ABV and 85-90 IBUs, this is quite a beer. I bought a bottle about 2 years ago that's at least 3 years old now because Great Divide changed their labels by the August of 2008 and this one has an older label, and no dates. One of the more accessible beers, I had no trouble getting a recent bottle for this tasting.

    22 oz. bombers: 2007 winter or older (minimum, and most likely 3 years old) poured into a 25 oz. snifter and 2010 winter release (bottled 11/08/2010) poured into a Duvel tulip.

    The older version was noticeably darker and hazier than the better looking newer one. Both poured amber-brown with different degrees of clarity but both had huge light brown heads and excellent, excellent lacing. Sticky lace decorated the glasses while chunks of foam floated on the surface, hiding garnet highlights beneath them. Some legs could be noticed when the heads subsided.

    It's amazing that the older one still had hops in its aroma! And lots of sweet caramel and fruity goodness. Figs came up with warmth, and the aroma was overall quite rich and complex. On the other hand the newer one was bigger on hops and sharpness of alcohol, but that's pretty much about it, especially in comparison to older.

    Both tasted equally bitter on palate with older one displaying less aggressiveness at the beginning, and letting the sweetness come through while the new one turned everything in its path bitter, up to the back of the throat. Older was mellow and flavorful, but none was exceptional. The fruitiness didn't shine in either but was present in both, obviously stronger in the older while hop flavor, specifically citrus rind notes, stronger in the newer.

    Carbonation was spot on, no doubt. And the older hadn't lost any. Even though the older one seemed sweeter, it tasted more attenuated. Both finished quite clean and drinkability was good FWIW. Alcohol didn't interfere but I don't find much to look forward to. Maybe I don't like American Barleywines all that much, but in the end, this is definitely a well done beer.

	Old (2008 Winter?)	New (bottled 11/2010)
Appearance	4	5
Aroma	4.5	4
Taste	4	4
Mouthfeel	4	4
Drinkability	4	4

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout

Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout
Imperial Stout
Lagunitas Brewing Co.
8.8% ABV
29.50 IBUs
OG 1.076

22 oz bomber bottled on 361^st day of the last year, I believe, poured into a big snifter on 2/17/2011. Quite fresh for a beer of this kind.

Appearance 3.5/5

Thinner looking and shades lighter than any other "Imperial" Stout and most regular Stouts and Porters, the color was thoroughly unimpressive although the magnificent creamy cappuccino head almost made up for it in it's excellent formation, retention, and lacing. Just doesn't have the looks of a stout.

Aroma 3/5

Chocolate, coconut & banana notes. Perhaps some sharpness of coffee underneath. Later some malty notes emerge, but aroma doesn't seem to be all about coffee as one would think.

Taste 4/5

Bitter and milky smooth, lives up to the name in taste. Not big on the roasted malt character until it gets warm. Long and bitter finish with some alcohol warmth. Very good.

Mouthfeel 4/5

Rather thin but not as thin as I anticipated. Low carbonation, silky mouthfeel and clean finish.

Drinkability 4.5/5

Good drinkability at the ABV. Good taste too. Overall recommended and killer at its price point.

Red Chair
Northwest Pale Ale
Deschutes Brewery
6.2% ABV

60 IBUs

12 oz bottle with a best by date of 05/11/11 poured into a pint glass sometime early 02/11.

Dark amber, slightly hazy with a good off white head. Good head retention and good lacing. Looks hoppy enough to me :) Mostly fruity smelling, with the sharp and clean citrus-pine notes emerging eventually, and perhaps some caramel. Not too impressive on aroma.
A good malt backbone carries the beer well but the malt character doesn't dominate. In fact, it's quite bitter and sticky with a clean and lasting bitter finish. I usually have a problem with higher carbonation but it seems that Red Chair could use more as it seems to struggle against a body that's bigger than needed, in my opinion. One of the maltier but even more hoppier American Pales.

Sierra Neveda Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
American Pale Ale (Quintessential)
5.6% ABV
OG: 13 degrees Plato
FG: 4 degrees Plato
37 IBUs

12 oz bottle, barely short of 3 months from bottling, poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

Appearance 5/5

Quite clear for a bottle conditioned ale, SNPA pours deep amber with a big off white crown with good retention and excellent lacing. A truly good looking and inviting beer.

Aroma 4/5

Perhaps the beer is too old, although I picked it from the fridge at a beer store of repute, but I do not get much hops in the aroma. However, there is a very delicate and delicious bready malt character, and some floral/perfumy esters.

Taste 4/5

Slightly sweet with a nice hop bite that is bitter but not big on any specific hop character. A good body to support the relatively light bitterness. As far as I am concerned this beer doesn't stand out in terms of being "big" or complex but is a nice drinking beer that one can have a few of without tiring the palate or straining the liver all that much, and is the defining beer for its style.

Mouthfeel 5/5

Right carbonation, right body, and the right finish. Nails it!

Drinkability 5/5

I got a six pack and had four without even realizing. SNPA is the beer!

Doubly Down 'N Even Dirtier

Doubly Down 'N Even Dirtier

Barrel Aged Chocolate Vanilla Double Stout

Tyranena Brewing Company LLC

ABV?
IBUs?
OG?

Late 2010 bottled 12 oz bottle with a screw off cap poured into a Three Philosophers glass on 10/02/2011.

Appearance 3/5

The first thing you notice is that this beer is not all that stout-y looking: visibly thin, a lighter shade of brown than most stouts, and while it's hard to talk about the clarity of this kind of beer, it seems murkier than most. Still, there's nothing horrible about the way it looks, and I might be nitpicking. Not big on head, head retention or lacing either but that's forgivable for a barrel aged beer I guess.

Aroma 4/5

A complex and very well rounded aroma: coffee, chocolate, perhaps vanilla. Bourbon is present but not overpowering. The thing about the aroma of a well done beer of this kind is that the flavors complement each other so well that it's tough to point out what's lending what.

Taste 4.5/5

Equally delicious as the aroma, but much stronger, the taste is a great combination of complementing elements: coffee, chocolate and later, vanilla. Bitter, acidic, and smooth, this is a great tasting beer. A clean, long finish, full of desserty deliciousness. There's not much roast involved here but I am not complaining. Some alcohol shows up towards the end.

Mouthfeel 3/5

Silky and low on carbonation as would be preferred for a flavor profile like this, this beer is very well done in that respect but is awfully thin: so much that nothing can make up for it. Agreed that the alcohol is on the lower side, but still, there are examples with similar alcoholic strength but better body.

Drinkability 5/5

I could drink more than one and not regret it in any way. An underdog that I would describe as “poor man's KBS!”

Founders Imperial Stout v. Bell's Expedition Stout

The beasts

The specifications

	Founders Imperial Stout	Bell's Expedition Stout
Style	Russian Imperial Stout	Russian Imperial Stout
Brewery	Founders Brewing Co.	Bell's Brewery, Inc.
ABV	10.5%	10.5%
OG	?	1.11
IBUs	90	?
Bottled	11/27/2009	11/11/2009 (Batch # 9435)
Sampled	12/28/2010; 12 oz bottle poured into a 25 oz snifter.	12/28/2010; 12 oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass.
Other notes	Available January	Winter seasonal. Shelf life: "Unlimited"

    Bell's & Founders, both from Michigan, are my favorite and most respected breweries, more so than the local Surly. I like the facts that both of them make kickass beer, obviously; use smaller format packaging at great prices; don't seem to create any hype around their product; distribute in decent amounts; make a wide variety of styles... I could go on and on.

    Among the beer geeks, Bell's gets a lot of buzz for its IPAs Two Hearted and Hopslam while Founders is, arguably, best known for its Breakfast and Kentucky Breakfast Stouts. Of course, both breweries have their limited, draft only beers that earn them a lot of respect: Canadian Breakfast Stout (Founders) and Bell's Bourbon Barrel Aged Expedition Stout/Double Cream Stout Blend (now known as Black Note). Flagships & limited stuff aside, these breweries also make beers that are less talked about but are killers in their own right - Founders Centennial IPA (no one talks about Founders non-Breakfast beers!); Founders Imperial Stout; and Bell's Expedition Stout, among others. The latter two are among the best Russian Imperial Stouts I have ever had, and I have had a lot. I was lucky enough to have a bottle of each with some age on them with a few bottles to age further when I decided to do a side-by-side tasting (again) with my buddy.

    Both pour thick and tar black with excellently formed very very dark brown heads. The head retention is great and the lacing is fantastic too. Not many beers lace the snifter in the picture above and the retention/lacing on Founders Imperial Stout was noticeably inferior, precisely because of the glass used. Regardless, these two stouts look just as good as any other, or better!

    Molasses, sweet alcohol, roast, and massive coffee notes stand out in Founders while molasses, fruity-floral, and tart notes rule Expedition. It should be noted that the coffee in Founders Imperial, although strong, is nowhere as strong as in the Breakfast series. Also, while coffee is present in Expedition, it's crushed by a dark tartness.

    In my last review of Expedition, I noted that it was "oddly rough and bitter". It was perhaps  because of improper (too cold) cellaring conditions on that one, but this bottle is silky and very very smooth, although it's still not as awesome as Expedition on cask! Very rich and sweet with a robust roasty finish, the only flaw in Expedition is the excessive prune-cherry character that borders on sour.

    Founders Imperial Stout is a lot more coffee forward; even though less acidic than Expedition, the acidity seems very bright & coffee-like. This one seems more bitter while on the palate, whereas Expedition seems more bitter (from roast?) in the finish. Certainly smoother than Expedition at this age.

    The mouthfeel on both beers is, well, silky. Carbonation is appropriately low; both are full of roast but still not harsh; both finish sweet but can't be called cloying over reasonable serving size; and both are warming. Expedition has a bigger body without doubt, although none could dominate the other entirely. In my memory, fresh Founders Imperial is more coffee forward and in that sense it has aged for worse while Expedition has certainly benefited, losing its roughness.

Overall, two excellent stouts and it's tough to choose: I'll have both!

	Founders Imperial Stout	Bell's Expedition Stout
Appearance	5	5
Aroma	4	4
Taste	4	4
Mouthfeel	5	5
Drinkability	4.5	4.5

Scores. Yes, I couldn't choose.

Bender

Bender
Oatmeal brown ale
Surly Brewing Co.
5.5% ABV
45 IBUs
OG: 14º Plato
COLOR: 45 ºSRM

On tap at Old Chicago, Roseville MN. Served in a shaker pint glass.

Appearance 4/5

Deep reddish brown with good clarity, it sports a medium light brown head with average retention and good lacing.

Aroma 3.5/5

Dark nutty, malty, grainy, dried husk. Appetizing but not significantly so.

Taste 4/5

Light fruity sweetness with some hop flavor, firm character of specialty malts, pleasant roast, with a dark, dry, and bitter finish. Noticeably nutty at warmer temperatures. Very quaffable.

Mouthfeel 4/5

Medium body, perhaps overly crisp & carbonated, and clean. I like it except the carbonation could be a notch lower.

Drinkability 4.5/5

An excellent drinking beer that is not palate tiring by any means but is very satisfying.

Ten Fidy v. Big Eddy

The specs:

Ten Fidy
Russian Imperial Stout
Oskar Blues Brewery LLC
10.5% ABV
98 IBUs
2010 vintage poured into a New Belgium globe on 02/07/2010

Big Eddy
Russian Imperial Stout
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.
9.5% ABV
2010 vintage poured into a New Belgium globe on 02/07/2010

    Both pour very very dark brown and look jet black in the glasses with big, dark brown heads that rose up in cascades. The head on Ten Fidy is a shade darker and the head on Big Eddy is visibly creamier. It's amazing that both the heads took almost the same (long) time to fall into thinner caps and laced their glasses beautifully, with Big Eddy doing a visibly better job. Beautiful looking stouts!

    The nose on Big Eddy seemed stronger at first but later the intensity seemed similar for both beers, with none being too intense. I am not a big fan of either, and it's pretty much the usual dark malts. Big Eddy seemed more acidic and spicy while Ten Fidy leaned more towards burnt, roasted notes, that were almost meaty. Either way, none if these is significantly above average in my opinion. As they warmed up, the alcohol in Ten Fidy got noticeable, but that's alright. However, the anise-licorice notes in Big Eddy got a little too strong. Not bad per se but doesn't smell much like an RIS. Moving on to taste...

    Big Eddy, although named Big, seems like the younger cousin of Bell's Expedition Stout (an RIS that can kick a lot of ass). Strikingly reminiscent of Expedition in its dark and acidic "tartness", this beer tastes like prunes and dried strawberries! Ten Fidy on the other hand is more about powerful presence of roasted malts. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of dark fruit notes but roast and hop bitterness rule this beer.

    At this point, I am going to drink some water and a small sip of Scotch to clear my tastebuds before proceeding with the scores... alright, all done!

    Ok, so Ten Fidy is chocolate like bittersweet, slightly acidic, and rich, with sweetness coming (seemingly) more from alcohol than from sugars. Low on carbonation, high on silkiness, the roast doesn't affect the thick mouthfeel negatively. A very delicious aftertaste of roasted coffee beans lingers after a medium finish. Could and would drink more of it. Good stuff!

Back to few swigs of water.

    Although the tartness of Big Eddy reminds a lot of Expedition, Big Eddy doesn't even seem like a RIS at this point. It's dark and black alright, but the roast is entirely missing. The acidity is all fruit and no coffee and that comes as a disappointment. A good beer, and perhaps the best to come from Miller-Coors, but not what the label promises. Warm temperature is perhaps the true test of a beer, and Big Eddy has lost all its "bigness". While it could have been a decent something else, it sure doesn't have the mouthfeel to live up to the tag of RIS. The alcohol seems solventy at times and the spiciness gets overwhelming. Very very average if viewed as a stout.

	Ten Fidy	Big Eddy
Appearance	4.5	5
Aroma	3	3
Taste	4	3
Mouthfeel	4.5	3
Drinkability	4	3

Noble Pils

Noble Pils
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)
Fuck you for being unnecessarily tough with age verification.
Bohemian Pilsner
ABV?
IBUs?
OG?

12 oz bottle, best by 06/2011, poured into a Sam Adams "perfect pint" on 02/03/2011.

Appearance 5/5

Straw golden and brilliantly clear with a fluffy white head that's being fed by the steady stream of bubbles rising from the laser etched bottom of the glass. Great head retention and beautiful lacing on this one!

Aroma 3.5/5

Saaz hops... ummm, not really. Smells of pils malts and European hops but not as much as the blurb on the bottle. Marginally above average considering piss makers market their beers as pils.

Taste 3.5/5

Marginally above average, again considering that Miller calls their flagship a beer with "great pilsner taste." Some Euro flavors with minor bitterness but that's about it. Although the style is not supposed to be terribly complex, this doesn't even seem like well done. Top that off with a clumsy sweet finish and you're reminded of, as my buddy says, quintessential American Adjunct Lager. Sadly he's right. I do taste rice I believe although I am not an expert on adjunct swill; however, the said buddy is. And I don't get any citrus as the bottle claims.

Mouthfeel 3.5/5

It's well carbonated and can lend an impression of crisp, but that's a false one. Body is medium and seems alright. Overall the mouthfeel is ok, but seems soulless without the taste.

Drinkability 3.5/5
I could have a few but the unnecessary sweetness will get to me. So just okay.

Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror
Deschutes Brewery
English Barleywine (my opinion)
11% ABV
30 IBUs
OG?

22 oz "bomber" with a best after date of 04/20/10 poured into a snifter on 02/03/11. Was thinking of holding on to it longer but infection talk around this one had me wanting to get the most outta the $12.99+tax that I spent on this one. Having had it I say it was money well spent!

    Deep, glowing, reddish-copper colored with good clarity, Mirror Mirror poured with a big light tan head that had surprisingly good retention and lacing. The head never really went away although it shrunk into rather bubbly clusters. Amidst all the news of infection, I am wondering if this could be a borderline case with all that nice bubbles on it. Regardless, the looks are perfect. Oh, and did I mention that the label is one of the classiest?! I mean, even that torn edge on the left top corner adds class, no?

    Admittedly, I was fishing for funk in the aroma, of which I didn't get any. A relief. What I got were strong notes of dark fruit and brandy. Soft oak, lots of toffee, massive caramel, and some alcohol that gets sharper with warmth. Plenty of sweetness too. I can't say why is it classified as an American Barleywine because to me it smells like a solid English Barleywine, and Deschutes too lists pretty low IBUs on this one (merely 30; compare that against 90 IBUs on Bigfoot).

    Dried fruit's peel is a pretty good adjective for taste - sweet and rich with appropriate bitterness. Raisins, figs, and wood dominate. Very well integrated ale with no booziness that sometimes affects barrel aged beers. Decent bitterness keeps everything in check towards a medium finish and slightly bitter aftertaste with nice and sticky sweetness on the lips.

    While it seems a tad thin at times, considering it's been conditioning and attenuating for sometime now, it's just fine. Some tannic notes are felt that might be lent by oak - good, and cleansing, and never harsh. Very easy and nice drinking ale for its magnitude and in general. It would suck to have missed its glory because of infection issues. I can't say what age could do to it but because Deschutes has acknowledged infection, I suggest, drink it now!

Socre: Appearance 5, Aroma 4, Taste 4, Mouthfeel 4.5, Drinkability 4.5

Double Trouble

Double Trouble
Founders Brewing Co.
Double IPA
9.4% ABV
86 IBUs
OG?

12 oz bottled 01/11/11 poured into a big snifter on 02/01/11.

Appearance 4.5/5

Amber tangerine with appropriate haze of a hopped up beer, and with an off-white head that sticks around. The lacing is not as good but I am positive that the wide glass is to blame for that. However, that would be made up in aroma!

Aroma 4/5

This beer is indeed all about hops even though it doesn't have the word "hop" in its name. There's a sharp, herbal-piney character combined with a floral, fruity character from late and dry hop additions. However, I really like the fact that it's not overly fruity, that has been my complaint against some of the recent IPAs. There's an impression of sweetness that could be from malts, or fruity hops? Upon more thought, this could be alcohol too.

Taste 4.5/5

Kickass bitterness riding on a solid backbone pretty much describes the taste. Pine sap, and relatively less, but present grapefruit notes along with some spice. But mostly unadulterated bitterness. I like it. Clean and bitter finish with no residual sweetness, but some warming effect. I like it even better. A straight up DIPA.

Mouthfeel 5/5

Solid backboned, well carbonated, and crisp for its size, Double Trouble nails it. Another home run for Founders.

Drinkability 4.5/5
Excellent.