Double IPA
Russian River Brewing Company
8% ABV
100 IBU's
500 ml bottle, bottled 03.21.2011, poured chilled into a snifter on 04.01.2011. Thanks beerific/ineedbeer.
The Elder pours straw golden, bright and clear, and appears a deep shade of orange in the glass. The crown is big, like three fingers big, and creamy off white. The head retention is very good -- good to the extent that I had to sip on the foam to finally get down to business, and the lacing is great. Belgian ales have trouble lacing this snifter of mine and PtE does an excellent job of it. As noted, this is a clear beer, but not brilliantly so and that's welcome given its hop content.
Maybe my sense of smell is off today but I don't get the intensity I was hoping for. Smooth, orange candy like notes, and some pine/resin/yada yada yada but not the pungent hop aroma I wanted to get out of it. Is it too young? Maybe. Vinnie Ciluzro has said that Elder peaks in 2-3 weeks and it might still need time. Fortunately, I have more of it! Thanks again beerific.
Taste, a pure hop assault, but well lubricated. Pliny is bitter but deliciously so. Full of flavor but not fruit, this is how I like my IPA's. I am having a hard time not finishing it. Dank, bitter, sharp, cleansing, resiny, this one has all I want out of a D/IPA. Add to it the fact that it's not creamy-smooth but crisply carbonated and deeply, did I already say bittering? Doesn't coat the mouth in any way but leaves its bitterness right down to the throat after its amazingly dry finish.
What a beer! I could drink it all day. There are times when I crave a hop assault and none of the locally available beers is able to satisfy me; well Furious and Masala Mama do the job but I drink them too often. I wish I had access to this silent killer every day of my lifetime.
Mr. Ciluzro, nicely done!
Scores: Appearance 5/5; Aroma 4/5; Taste 5/5; Mouthfeel 5/5; Overall 4.5/5
PS: Anyone paying attention to my not-perfect-on-all-counts scores, don't. Just buy it and if you don't like it, ship it to me. I'll make it worth your while.
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