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Avery Brewing Co.
Boulder, Colorado
The Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale
Style: Imperial/Double India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - March through August
Format: 22oz
ABV: 10.41%
IBUs: 102
Batch: 11 - bottled March 03, 2010
Bottle text & Info:
Hop Variety: Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, caramel 120L, victory
"Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat, - "great" and rajan - "king". Much like its namesake, this imperial IPA is regal, intense and mighty. With hops and malts as his servants, he rules both with a heavy hand. The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops: tangy, vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley - fashioning a dark amber hue and exquisite malt essence. Be aware that The Maharaja is a limited release only available for the summer. Welcome to his kingdom!"
Tasting Notes:
Pours a dark, murky orange with some hop haze. A beautiful off-white head protrudes forth with some creamy bubbles that stick and show great retention. Smells intensely of pine and some earthy, soil tones. Rich and creamy mouthfeel provide and pretty heavy sweet malt billing that serves as the canvas for a some citrus that is quickly over taken by pine notes. Adequate carbonation keeps this from becoming a complete malt bomb and increases its drinkability. The Maharaja is one of those releases that hop heads around the country seek out upon its release. I like it. I don't love it. I'd choose the Avery Dugana DIPA over this any day. But that just falls in line with the theory that I will always prefer DIPA's under 10%. Those elevating beyond that ABV% just get too sweet for my liking.
Southern Tier Brewing Co.
Lakewood, New York
Un*earthly Imperial India Pale Ale
Style: Imperial/Double India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited Year Round
Format: 22oz
ABV: 11.0%
Bottle text & Info:
Malt: Two-row pale malt, red wheat
Kettle hops: Chinook & Cascade
Hop back: Styrian Golding
Dry hopped: Cascade, Centennial & Chinook
"At the Southern Tier Brewing Company, vigorously hopped beer is our standard and inspiration. We continue a commitment to innovation with our most aggressive offering yet. Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer’s craft; skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe, so please consume wisely."
Tasting Notes:
Purchased from Triple Crown Liquor in Indianapolis, Indiana and beer bombed back to NC.
Pours a beautiful glowing golden orange with a pour white head, two inches high with superb retention. Smells of some melon like sweet hops dominated by sweet caramel and honey overtones. Taste follows soon. Big syrupy body encasing peach vodka-like flavors intermingling with some apricot, mango and melon before being rounded out with some heavy honey notes. So, the main knock on this is that for a DIPA it is a bit of a malt bomb. A lot of consumers are gonna be left empty handed, searching for the intense high alpha citrus. However, i'd argue that its hard to fault Southern Tier, here. The ABV is 11% which is reaching the peak of DIPA % wise. As rule of thumb, the higher the ABV, the higher the malt bill. has to be. Although sweet, you have to credit Southern Tier with creating an exceptionally drinkable DIPA, reaching an extreme ABV. Think young barleywine and you're on the right track. Still awaiting the day that Southern Tier hits the market here in NC. Shouldn't be long. Rumor has it that its in the works.
Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, California
Ruination IPA
Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
Availability:
Format: 12oz - 6pk, 22oz
ABV: 7.7%
IBUs: 100+
Hops: Centennial, Columbus
Bottle text & Info:
Stone Ruination IPA. So named, the bottle's label states,"because of the immediate ruinous effect on your palate." Stone Ruination IPA is the first new year-round release from Stone Brewing since the introduction of the infamous Arrogant Bastard Ale more than four and a half years ago. "It is a really big deal for us to decide to release Stone Ruination IPA on a year-round basis," said Stone CEO Greg Koch. Stone Ruination IPA will be the fifth beer that the brewery will make available
all the time, adding to their current line up of Stone Pale Ale, Stone Smoked Porter, Stone IPA and Arrogant Bastard Ale. Not surprisingly, those who seek, crave and rejoice in beers with big, bold bitter character will find true nirvana in Stone Ruination IPA. However, Stone CEO Greg Koch comments "I have found it quite interesting that people who previously felt that bitterness in beer was unappealing have discovered joy in the startlingly bracing and uniquely refreshing bitter character of Stone Anniversary IPAs." Still, Stone wouldn't go so far as to recommend Stone Ruination IPA to someone who prefers drinks that taste like LifeSavers candies. "This beer is, after all, a celebration of hoppiness," reports
Koch, which may explain the phrase on the front of the Ruination IPA's label
that reads "A Liquid Poem to the Glory of the Hop."
Tasting Notes:
Pours a glowing golden orange with some substantial hop haze. Soapy, slick pure white head rises but never quite materialized before quickly settling. Smell...hmmm... smells how i imagine the field in Yakima Valley smell. Heavy citrus with some seriously heavy leafy, earthy notes. About as close as hops in a boil kettles as you can imagine. Very grapefruit-like citrus (hello, Centennial) along with a strong dirt/root-like astringency. I have a love/hate relationship with this beer. I get paying over 12$ a six for a double ipa. Buttt......17$??? for 7.7%????? I don't know stone. kind of lame. don't get me wrong. I love the flavors on this. But the mouthfeel is too thin, malt bill way too low and alcohol about a percentage point and a half a way from justifiably calling this a DIPA. And the money...fahgettaboutit. i'll take a founders double trouble.
Breckenridge Brew Pub
Denver, Colorodo
471 IPA (Small Batch)
Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - Year Round
Format: 12oz - 6pk, 22oz
ABV: 9.2%
IBUs: 70
Malt: Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils, Torrified Wheat
Hops: Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, Fuggles
Bottle text & Info:
"Hoppy? Brother, 471 IPA redefines hoppy. 471 is a small batch, limited edition ale that was created by our Brewmaster to separate the weak from the strong. 471 is a double IPA, that combines Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils and Torrified Wheat malts, with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and Fuggles hops. It has a big sweet mouthfeel, followed by more hoppiness than you've ever had at one time. Enjoy."
Tasting Notes:
Pours with a slight haze somewhere between deep golden and light amber. An thick creamy ecru head adorns the top and retains its three-quarter inch head superbly. Smells faintly of sweet tropical fruits - trademark simcoe. After that, not a whole lot on the nose, some sweet malt aromas with alcohol present. Sort of like a real young barleywine. There's definitely some good hop notes going on here. Also a lot of malt going on here, due to the high gravity. I would have like to seen this a bit more carbonated. Sticky and too sweet for my taste. Not terrible by any means but with an array of the DIPA's currently on the market, this one just gets lost in the shuffle.
Moylan's Brewery
Novato, California
Hopsickle Imperial Ale
Style: Double/ Imperial India Pale Ale
Availability: Limited - Summer
Format: 22oz
ABV: 9.2%
IBU's: 100+
Malt: American 2 Row Crystal Malt 15L & 45L Acidulated Malt
Hops: Yakima Chinook, Simcoe, Columbus, Cascade, Ahtanum
Yeast: White Lab #001 - Chico
Bottle text & Info:
This is a "Hop" tribute, worthy of a King's Imperial Court! Enjoy the blast of fresh Tomahawk, Cascade and Centennial Hops as they stimulate the taste buds in a truly imperial fashion. Pucker Up!
Tasting Notes:
First off. Let me say. HAPPY ONE MONTH!, BEER BLOG! You've been a good to me and its been fun to watch you go. Couple more months and we'll have you on a regular sleep schedule. Ok. Moylans Hopsickle. Let's do it:
Pours a bright peach color with some slight hop haze and large singular bubbles rising. A generous off white head shows good retention and then without warning completely disappears. Whoa. Smells like shoving your face in a barrel hops. This is a good thing. So much going on here. An fantastic Cantaloupe note followed by red grapefruit, orange rind and wild flowers. Body is slick but not syrupy showing some incredible lacing clinging to the glass through the session. WOW. A total assault on the taste buds. Grapefruit, grapefruit and more grapefruit. Bitter from start to finish - this guy is an absolute bruiser and a total assault on your tastebuds. It's a good thing my father-in-law's a dentist because I think i just tore all the enamel off my teeth. I love my DIPA's so this wasn't enough for me to wave the white flag. Hell no. In the words of the Alstrom bros, "I want my DIPA's to bring it and this one brought it"... and then some.
I would like to see the price come down on this is a bit. 10$ a 22oz is steep! I love that Moylans is a super small craft brewery that is owned and operated by beer nerds brewing for beer nerds. Go to the beer/specs page of their website to see what i'm talking about. I mean who puts up a PDF spec sheet on each beer. That's what i'm talkin about Moylan's. A fitting beer to celebrate one month!
