Gigantic Brewing Company/3 Floyds
Date: 12 April 2013
Venue: My house
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Appearance - Brilliant yellow-gold; massive foamy head that hangs out for most of the drink.
Smell - Super bright citrus; not huge, but slightly soapy.
Taste - Starts orange, followed by sharp pine resin. Orange and lemon sits on the back of the tongue. A little peach, pineapple, and soapiness in the finish.
Mouthfeel - Surprisingly light body and well carbonated; it works out well.
Overall - Fresh, big-ass DIPA; the alcohol doesn't take long to take effect, but it's not noticeable in the taste. Almost too light in the body, but lots of fruitiness, which I much prefer to a pure bitter bomb. Not having looked into this beer much, my guess is the soapiness is from one or more Citra additions, which can give that impression. I wouldn't turn down another of these, though. Excellent collaboration, folks.
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Double Mountain Brewery
Date: 13 April 2013
Venue: My house
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Appearance - Deep orange, a little hazy. Rocky foam head.
Smell - Some tropical fruit (pineapple), citrus, a bit of malt.
Taste - Dominant grapefruit rind bitterness early with a long tail. Some orange and malt in the middle.
Mouthfeel - Light body with prickly carbonation makes this very easy drinking.
Overall - Bitterness is the dominant feature in this beer, but it's still pretty enjoyable. One per sitting is enough for me, though, especially in the 500 ml bottle.
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Russian River Brewing Company
Pliny the Elder
Date: 14 April 2013
Venue: My house
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Appearance - Clear, deep burnished orange. Sticky, orange-yellow tinged head leaves a bit of lacing down the glass. Exquisite.
Smell - Pours out orange rind and pine; dank.
Taste - Solid wall of dank that resolves to long, evenly fading tail of firm bitterness. A little malt, dominated by resin and a bit of grapefruit. It actually numbs the tongue a bit; really packs a wallop! More luxurious malt presence upon warming a little; firm bitterness at the end.
Mouthfeel - Not heavy at all; firm carbonation contributes to its tongue-numbing quality and gets it moving over the palate.
Overall - The classic double IPA for a reason. This is a magnificent beer. The hops are utterly dominant, but despite the slight numbing quality, it doesn't punish with bitterness. It's worth getting back to California just for more of this.
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Eel River Brewing
Date: 17 April 2013
Venue: My house
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Appearance - Clear, red-brown hue with orange-red highlights. Fluffy red-orange tinged head.
Smell - Malt, malt, and more malt. A little alcohol.
Taste - A little bread, but a ton of straight-up malt. It's dry enough, though, to avoid being cloyingly sweet. It's really not sweet at all, just malty. This is balanced with a clean, firm bitterness that doesn't overpower; it does linger at the very back of the tongue for quite a while, but it only makes itself known when swallowing.
Mouthfeel - Only medium, not really as heavy as the style can run. Carbonation may be a bit high.
Overall - I'm very happy with this beer. I tend to avoid old ales because I liken them to barleywines, which are usually heavier than I want to drink regularly. Triple Exultation reminds me that there's a difference between them; this is much more attenuated than most barleywines I've had, which is very welcome. A great beer for a cool spring evening.
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Joseph James Brewing Co.
Date: 26 April 2013
Venue: My house
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Appearance - Deep, dark black with red and brown undertones. Thick, luscious mocha head that drops back, leaving a marshmallow-like layer.
Smell - Candied fruit, dark chocolate, a little herbal hop.
Taste - Excellent balance of sweet malt and hop bitterness; moderate roast follows, with alcohol in the middle.
Mouthfeel - Nice and thick, smooth carbonation.
Overall - Pretty tasty. The bitterness and alcohol can get sharp and heavy on the back of the tongue as it warms, however.
- Br. Absalom
