Grand Teton Trout Hop Black IPA

Tonight I purchased Season 1 of The Walking Dead, the new series on AMC about the zombie apocalypse.  It's received a lot of great reviews, and I'm a big fan of zombie-related books and movies, so I'm looking forward to watching AMC's rendition of the battle against the undead.

Tonight I'm drinking my second Grand Teton Cellar Reserve brew of the year - the Trout Hop Black IPA.  This comes in a colorful, shiny bottle with a tag that shows the statistics - 8.5%ABV and 145 IBUs.  145 IBUs!! 

Pouring into my goblet, this pours a very dark brown with a touch of dark cherry red.  About a half inch of thick tan head, with sticky lacing as it receeds.  Big globs of head hang around for the duration.  The nose has a fresh resinous, piney note, with a toasty undertone.  I'm also catching a freshly-cut wood smell, and a hint of alcohol fume.

The drink begins with a creamy, dry roasted malt flavor.  This is followed by a very earthy, pine hop flavor that isn't very bitter, more herbal and a bit chewy.  Through the middle and towards the end of the drink, there is a touch of dark fruits, and then a slight alcohol singe at the finish.  From beginning to end, there is never any real hop punch.....not at all what I expected out of a brew touting 145 IBUs.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected.  The texture is full-bodied, with a nice amount of carbonation and a general creaminess.

Overall Rating:  (4.8 out of 6.0)  I consider myself to be a hop-addict, so I'm partial to beers like this one, and was excited by the stats on it.  I was also surprised to find that it wasn't the hop-crushing hammer that it appeared to be on paper - but the flavor profile was very well balanced and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Try it!