Epic Brewing - Imperial IPA

Before I get to the brew-review, a quick soap-box.  This week has been rough on the wallet.  First, I headed out to Men's Warehouse for a much needed wardrobe...enhancement.  2 suits, 2 dress shirts, and 2 ties later, I'd spent nearly $900!  Nice clothes are important, especially for the workplace, but damn!  Then, yesterday, I decided it was a good idea to go replace my ailing iPhone (it's got a line of dead pixels running across the middle, nearly unusable).  So I headed out to the Verizon Wireless store, and walked out with a brand new Motorola Droid Bionic, which cost a painful 300 bones.  It's an awesome phone though, and I'm excited to start using the 8MP camera that comes along with it - nice upgrade - which you'll see in the photo below...

Tonight I'll be drinking an Imperial IPA from Epic Brewing in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I've recently tried a couple brews from their Elevated Series, the Hopulent IPA and the Brainless Belgian-Style Ale.  This Imperial IPA is a part of their Exponential Series, which goes a step beyond the Elevated Series and brings the biggest, most ambitious brews to the forefront.  This bottle is from Batch# 7, which is their most recent release, and registers 9.5% alcohol. 

The beer is definitely easy on the eyes - nice soft honey-golden color with a fresh white plume of foam that never really recedes.  Pretty cloudy, looks unfiltered.  The aroma is straight from hop-heaven - a combination of the pine resin anvil, and a big freshly cut grapefruits and other citrusy zest, all topped with sweet boozy fumes.  The flavor starts off with a coating of pine resin.  Grapefruits and spicy orange peels are next up, complimented by a firm base of grainy caramel malts.  Oily, resiny, and some alcohol punches through everything else with a finishing touch of hot boozy sweetness.  The texture is on the heavier side, with a sticky finish.

Overall Rating:  I really enjoyed this Imperial IPA.  It gives you a little bit of everything you'd ever look for in the style, and doesn't leave anything behind.  At $4.99, this bottle is an absolute steal!  Pick one up if you can find one!  A-