Two Brothers - Hop Juice Double IPA

Tonight I randomly came across this bottle of Hop Juice from Two Brothers Brewing, and bought it without a second thought.  Every brew I've had from Two Brothers has been phenomenal, so I'm excited to try their version of the hop-bomb.  This beer features a 9.9%ABV and 100 IBUs, dry-hopped with over a pound of hops per barrel (that' a lot). 

The label artwork is slick - roughly drawn plyers squeezing the juice out of a hop flower into a glass of beer, with "We squeeze to please" written in between.  There's also a short description on the label which is pictured below. 

This brew is going into my snifter glass - it's a dark, cloudy amber color with a full 2 inches of creme head that dissipates slowly leaving a snail trail behind.  The aroma brings boatloads of citrus, with grapefruit rinds, orange peels, and a hint of pineapple mixed with them.  Also, loads of pine resin and even some floral notes in there.  Smells terrific! The taste immediately confirms that yes, this is definitely a hop-bomb.  Blammo!  Bitter citrus rinds - orange zest - grapefruit zest - a touch of bitter sweetness that kind of reminds me of tangerine.  Then the flavor slowly meld into a musty, earthy, gritty middle that showcases some big, sweet caramel malts, while continuing to carry the pine resin on it's shoulders.  The alcohol pops in towards the finish, adding some welcome warmth to the bitterness.  The finish leaves a lingering oily, resinous sensation on the throat, capping off a hop fiesta. 

Overall Rating:  This DIPA is not for the faint of heart.  Big bitterness, big alcohol, big maltiness - custom built for the hop-heads of the world.  If your have a hop-minded palate, go grab a bottle of Hop Juice!  B+

Full Sail Brewing - Bump in the Night Cascadian Dark Ale

Tonight's brew of choice was hiding in a dark corner of the fridge at the LQ store....I saw Cascadian and was immediately sold.  Cascade hops and I are very good friends.  This bump in the night is part of Full Sail's 2011 Brewmaster Reserve Line-up, available from January through March.  It's a new creation in 2011, brewed in the "cascadian dark ale style", and Gold medal winner at the 2011 World Beer Championships - winning!  I believe this brew classifies as a Black IPA - we'll have to wait and see how it tastes.  She registers in a 6.5% ABV and 65 IBUs.

The brew comes in a 22oz bottle with the standard (boring) Full Sail label.  It has a reminder that this is an independent, employee-owned brewery.  I searched around and wasn't able to find a bottled-on date, but it's a safe assumption it was brewed within the last six months. 

The color of the beer is very dark, almost a cherry black and let's just a bit of light through.  Nice full 2 inches of white head build on it.  Starting things off, the aroma is AWESOME - earthy, piney hops on top with sweet, rich cocoa malts underneath.  Also a faint reminder of sour fruit in there, boozy sour grapes?  The taste starts off with a hoppy kick - cascadian hops give me a nice slap in the face with their spicy, earthy, resiny bitterness.  Those flavors then meld into some nice roasted, sweet malts.  Roasted grains, a touch (not enough) of sweet chewy cocoa, and then chalky, boozy flavors come through in the finish.  The body is medium, with a dry finish and a hefty carbonation.   

Overall Rating:  I enjoyed the first 75% of the beer - great hop profile and some nice malt body behind it.  But the last 25% brought some odd flavors that were like a chalky form of alcohol that just threw off the balance of the beer.  Good, but not quite great.  B

Avery Brewing - Maharaja 2011

Today, is a great day.   The beer I bought during my Avery Brewing tour in Boulder, CO has finally arrived!!  I wanted to bring it back with me, but ran out of space in my small carry-on bag, so I had to suck it up and patiently wait for it ship in the snail-mail.  Well, today is the day, I finally get to try this beer for the first time!

Maharaja is Avery's seasonal hop-bomb that's brewed from March through August each year, available only in bombers and kegs.  According to their website, Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat (great) and rajan (king).  This is a big brew with big numbers - 10.24% ABV, 102 IBUs. 

The label on the bottle features a creepy, eye-bulging king of some sort - looks like he may have drank one too many Imperial IPAs.  The label also states this bottle is from Batch No. 13, March 2011.  Super-fresh.  I took this out and poured it about 15 minutes ago, to give it some time to warm a bit since it's been in the fridge all day.  I don't have to bring the glass too close to my nose to catch the fumes of this brew - it practically reaches out of the glass and punches me!  Pineapples, peaches, grapefruit and pungent pine oils slam the nose.  The alcohol is definitely intermingled in there also. 

The flavor begins with fruity oils, lots of tropical sweetness, with passion fruit, orangey grapefruit, and a pungent version of fruit punch.  These hop flavors initially are very soft and creamy on the palate, nothing monstrous or destructive...but wait, there's more!  The flavor makes a quick transition into a rich honey and caramel malts.  Then, it hits.  A massive wave of hop bitterness that bites, and an alcohol warmth along with it - AWESOME.  After more drinks, contemplation and reflection, pine and spice come in and out of the picture.  The body is thick and chewy, and the carbonation is on the lighter side giving the beer that creamy sensation.

Overall Rating:  Insanely good.  I don't think there's much I can say that hasn't already been said about this beer.  Avery does amazing things, especially considering their current brewing set-up (small), and their distribution requirements - these guys are literally brewing 24/7/365 to meet their current demand.  Keep it up guys!  And if you haven't tried Maharaja yet, find it and buy it, damnit.

Central Waters - Illumination Double IPA

Tonight I'm going to be drinking a brew from Central Waters Brewing Co. This brewery was founded back in '98, and is located in Amherst, Wisconsin.  They have a cool section on their website that includes some "Recipes of the Month", recipes for food that in some way incorporate (their) beer...worth a look if you're the culinary type.  This Illumination Ale is a seasonal brew, available only in March and April.  For some reason, they don't even list this brew in their 'Beer' section, which is a little odd.  You brew and distribute a beer, but you don't bother to add it as an offering on your own website.... either their web-manager is a lazy asshole, or this is a super-top-secret classified beer.  What's your money on?

The label on this bottle is a contrast print with a green hop flower in the middle - simple and well-done, looks good.  The label also indicates this is a 9%ABV DIPA.  The beer is a slightly cloudy dark golden color, with a sturdy half inch of white head that holds onto the lace.  The aroma is fumagous, with grapefruit taking primary role, along with some pine and lemon zest.  This beer smells awesome. 

The flavor begins bitter, with resiny pine starting things off.  Then comes some grapefruit and lemon peels.  After that, an herbal, earthy sweetness appears on top of a lightly breaded malt backbone.  That sweetness helps balance out the beer, and prevents the hop profile from getting overly bitter to the point of harshness.  The body is medium, texture oily, but the carbonation is high which helps lighten the load of oily resins in the back of my throat.  Alcohol is vaguely apparent, but remains a distant afterthought to the rest of the flavors. 

Overall Rating:  (5.0 out of 6.0)  This DIPA was bitter and destructive to the palate, but I loved it.  Central Waters put together a brew that full-filled my craving for big hops, without overdoing it.  I can't honestly say it was balanced....it wasn't.  But the hop profile was awesome.  Hopinistas, go find this beer.