21st Amendment Anchorage Vacation

On tap at Toronado in San Francisco. Pours a very clear, golden yellow body with a thin, white head that dissipates into nothing pretty quickly and leaves practically no lacing. Pine citrus aroma with some pale caramels. Smells bright and refreshing with some tropical fruit aromas as well. Flavor is sweet with a somewhat tart, resiny pine. Mostly grapefruit with a bit of a spiced grass in the finish. Lingers with some sweeter malts and a sugary citrus leaning more towards the tart lemon side of things and a leaves a bit of a puckering earthy pine. Lighter bodied and crisp. Overall, a little disappointing all-around, but still a decent, crisp DIPA. Didn’t really pick up any Belgian notes and it definitely does not drink like the 9.3% at all.

On tap @ Toronado. Pours a hazy golden color with a small white head. Fruity, hoppy aroma, tangy body, sharp IPA finish. Not a lot of Belgian character, would be an average IPA.

Draft. Golden amber beer with a cream colored head. Great summer/tropical fruit aroma with pine. Grapefruit and summer fruit flavor with pine and light malt. Medium-plus bodied. Nice bitterness that lasts. Grapefruit and pine lingers with light malt, light earthiness, and light sumemr fruit.

On tap at City Beer. This hazy yellow beer poured with a thin off-white head and a banana aroma. There is a carbonated caramel malt flavor with serious hop bitterness.

Tap at City Beer. Pours with a fairly light color for a DIPA. Aroams of [pine and some mdedicinal components, flavors that re not very typical for a DIPA. Some astringency and not much of pine or resin, just more of a light hop flavor. Slightly disappointing.

Tap at the brewpub: Light golden pour with a dense white head. Spicy fresh hop aroma. Lemony citruses, hempy and bright. Creamy body with a sweet and spicy flavor. Mild candied lemon notes with a clean spicy (centennial?) note. Grassy bittern finish. Smooth and elegant IIPA. (I wouldn’t have guessed a Belgian yeast was used, as the bartender had noted to me. It must have been a clean strain)

Tasted at the 6th Annual Triple Rock Firkin Fest on 4/4/2009. This Belgian Style Imperial IPA pours a medium orange color from the Firkin. Medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is orange, sweet, grapefruity and estery. A medium bodied Imperial IPA. The malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are citrusy and grapefruity. Nice soft carbonation. A nice meld of an IPA and Belgian Strong Ale. Big fruity esters and kick you in the teeth hops, yet nicely balanced. Hides the alcohol very well. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is bitter.

On cask at Firkin Fest. Poured clear golden yellow, malty, little hops, clean, smooth, dry.