tytoanderso (1382), St. Louis Park, Minnesota, USA Nov 14, 2007 Updated: Nov 20, 2008Bottle from mreusch. Holy crap, this is good beer. The nose is just bursting with bright, beautiful hops. Sticky pine resin, cedar, lemon zest, sweet sticky malt. Very nice. Pours the color of orange marmalade. Big, creamy, cumulus like white head with excellent retention. Flavor is hop heaven! Perfect balance of oily pine and tangy citrus zest. Tongue coating hoppy goodness leading to a zesty finish that lasts forever. Notes of grass, slightly floral and spicy hops. Creamy with mouth filling carbonation. This is what IIPA’s are all about... balanced excessiveness. STUNNING! Theis (3617), Denmark Nov 13, 2007 Bottle (Sune) at ØLklubben (2007 edition). Clear yellow (green glow) - white head. High hoppy, peach, light peppery, sweetness, light almond notes. Dry bitter finish. Very nice. cathcacr (586), Portland, Oregon, USA Nov 13, 2007 2007 edition, with a very crisp, fresh, sharp and sizzling hop bite. Especially rich in texture -- significantly more viscous and gooey than you expect with a beer of this style designation. It bursts with hop flavor, with an abundance of bittering hops. The IBUs must be maxed out with this one. Tons of that hop character in the aroma; very floral in terms of olfactory saturation. Finishes very dry, and even with some spiciness. May well be the best and biggest of this style I’ve ever had. Stone has to do some special release of its own to challenge this.
alandudeman (25), Massachusetts, USA Nov 12, 2007 22 oz bottle..
Nice Imperial IPA. Had it in between Ruination so I compared it to that. This was pretty thick and domineering for an IPA but not over powering. The flavor was strong and malty and bitter but not as much as some other IPAs. Detected hints of chocolate, roasted malts, light citrus, and of course piny hops. Recommended over DFH 90 minute but not Stone Ruination. theisti (1640), Leawood, Kansas, USA Nov 7, 2007 22 oz. bottle from Zinister. Pous is a cloudy golden yellow with a bunch of carbonation bubbles and a big, fluffy slightly off white head (which was rocky, and very slow to settle). Aroma of grapefruit, lemons, limes and flowers. Smell is quite soft, particularly the floral. Also some nice sweet breadiness in the nose as well. Very engaging. Taste is primarily the citrus hops (grapefruit predominantly) with some hop resin and pine mixed in for good measure. Was expecting a bit more maltiness based on the nose. Finish is long and full of hop bitterness. This one was very hop forward. Enjoyable, though I enjoyed the Winter YuleSmith a bit more due to its balance. Thanks for this one Michael! Mette (224), Frederiksberg, Denmark Nov 5, 2007 Den første øl til klub-smagningen. Tak til Sune. Lys rav med et sjovt grønligt skær.
Hvidt skum. Både sødlig og bitter i duft og smag, maltet, grasset og krydret. Lidt støvet med en god bitter og tør eftersmag. God mundfylde og ganske velsmagende. yemenmocha (344), Glendale, Arizona, USA Nov 4, 2007 Summer edition. Red & Blue logo with fireworks design.
Pours pale yellow & clear. Overly generous white head. Very thick & meringue like. Nice.
Aroma is of dry pine cones, pine needles, and smells of crisp autumn air (maybe just the pine cone thing going too far).
Palate is warm with hearty malt and smooth hop tang. Not extremely assertive for a strong IPA. Very drinkable. Very approachable to those not already into DIPAs. It certainly does not come across like an 8.5% beer. mystiksc (46), los angeles, California, USA Nov 4, 2007 Nice refreshing hop flavor. Caramel and pine hints. Aroma is floral and hoppy. Overall, this brew is nicely balanced. I can’t wait to try the winter release.
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