Alpine Beer Company Exponential Hoppiness

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Alpine, California USA

Rerate. 22oz bottle from wetherel, thanks John! Clear orange with a 1/2 finger light beige head, fading to a thick ring and film before too long. Aroma is full of fruit--pineapple and citrus the strongest--with plenty of piny hops as well. Sweet caramel, cotton candy and light grass make up the rest of the aroma. Flavor seems to be a bit subdued due to the intense bitterness of the beer. This doesn’t make sense, but it’s all I can figure out at this point. I can’t say that I can pick out any oak chips anywhere. Anyways, the caramel and cotton candy sweetness are a good deal stronger in the flavor, but still can’t undo what has been done with the hops. Bone dry finish. Full body with low carbonation. Even though they are both fruity, this takes on a completely different road compared to something like Dreadnaught. Not bad--merely different. I don’t really like the intensity of the cotton candy though. Old Rating Follows. Notes from Dark Lord Day ’07. Clear honey golden with a small white head, decent retention. Aroma of orange, pine, and grapefruity hops up front with some buttery malts, light grain and pale malts in the background. Just a hint of Alcohol. The flavor was much the same with a little more astringency and butter, alcohol still not too strong, with a hint of paper. Semidry finish. Medium body with low carbonation. Not too bad, but it definitely wasn’t amazing. I’ve actually got a 22oz bottle from wetherel that will be opened within the hour, so we’ll see how a fresher sample fairs. 7-4-7-3-14--3.5

Growler from brewery pours gold with nice lasting off white head and sheet lacing. The aroma is full of grapefruit and tangelo to spice hops along with some pine hops in there as well. There is a backbone of malty sweetness in the nose too. The taste is thick and rich and viscous with grapefruit, tangelo and orange peel hop flavor and hop bitterness. Excellent mix of fresh tasty hops that grows more and more bitter into the finish. A malty sweetness tries to be heard over the torrent of hop notes but never really gets it done. Absolutely delicious brew, Wow!

Courtesy of Styles

Bottle: Big citrus hops, pineapple, and tropical fruit aroma. Transparent amber with a small white head that leaves behind spotty lacing. Lots of fruitiness up front with pineapple and hints of tropical fruits. Very faint caramel in the background. Nice balanced citrus hoppy finish. Big fresh hoppiness throughout. Medium bodied with a soft mouhfeel.

On tap @ PPSAF. Deep orange in color with a nice fluffy off white head. Citrusy hoppy aroma. Pine, earthy grassy notes. Malty hoppy flavor. Caramel toffee notes. Full bodied. Well balanced. Nice beer.

Handbottle from Wetherel...Thanks John. Pours golden copper with a small, but creamy head. Nice carbonation considering it was handbottled. Good lacing. Aroma is of fresh, piney hops and bitter. Flavor is bitter up front with a good bready malt balance. Full bodied and creamy. Nice IIPA.

2007 PP SAF. Poured golden. Strong pine and citrus aroma. Flavor is strong bitterness with some sweet fruity malt that accompanies the big pine bitterness. Alcohol is masked. Finishes with an incredible lingering dryness.

2007 PP SAF: Golden hue with nice frothy head and spotty lace. The aroma has notes of juicy fruit gum and pineapple, grassy and herbal, clove and pepper, and a hint of band-aid. The taste starts with a sharp fruity acidity and bitter overtones balanced slightly by biscuity malts. Spicy tones upon the finish. The mouth feel is lively and refreshing with a dry finish. The alcohol is dangerously well hidden. A really nice brew I would have again.

Date: 12/02/2005
Mode: Draft
Source: Pizza Port, Carlsbad

clear light amber, whispy white head, pleasant floral hop aroma, big sweet piney malt flavor, great citrus character, lots of bitterness with a long bitter finish,
-------- /> Date: 12/04/2007
Mode: draft
Source: brewery
Score: 3.2 to 3.6

hazy dark orange, frothy white head, sweet tangerine and citrus aroma, same big sweet pine and citrus flavor, nice fruity orange character, enough crystal sweetness to balance all of the hops and the long earthy finish,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4