Alpine Beer Company Pure Hoppiness

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

650 ml bottle from Bev4less. Pours a rich translucent copper color with a sudsy white head that slowly receded and left behind a trail of lacing. The aroma is big and bold with lots of citrus (candied grapefruit), thyme and sweet saltwater taffy. The flavor features a sweet and biter effect with taffy, vanilla, pine, citrus and caramel; all set in a biter backdrop. The mouthfeel is silky smooth and satisfying. The finish long with more biter-sweet candy sensations. Re-rate note: Drank this on new years eve (2009) just prior to consuming a Sculpin and thought it compared very favorably to that beer. In particular I picked up a chlorophyll green hop note that I did not taste the first time I sampled this beer. Very nice. I’m raising my rating by two basis points from 3.9 to 4.1.

Bomber pours clear gold with frothy white head. The aroma is sweet malts, citrus grapefruit hops and spice – floral hops. The aroma is a bit too mild. The taste is sweet sugary malts, floral hops, spicy hoppiness, and some citrus hops. Nice mix of hops and sweet malts that lean toward hops. Amazing this isn’t an IIPA.

Slightly hazy golden body with a large, frothy, off-white head. Head is lasting with nice lace. The nose is hops and sweet malt with caramel, cotton candy, citrus, pine and fresh herbs. The flavor is moderately sweet, moderately bitter with lots of cotton candy, caramel, tea, grapefruit, pine and tangerine. Medium/full body is sticky and thin on the finish with moderate carbonation. Too sweet for my tastes in IPA.

Clear, glowing, tangerine-golden hued body with ever so slight traces of unfiltered goodness. It looks like there’s a very fine pulp floating in the glass. There is a frothy, foamy, off-white head that leaves behind thin, sticky patches of lace with good coverage. The aroma shows heaping doses of ruby red grapefruit, fresh cut grass, and freshly squeezed orange juice. I even picked up traces of sweet Georgia peaches and hints of tropical papaya. Everything smelled incredibly fresh. The flavor imparts a considerable amount of maltiness that did not show strongly on the nose. Rich, buttery toffee lays the malt backbone, while fresh citrus and grassy hops battle each other for "hop supremacy". Slightly resinous on the finish, with an unexpected piney quality showing through. Well balanced, not only between malts and hops, but also between types of hops, both citrus and herbal. Medium-full body. Borderline double IPA. Very well done.

22oz Bottle Recieved in trade from errantnight, thanks again. Pure Hoppiness pours a clear copper with the slightest bit of haze throughout, just enough to keep it from being crystal clear. Streams of carbonation rise to the surface keeping the head freshly renewed. A two finger dense white head appeared on the pour and stayed put Leaving webbed lacing on its way down. Good looking brew. This beer reeks of hoppiness but, surprisingly, not the in your face pucker up and bend over type of hoppiness. A sweet candyish malt lays itself down and lets the hops lead the way. The hop additions in this beer are pretty complexingly mouthwatering. A soft floral hoppiness comes first followed by a solid dose of citrus (orange, sweetened grapefruit, and although not citrus, bubblegum). Last but not least the resinous hops show themselves. I love finding a complex hop presence in the world of citric hop bombs. Pure Hoppiness is actually more balanced than I expected. Don’t worry, it’s not balanced there’s just more malt than I expected. That candyish malt from the aroma meets up with some mild caramel malt and they both lay down for the layers of hoppiness that soon take over. The orange and sweetened grapefruit lead the way in the flavor and there’s hints of a floral softness throughout. The resinous hops come through on the backend and finish things off nicely. The layers of flavor don’t jump from one to the other but instead glide seamlessly. Great layering on this beer. The mouthfeel is all I could ask for in a IIPA. Rich and velvety smooth. There’s just enough carbonation to keep it moving with being prickly. Ultra creamy on the tongue. This beer is disappearing far too quickly and I can’t slow myself down. Every sip leaves me wanting another. I don’t think I set down the glass yet. This beer walks the line between an IPA and IIPA but does it fantastically. It’s hard for me to find beer with such hop complexity and when I do I hold them near and dear. This is one of those brews. Why can’t Alpine distribute to Illinois? WHY? 10/19/07

The Dan Journal #115. Tasted 10/18/07. 22oz bomber. Bright golden hue. Layer of white head. Grapefruity hop aromas. Smooth and mildly toasty flavors. Spicy nose. Bright and crisp. An underlying almost buttery malt flavor. Well crafted and delicious.

Had at the pre-GABF party. Taste is leafy wet hops that pervade in both scent and taste. Very much a standout of the night. There is a slight maltiness that goes with the cascade and columbus dominated beer, but just enough to cover up any heat. This is a fantastically well made beer.

22oz bottle. Great permanent rich head on golden orange liquid. Delicious sweet hop nose tangerine and citrus. Sweet alcohol and hop flavours. It’s good but I find the alcohol flavour to be a tad too strong and the finish seems to drop off too quickly.