Alpine Beer Company Pure Hoppiness

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

Pours honey colored w/ a medium sized, semi creamy froth. Good hangtime and nice residual lacing w/ a full, thick canopy. Aromas of hopsy starburst fruit chews at first then a slight biscuiting settles in. Medium full nectar w/ ample residual effers. The texture is a creamy cotton style. I’m amazed right off the bat. It’s not a malt bomb. Theres so much hop essence showing through theres no time for gooey malts. I’m talking perfect balance here. It’s not a grapefruit rollup either. It’s all citrus rind and asprin. I’d say asprin juice w/ a dash of tangerine, candy necklace, and biscuits. The sweetness factor, well, it just doesn’t factor in. It’s so mild, like a breeze in the 110 degree AZ heat . This is refined and so drinkable. The finish is scarred w/ all the aspin and only allows a slight amount of caramel to reach my palate. This is classic and I highly recommend getting some.

Thanks to West Siiiide for this brew. This is what a IPA should look like. Deep caramel color, with an awesome foam lacing on this brew. Taste is top notch, hops + hops. Very drinkable.

draft @ obriens - poured a darker golden color...very floral and herbal aroma with a quick sharp bitterness with a strong herb and pine flavor.

Fresh growler straight from the brewery. An old favorite of mine from my San Diego days, Pure Hoppiness pours the color of a copper penny with a foamy white head that dissipates and thins quickly. The first whiff is classic San Diego IPA style - big piney hops with danky floral notes. Taste is smooth and clean with lots of grapefruit and pine punching your tongue around. There’s a nice caramel malt in the background to help balance things out a little and make it very drinkable. Mouthfeel is medium with a smooth, clean and lightly resinous finish. Overall, one of the more sessionable IIPAs I’ve had the pleasure of drinking. I used to drink a lot of this and only wish I had easier access to this gem nowadays. There’s a reason it’s one of the IIPAs that made SD famous.

On tap @ 5th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest poured a clear golden yellow with a small lasting white head. Aromas of pine, citrus and light carmel. Palate was light bodied and dry. Flavors of grapefruit, light pine and a hint of carmel with a lingering bitter finish.

sampled on tap at the 5th Boulder Strong Ale Fest. pours clear golden with white head. pnw hop nose, grapefruits, pretty balanced ipa that i could drink a lot of.3.7.

22oz bottle. ’08 vintage. fresh. pours clear a bit dark golden with white head. nose is citrusy, grassy, with a bit of honey dew melon. flavors are crisp light and citrusy with is pleasantly sharp and cutting through the palate, a bit grassy, some melon. a biscuity and cookie malt backbone meets the hop character halfway. a metallic finish. this is nice ipa but nothing special and considering it is from California, well, there are far better examples from that state alone. 3.6.

A nice murky golden appearance with an aroma of pine and slight citrus, A very tasty pine bitter hop taste without going over the top. Smooth on the palate. Not alot of complexity or staying power on the finish. overal a well above average DIPA.

Hmmm. Tried on tap a the Liars Club in San Diego. Strong hoppy smell good size head. A touch too much carbonation, I probably should have let it set and get a little warmer. Of course a very hoppy beer, but not overly bitter. It just needs more sweetness to compliment the hops. I’ve being spoiled by Pliny the Younger, sigh.