Anderson Valley 20th Anniversary Imperial IPA

Brewed by Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Boonville, California USA

A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a four-finger thick, off-white colored head that . The beer is a clear, lightly red tinged, rich amber color that shows an absolutely brilliantly clear, richly red hued copper color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of sweet citrus fruits, though it is a bit restrained for a Double IPA; notes of tangelo, kumquat, weak tangerine juice, and some tart star fruit. There is a touch of malt character here once you start to root around the nose; cracker like grain and perhaps a caramel at times is noticeable. The aroma really is a bit weak over all, though it is not bad.

The flavor is again extremely weak for a Double IPA, it has the hop character of a slightly hoppy Pale ale. It does have a bit more body than a Pale ale, though this is still drinkable; in fact this is one of the things they seem to have gotten right, as the body is pretty spot on for a Double IPA. This is of course hop dominated and the flavors remind me of washed out lychee, muted tangelo, orange juice as well as a vegetal hoppiness that really isn’t very appealing. The malt is incredibly clean here, which is not unexpected with this polished beer and the malt is actually subtle like it should be despite the lack of overt hoppiness here. This has some bitterness to it, it is fairly solid, though not overly aggressive for the style.

This is just a very disappointing beer, the hop character needs to be multiplied by at least two times before it will be worth trying again (for me at least).

Purchased: Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Very interesting, unique peach and citrus hop aroma. Rich malt and nice citrus hops in the flavor as well as rich malts seem to be marred by some buttery diacetyl.

As IIPAs go, this stands out. Very caramelly with noticeable malts, like Craftsman IPA as a dubs. Very clean at the same time, with a really insane balance of pine, resin and citrus in the hop quality. I have never had anything quite like it, just wish it was a bit brighter.

Tap @ Bailey’s Taproom... Poured clear orange with a white head. Aroma of hops and a little bit of skunked grains. Had a smooth palate and medium carbonation. A little bit of hop bitterness mixed with alcohol flavors... but pretty mellow for an imperial. Pretty edgy enough that I could feel it through my nasal system. Finished with malty and citrus hops.

Draft @ AVBC, Boonville, CA. Pours a deep golden color with a small off-white head. has a malty floral hoppy aroma with hints of pine and citrus. Sweetish malty bitter hoppy flavor with hints of pine and citrus. Has a sweetish malty bitter hoppy finish.

Bomber. Not much head and just a tad darker than their Hop Ottin. For a double ipa, I would say this is easy to drink. It is not huge on either the pine or citrus side of this style. It really only tastes a ’little’ stronger than the Hop Ottin. It could be a good introductory beer for people that are not used to big butt kicker dipa’s but on the mild side for me.

Bomber. Hazy amber with a moderate white head, mostly diminishing. Strong malt nose that reminds me more of an American Strong Ale than an IPA. Smells of Bactine, grain and pineapple. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter.The finish is lightly to moderately sweet and moderately bitter. Alcoholic aftertaste. Medium body with a thick texture that turns sticky. Chewy. Moderate carbonation. This lacks the crispness of a Dreadnaught or Hopslam. Too chewy. Too dirty. A mess.

Bottle from Roof Brothers in Paducah, KY. I enjoyed this after the Titans kicked some Colt ass! Pours a hazy amber orange with two finger off white head and spotty lacing. Decent retention. Hoppy aroma of tropical fruits. Medium bodied with a grainy mouthfeel. Flavor of toffee like pale malts countered by a faded grapefruit pine bitterness. Finished is yeasty and dry, with some lingering resin. Probably past it’s prime, but surprisingly still drinkable.