Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

Dark hazy copper-bronze. Good sized off-white rocky head, leaves nice lace. Aroma is strange, a bit metallic. I picked up notes of kafir limes, lemon, grapefruit, and bitter orange, nuts, spruce/juniper, coriander, pepper, bitter herbs, and lots of chemically alcohol. Taste, however, was very good, with a big hit of sprucy hops, flowers, grapefruit and pepper over a solid background of toasted caramelly malt, buttery toffee, espresso and bready yeast. Fresh on the palate, very dry with a hefty bitter finish.

Purchased at Siciliano’s in Grand Rapids, MI. Pours a really nice looking dark amber color with a one finger head that settles to almost no cap. Despite the head fading almost completely away there’s quite a bit of lacing. Smell; slightly herbal with notes of oranges and pine trees. There’s also a distinct malt presence in the aroma. Really nice. Taste; the hops hit at first with the citrus and resiny pine, but it’s not over the top like a lot of DIPAs. There’s a really solid sweet malt backbone to this that I’m really enjoying. I get no alcohol bite in the flavor, but there is a definite warming after a few sips. This is one of the more balanced DIPAs that I’ve had so far. Mouthfeel is medium bodies and slightly oily from the hop oils. I’ve had other Arcadia beers in the past, and while not bad, I wouldn’e seek them out. As for this one, I wish I had picked up more than just this one when I had the chance.

22oz bottle. Pours cloudy dark amber in color with light brown head. Aroma spice and floral hops. Taste of grapefruit and citrus hops and with bitter after taste. Alcohol is well hidden.

Muddy brown with fair, creamy beige head / Dry pine and citrus nose / Medium body, some sweetness, malty, but with good hop balance, and good finish / Flavors of dry pine, grapefruit, malt, cocoa, and caramel / If my notes are to be believed, this beer has improved radically since last year.

Sampled at Cellar’s Wine & Spirits IPA Nite in St Paul, MN. Pours a hazy copper/amber brew with a thin off-white head. Aroma has grapefruit, black pepper, some tropical fruit and piney hops. Taste is moderately sweet, thick and almost raisin like character. Finish is dry hops and some pine aftertaste. A good quality IPA.

bottle. Poured out a nice glowing amber color, light head, quickly fading. Floral hop aroma, fresh and crisp. delightful taste of quality hops and malts, well balanced in lots of ways. Excellent finish. One of the top IIPA.

On draft at Donnely’s, Fairport, NY. A huge noseful of hops on initial sniff. The hops are good, but what is even better is the malts. More balanced than most imperial DIPA’s. The alcohol is a bit weak for a double - in my opinion they should range from 9%-12%. Great beer, and what a bargain at $4 a 16oz draft. Good stuff.

22oz Bottle. A hazy amber color body with a lasting fluffy offwhite head, streeks of lacing down my tulip galss. Aroma is nice and hoppy,having a good mix of citrus and pine notes with some herbal hints and maybe a little honey. Flavor is toasty with some sweet caramel malt and a citrus/pine resin hop flavor, a little earthy, very balanced. A nice crisp clean mouthfeel with just the right amount of carbonation. A resiny floral aftertaste, alcohol is well hidden. A very easy drinker, with a flavor and aroma that keep you taking sip after sip. Nice job Arcadia