Barrel House Boss Cox Double Dark IPA

Brewed by Barrel House Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Cincinnati, Ohio USA

22 oz bomber. Deep brown colour with a creamy tan head. Big, bright hop aroma with loads of grapefruit, pine and a spicy resinousness as well. Soft chocolatey maltiness in addition to some rich cookie-dough and caramel malts. A it warms, the chocolate and caramel become more apparent. Flavour is excellent, sweet toasted caramel, toffee and dark chocolate. A bit of stewed fruit mid-palate with more rich spicy hops on the back. Moderate bitterness with a lingering alternation of chocolate and hops. One of only a few of these "india dark ales" I’ve had, and just like the last one, it’s a combination that I really enjoy.

A rich transparent reddish brown, it generates a very thick and fluffy tan head when poured. Aroma is strong and hoppy, with a hint of spice and a touch of molasses. Flavor is mainly hoppy but surprisingly the bitterness level is low; there is a hint of sweetness. Texture is very smooth, and aftertaste has nice mix of hop bitterness and treacle-like sweetness.

3/06/2007 at Frie’s Cafe with illinismitty... Dark, somewhat murky, amber color with a thick, beige head. Aroma of citrus (orange) hops and sweet malt. The flavor was a complex blend of sweet, caramel malt (some chocolate undertones at times), and citrus (orange/grapefruit) hops. Not overly bitter, but there is a really nice blend of malt and hops overall. The malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness are in near perfect harmony. This beer has a medium to full body, is slightly heavy on the palate, and is quite smooth with an almost creamy quality to it. Boss Cox Double Dark IPA is very impressive offering from Barrel House. I really liked this beer and could drink pint after pint of this (very sessionable). I hope this wonderful beer eventually finds its way into bottles... 16 oz draught. Rating: 7 3 8 4 17 = 3.9.

Cask: Enjoyed at the first ever Cincinnati RateBeer Gathering on 3/23/2007 at Dilly Deli... This really is a killer IPA in both the regular offering and the especially the cask-conditioned version. The pour is an opaque and murky orange-tinted brown color with a dense, creamy tan head. The aroma is extremely juicy and overflowing with madarin orange and citrus with some earthy and pine undertones. The flavor has a nice caramel and maple malt base with loads of madarin orange, pineapple, and other citrus hop flavors on top. The bitterness is pretty subdued, but beautifully balanced with the other flavors and underlying sweetness. This beer has a medium-full body with an amazing soft, smooth, creaminess to it making it the most drinkable beer I think I have ever had! The aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel on this beer a just wonderful and make it worthy of a 4+ rating (in my opinion). I’ve heard that BarrelHouse is going to bottle Boss Cox Double Dark IPA soon and I am really looking forward to it... 16 oz draught.

22oz bottle bought in Kentucky. This is a style that I’d think more prevalent, but I suppose it is a tad oxymoronic. Unassuming, non-aroma. Dark, cloudy brown amber color. The taste is quite mellow for the ABV, with the dark malt complementing the alcohol and hops quite well. Some chocolate toffee notes. Not overly aggressive with the hops, the dry hopping seems to add just the right balance. Great beer, recommended.

Tried on growler from Party Town. Pours a deep dark amber with a thin white head. Aroma is sweet, with citrus and dark fruits. The flavor is very malty for an IPA, it also is sweeter than expect. The finish is bitter and hoppy though. A very good beer worth trying.

Date: 04/26/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Rich O’s

takes two foaming glasses to make a pint, hazy dark ruby red, big dense beige head, drippy lace, light caramel malt aroma with light floral hops, creamy body, rich dark caramel malt flavor, lots of balancing earthy hops, munich malt adds sweetness, touch of chocolate adds character as it grows richer, lots of rich and complex malt flavor balanced by a combination of hops, long light bitter finish, very light dyactyl shows at the end to blend with the milk chocolate and add an English quality,
-------- /> Date: 08/04/2007
Mode: bottle
Source: roadtrip

a great hoppy chocolate IPA, no dyactyl, sweetness brings out the chocolate and gets a bit sticky after a while, well balanced by lots of hops, the next generation of the india brown ale style,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 4/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

From on tap at the 2006 "Taste of Cincinnati" festival - This one pours a dark brown liquid with a lasting tan head and a sweet (?) aroma. Tastewise, this one’s much more of a doppelbock than an IPA, although the hops are forward in the taste... interesting, and a good beer, but not a favorite.

Poured a clear deep red with an off-white head. The aroma was malt dominant with a good amount of caramel and fruits. Apples, raisins, and browned fruits. The flavor picks up the hops. Fruity and malty with some warmth. Tastes like a baby barleywine. I find it pretty tasty. Hoppy and mildly bitter finish. Medium to full body.