Beer Valley Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Ale

Brewed by Beer Valley Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Ontario, Oregon USA

Yes I think I didn’t like this. I didn’t like it a lot. In fact I was pissed that some one was allowed to make and sell a beer this bad. Leafer Sadness : (

Cute name. Ok beer. Aroma is interesting and sort of bursts out of the glass with some citrus. Medium sweetness and a nice caramel malt body. The finish is all citrus grapefruit. There is an extra tanginess in the flavor that reminds me a lot of an orange peel. Cloudy orange color with a foamy white head.

Cool name for a beer I must say. The beer pours out a cloudy orange color, medium sized thick white head with minimal retention. Aroma is citrusy, but it has a big malt profile to keep it balanced. Not really how I personally like my IIPA’s to be. I like the hops to be the star, but in this beer it’s a double feature of hops and malt. Flavor thick with caramel malts, with grapefruits showing up about mid-palate and a lingering unrefined bitterness. I think for me the sweetness is a bit too much which takes away the beauty of the hops. Alcohol content would say an IIPA. A few percentages less, and this would pass as a nice IPA.

Cask @ Horse Brass Pub... Poured a vibrant, hazy orange with a thick, white head. Aroma of grapefruit and hops, very sweet with a grassy or honeydew character. Smooth, soft palate that ended dry and a little foamy in texture -- the cask condition really did wonders for this one. Big hops and sweet malts. Well balanced with a caramel and a little vanilla that accented the bitterness.

On tap at the cold and wet 2009 NABA. Pours a cloudy orange color with a large white head. A nice aroma of rich caramel and hops. A similar taste of rich caramel malts, smooth and easygoing pine and citrus hops. Very nice. No alcohol noticed. Easygoing and enjoyable.

Sampled from cask tap. Didn’t seem anywhere near as hoppy as I’d have expected. Warming and smooth maltiness.

This double IPA, out of a 22oz bottle, poured a hazy orange color with a minimal white head. The head left a decent amount of sticky lacing aroud the glass. The nose featured some notes of pine, grapefruit and hops, but was not overwelming like other West Coast IIPAs. The body was a lot lighter than I expected, and the flavors weren’t as intense, either. The body didn’t have that intesinty that I have come to expect from a double IPA. The hop presence wasn’t that great, neither was the malty balance. I have to say that I’m very disappointed in this double IPA.

Poured a hazy orange color with a big ricky white head that stayed around forever. A lot of good lacing on this beer. Aroma was citrus and pine with some good malt character. Flavor was nicely hopped, but was super bitter on the back. And not a good bitter. The malt kind of kicked through at the very backend of this beer as well, but was kind of sticky. Not the best Imperial IPA I’ve had.