Bend Hop Head Imperial IPA

Brewed by Bend Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Bend, Oregon USA

GABF05 (one of my first stops): Nice orange hue; fluffy head. Creamy and very rich texture. Flavorful malts really seemed to linger in the back of the throat. Pleasant amount of noticeable yeast. Notes of tangerine, spruce tips, and sweet grapefruit. Moderate bitterness. Nothing sharp or over the top. Just rich and flavorful and balanced. Really nice beer.

on tap at OBF 2005, on tap at the brewpub, on tap at GABF 2005. This is the best double IPA ever made. I tasted this side-by-side with Pliny the Elder at GABF and was blown away by how much better this one hides the alcohol%, how much less overbearing the hops are in this. This is a double IPA for non-hopheads (despite the name). Pleasant citrus and herbal aroma blend into a nice medium bodied flavor of great hops. However, no huge lingering bitterness. No unpleasant overpowering aftertaste. If you can ship me bottles of this beer when it comes out in November, I will compensate you considerably.

On tap at the Sasquatch Brewfest 05. Pours a clear orange with a tall off-white head. Tons of big fruity citrus hops in the aroma. Nice caramel malts up front, but they get quickly rocked by the big hop finish. Nice crisp finish with a lighter body and not excessive bitter finish.

Golden colour with slight haze. No shock - lots of resiny hop notes and crystal malt as per the style archetype. Thankfully, the attenuation is respectable and the body thus leaner than many examples of the style. I prefer this (disagreeing with Jordan, apparently). The finish leans I think a little more to the malt, though it’s hardly a doppelbock. It’s just that the finish is only slightly hoppy but fairly chewy.

Sampled draught at Bend Brewing Company, Bend
Light hazy copper, thin head. Nose of ant hill amounts of simco or cascade, very piney & earthy & citrusy at the same time. Very awesome nose. The flavor is also well acclimated to the hop essence, low alcohol threshold but watery finish. Moderate body too, like .002 higher FG would do this wonders.

Amber and murky. Big off white head. Aroma is dominated with hops but also brings out some citrus with a good swirl. Thick body with lots of hops and some malt balance. Nice hoppy bitter finish.

Cloudy dark amber. Nice lacing and head. Strong hops. Mango, orange, and bitter. Good malts. Mongoes again with a great prevailing bitterness. The malts hold their own against the hops. Nicely done with a great hop blend at the end.