Blue Frog The Big DIPA

Brewed by Blue Frog Grog and Grill
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Fairfield, California USA

Cloudy yellow in color.. Citrus hops aroma... Alcohol is apparent in flavor, seems higher than the 8 percent advertised but seems to mellow after sipping it for a bit... Flavor is slightly bitter but alcohol dominates the bitterness... Palate isn’t overwhelmingly bitter... Average beer.

Pours a hazy apricot orange with a medium fluffy head that lingers for a moment. Aroma is of grapefruity hops and sweet malts. No booze detectable on the nose. Flavor is pretty sweet in a checmical sort of way. Kind of malt liquorish strangely; I can smell my own booze breath after the first drink... Flavor is not nearly as hoppy as anticipated. Metallic and astringent finish; Household cleaning agents. Not a great flavor which is sad because I really expected to like this one; I was thinking "Why is this rated so low?" to myself before I tasted. Flavor aside, mouthfeel is decent, not great, just par. I really have to emphasize again how malt liquorish this is. Tastes really cheap, like something the corner wino would like. Not trying to be a hater, just that I can now see why this is rated so low for a DIPA. Overall, fair.

Poured hazy yellow with a white head. Aroma of lemons and oranges. Flavor was mostly citrus with some pine hints. Kind of a harsh finish.

Corked 750ml bought at lees discount liquor in Vegas. Was expecting alot more here folks. A sad copper color appeared with lots of head and little to expel the benefits of a good ipa. Whats so good about this brew besides uncorking it???

Local corked 75cl bottle. Good DIPA but nothing special. Well balanced with copious amounts of malt in the aroma and flavour. Enough hops to keep it interesting but certainly not a hop bomb. Good intro to the style but I think there are some DIPA’s out there that are easy drinking and still have a strong hop drive.

Confused by the poor ratings. Did we just get a good bottle? Perhaps people are rating this against other Imperial IPAs and not on its own merit. Sure, it’s not as ridiculously hoppy as some of the other Imperial IPAs, but it is a well-balanced and delightful beer with a great color, head and mouthfeel. Hops are restrained, but still significant. We visited the restaurant and weren’t super impressed, but this beer is outstanding if you don’t try to compare it with others that take the style to extremes. Bought at Blue Frog Grog and Grill in December, 2008.

Strong cloudy golden body with a thick white head. Aroma of honey, potent grassy and piney hops tucked in with some malt and a bit of yeast. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong assertive malt matched with equally potent hops and a lot of yeast, sugars and some honey too. Aftertaste, strong and assertive - the hops are the most prevalent. Overall, a good beer - perhaps a bit too strong, but not overly so. I sampled this 75 cL bottle purchased from Lee’s Discount Liquor in Las Vegas, Nevada on 07-February-2009, sampled at home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia on 28-February-2009.

Manages to taste watery and really strong at the same time. No aroma or head, really bitter. Some nice cherry taste comes out at the end, but not enough to save it.