Bristol Edge City Double IPA

Pours a cloudy amber orange color, with a medium, frothy, light tan head. Smells of piney hops, butterscotch, dark malt, and grapefruit citrus. The flavor is almost barleywine-like, some bready yeast, piney, juicu hops, and a prfound bitterness in the finish and lingering aftertaste. Not a great double IPA, seems like it might have sit for too long, or it could just be not that good.

5-23-08 bottle
Cloudy orange with a good head. Smell is slightly medicinal and funky with some metallic hops. It tastes like this has been sitting on the shelf for about 3 years just waiting for someone to pick it up. Flavor is medicinal as well and a bit unfresh.

Bottle from a friend as a gift. Pours bright orange with a lasting head and some lacing. Smell is astringent, metallic, funky and lightly of feet. Taste is chalky, battery like metallic flavor and bad, odd, hops. I didn’t enjoy this one at all.

Three-in-one shampoos and six-bladed razors, step aside! Twenty-nine different varieties of hops in one beer, it must be some kind of record! Please read the sarcasm. Truthfully, I wouldn’t say Bristol chases gimmicks, but even without professional experience twenty-nine surely sounds excessive. Nonetheless, this double IPA is off to a good start. The thick yellowish cream forms spongy craters above while the dark and misty body below reminds of a harvest moon. Juicy, explosive, but deep, there’s a surprising balance among these hoppy scents. Sweetened ruby grapefruit and viscous pine sap form the prominent hop tandem. Gooey strings of caramel, luscious honey, it’s a sticky smell. Pleasant aromas of white chocolate, macadamia and vanilla lend subtle strokes of complexity. Finally, hints of musky white pepper, pineapple and strawberry add further enhancements. The flavor begins with a creamy hoppy popsicle flavor, which suggests "Hopsicles" would be a successful venture. I expected oppressive hops, but found instead a smooth bitterness that relies on well-structured malts. Soapy mango is the resurgent fruit component of this hop cocktail, added to the common pine, cedar and buttered toast. Residual bitterness is quenched by a finishing hit of honey leading to a biscuity aftertaste. My conclusion is that the premise has more to do with spring cleaning than genuine art. But I’ll be damned, Bristol has crafted the first Dadaist brew – and hey, it’s not bad. (11/05/07)

Hook up from beerandblues from some time ago. Sorry Matt couldn’t hold onto this anymore. As it is the hops are already a little subdued. Aroma is of slight molasses and piney hops (but those are faint). Flavor is medium bodied with a bit of an uninspired watery finish. Slight syrupy sweetness and bitter hop finish. Plum and red fruit flavors. Decent double but nothing to write home about. Should have had this a little more fresh I think so I’ll blame myself and not the brewer. How’s that for diplomatic. Pours a murky, cloudy, orange almost red color.