Butte Creek Organic Revolution X 10th Anniversary Imperial IPA

Formerly brewed at Butte Creek Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Chico, California USA

Bottle; pours a murky amber color; medium tan head. Aroma of caramel malt, toffee, and grapefruit. Strong grassy hop finish. Slightly oily on the palate with some astringency. Flavor up front was caramel and toasted malt. Definitely nothing special, and it was rather tame and bland for the style.

22 oz. bottle - Pours a hazy amber color with a 3/4 finger thick light tan head. Very light spotty lacing. Aroma is citrus, pine, and sweet cookie dough. Flavor is sweet toasted malt and citrus hops. Nice balance. Fairly smooth. Medium body. A nice IPA. The best organic beer I’ve tried so far.

Sampled May 2007
Hazy, dark amber color; frothy, barely two-finger thick, tan colored head. Aroma of thick caramel malt, sweet citrus, toffee, chewy-browned bread, brown sugar, tangerine, bergamot, orange peel. Really quite malty smelling.

Like aroma suggests, quite thick and chewy, perhaps not quite a modern Barleywine, but it is certainly when compared to many of the first craft versions of. Sweet caramelized malt sugars, but well tempered by hop bitterness and flavors. The bitterness starts almost up front and continues through to a long, lingering, astringent, green hop bitterness. Malt sweetness accentuates candied orange peel note, concentrated apricot, and lots of sweet grapefruit notes. This beer is really hugely hoppy, yet it has a massive malt presense underneath that is still struggling to come through the hop notes. It does come through, but really in the end plays a supporting role.

This beer almost has a hop burn to it at times; it can be raw and aggressively hoppy, especially in the finish. The beer is a bit too thick to be an IPA (even a double one), but that is just a personal opinion. This is a huge, aggressive beer; Butte Creek is really out to change the perception, or even raise the level, of organic brews here in the US. I definitely like where this is going, even if I think this beer is perhaps a bit too much.

Pours a copper color with a white head. Aroma is aged malts, a hint of hops. Flavor is malty caramel, and a grassy bitter finish.

Bottle: Pours copper with a white head. Aroma, floral and citrus notes, some pine. Flavor, pale and caramel malts up front leading to a citrus, piny finish, a good bit of bitterness finishes it off. Tasty stuff.

Bottle. Nice hoppy aromas of orange, spruce and flowers with a light caramel and broth smell. Dates and just a slight soy sauce note are in the background. Color is a clear copper and the head is perfect; rocky, off white, excellent lacing and is mostly lasting. There are some tiny floaties as well. Taste lacks balance and fullness, but other than that it’s pretty good. Flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter to start and lightly tart and moderately bitter in the long finish. Medium bodied, oily in texture and soft in the carbonation . It finishes just a touch astringent. Pretty good for an organic beer, and I feel healthier after just one 22 ouncer.

Bottle. Nose is resiny citrus hops with hints of malty sweetness. Dark orange beer with a bubbly but quick dissipating head. Definitely not a hop bomb, mild bitterness for the style. There is a nice balance, though, between the dryness in the palate and the sweetness of the flavor. It’s hearty enough to be drinkable, but not comparable to anything successful in the style.

Probably one of the best organic beers I’ve had. Nice citrusy hop nose with a balanced aroma of malt sweetness. Excellent mouthfeel, very lively carbonation. Not the the sticky monsters that I’m used too. Clean finish that doesn’t linger too long. An earthy hop stays on the tongue but does not wear out it’s welcome. Enough alcohol to bolster the flavor but not enough to clear your sinuses.