Carolina 11th Anniversary Imperial IPA

Brewed by Carolina Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Holly Springs, North Carolina USA

Name: 11th Anniversary
Date: 03/18/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

Appearance: clear dark amber, wispy white head, drippy lace,
Aroma: earthy hop aroma with slightly sweet caramel malt,
Body: sticky sweet body,
Flavor: lots of bitter hop flavor, caramel malts add some balance, only a hint of sweetness,
-------- /> Name: 11th Anniversary
Date: 03/15/2008
Mode: bottle
Source: tasting
Score: 3.1 to 3.5

Aroma: sweet crystal and pine aroma with extra caramel sweetness,
Flavor: big sweet malt flavor with sticky caramel and crystal malt, candy sweetness, lots of hops for balance, touch of hot caramel,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

(12oz bottle, bottled 6/28/06, thanks wilkie) Medium beige head atop cloudy copper body. Aroma is moderately sweet, pine, grapefruit, caramel, cookie, light lemon peel. Taste is moderately sweet, grapefruit, caramel, pine, some cantaloupe, floral, cookie, alcohol. Resiny, medium-full body, light acidity. Not as fresh as I’d like from an IIPA, but there’s still plenty of hoppiness, and I seem to have gotten a fuller maltiness than people who had it earlier.

Pours a transparent copper bronze with a well-lacing frothy off-white head. Aroma of lightly sweet pale malt with a touch of earthy piny hops. Body starts fairly full, caramely malty and sweet with a touch of earthy cardboardy, slightly oxidized notes toward a crisp finish. A pretty decent imperial IPA that would be better if it were fresher.

Poured a hazy amber color with a medium off-white head. Nice citrus hop forward aroma with a strong caramel malt base. Mix of aged caramel malt and piney hops for flavor. Moderate bitterness on the finish with some alochol warmth. Semi-dry and medium-full body.

Bottle courtesy of ucusty. Pours a hazy orange-amber with an average size lasting frothy off-white head. Nice hoppy aroma (resiny & piney) backed by caramel malt. Flavour of resiny hops, caramel malt, light alcohol and a long bitter finish. Well balanced. Medium bodied. pretty good stuff, I’d get this again for sure.

Bottle from OldGrowth. Thanks! Poured a clear dark orange color. The head was thick and off white with excellent retention and lacing. The aroma was dominated by caramel. There were also whiffs of citrusy hop, pineapple, and hay. Medium bodied and slightly sweet with moderate hop bitterness of about 6 out of 10. Tasted of caramel, toffee, sprucy hop, and dry toasted bread. Good stuff.

12oz via trade with OldStyleCubFan. Needed something late night to mellow my brain. Porus a really nice orange with a 1 finger tan head. Nose is sweet floral and very citrussy, certainly east coast. Taste is sweet and full of citrus. Overall a tasty Impy IPA not quite as big as I like em in flavor or alc but served its purpose right now.

This beer is all about the hops, and the hop aroma and flavor are powerful well done. There is a good malt base to the beer, which contains sugar and some fruit, but the hops shine through with lots of bitterness and some floral, citrus flavors. Cloudy and full bodied.