Defiant Double IPA

Brewed by Defiant Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Pearl River, New York USA

Verre de dégustation, provenant d’une bouteille de 750 ml, dégusté au festival Flaveurs, Bières et Caprices 2008 (Montréal, QC). Arôme: Odeur d’agrumes avec une pointe de caramel très fruitée. Apparence: La couleur est orange voilée. Présence d’un mince col mousseux et d’une fine dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût d’agrumes avec une pointe d’épices et de caramel. Durée moyenne de l’arrière goût. Palette: Le corps est moyen avec une texture légèrement huileuse. Moyenne effervescence en bouche. Légère présence d’agrumes en arrière goût. (Rating #2092)

Pours a deep caramel color and overall is very similar to the Golden Nugget. It has a hoppy citrus aroma. The taste was too heavy for me and a little more bitter then I was expecting. Overall it was good but too hard to drink a growler of.

Taster at The Mondial de la biere 08 in Montreal. The color is honey with a beige head.The taste is sweet of caramel that is not what a double I.P.A. should be. You do find somw bitterness in the end, but not overwhelming.

[1450-20080531] Bottle. Bit of lemon orange hops and grainy orange malt aroma. Hazy, dark orange body with a medium-lasting foamy off-white head. Lemon orange hops and tasty grainy malt flavour. Smooth medium body. Nice, repeatable, drinkable.
(@ Mondial; Montreal, QC)

In short: A different fluffy malted IIPA. Disapointing.
How: Bottle. Sample at Mondial de la Bière 2008
The look: Cloudy orange body topped by a large off-white head
In long: Nose is caramel and rather fruity with citrus fruits upfront. The beer is very yeasty and has a lot of caramelized malts. The whole thing ends-up feeling like a sticky crème caramel. Alcohol is apparent. Fluffy body. Yeasty fruity notes of bananas and citrus. Not quite enough hops to balance it off. Finish has an unpleasant alcohol bite. Certainly not refreshing or highly drinkable, a bit all over the place. A big disappointment after drinking their Tripel. Comparing this below average IIPA and their excellent Tripel is like, you know, comparing a below average IIPA and an excellent Tripel.

Good aroma of hops, but not what i would expect in a DIPA. Flavour is more malty than hoppy i found, the hops for some reason seem subdued. A decent DIPA< but would benefit from some more hops to create a better balance.

Objectively speaking: A strong IPA with a rather dusty, phenolic Belgian yeast.
I like: Effective aromatic hops. Alcohol level kept under control. Long-lasting spectacular white head.
I dislike: More or less balanced, certainly not very elegant. The yeast strain is highly doughy and a bit medicinal, diminishing the brightness of the ensemble. More cleanliness would make it better, but it remains highly enjoyable, just a bit dusty.

2008-05-31. Murky orange amber body with a large frothy cream/beige coloured head. End of the bottle sample may have contributed to the high level of haze. Lightly funky grass and straw notes in the aroma, muddled citrus. Similar flavour profile, interesting fruit/hoppy citrus, pleasant moderate bitterness throughout. (7+) Average to medium palate. Probably deserves a return visit. Pleasant. Bottle, Mondial, Montreal, Thanks DuctTape