Drakes Denogginizer

Brewed by Drakes Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Leandro, California USA

A very good IIPA. A little deeper in color than some can be, and a little bread-y-ier than IIPAs can be. Malts were present more than some IIPAs, but this is a west-coast hop guy. The kicker for this guy was its lingering bitter aftertaste, which I enjoyed.

Draught at Najas Place. Pours clear light brown with an average, fizzy, white head, diminishing with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (caramel, nutty, bread), heavy hop (flowers, citrus, pine), average yeast (dough, sweat) with notes of candied fruit - peach, pear, apple. Full bodied, sticky texture, average carbonation, and a bitter-alcoholic finish. Long duration, moderate sweetness, heavy acidity and bitterness.

On tap at O’Briens. Slightly hazy toasted golden color, good carbonation, with a big frothy white head. Sappy aroma that evokes salivation, filled with heavy crystal malts, rumcake and grapefruit citrus. Malt shows more so on the aroma than the flavor. Awesome flavor that is mildly sweet, but well-balanced with orange peel, light mango and spicy hops bitterness. The finish oozes with resinous hop oils and a crisping note of pepper above the sweet malt. A big alcohol kick keeps it all in check for a Double IPA. Very, very good. This should be a regular on their tap list.

Tap at Naja’s IPA Fest. A nearly off-putting blood brown. Reminds me of a blend between an Imperial Red and a West COast Barley Wine: in other words, ’close but no cigar.’ Smells of tart hops and lightly biscuity malt and tastes very much the same. Lacks the citric quality I love and comes off rather English, though bold. Certainly de-noggins.

Bright aroma of oranges and grapefruits. Thick creamy thin white head on orange beer. Sharp bitter finish, but a lovely sweet malty body and a crisp citrus overtone. Awesome beer. Sampled at Naja’s IPA fest.

On tap at Dublin Irish Pub. Pretty damn good IIPA. Nose is piney, resinous and cannabis like. Flavor is slightly sweet, but gives into bitter. Ends on a sweet note. Notes of pine, resin, and grapefruit. Pours amber with white head. Some hints of cannabis in this one.

Draft at Toronado, SF. Aroma was good, sweeter on the flavor than the Pliny my brother had. A good chunk of caramel malt but far more balanced than the Jupiter Quasar I had the night before. I would love to see Drakes Hop Salad again, that was a killer DIPA.

(on tap @ toronado)dark ruby red body with a light head.aroma/flavor is pine.citrus hops with some caramel malts.kinda light on the hops for a double ipa for me.