Firestone Walker Double Jack IPA

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Paso Robles, California USA

Tap @ Bailey’s Taproom... Poured into snifter an amber/dark orange with a bubbly, white head. Intense aroma of big hops. Thick, syrupy palate, a big bomb of hops and alcohol heat. Some malt grains to balance, but an overall, sweet, boozy quality to the brew. Some herbal tea leaves with a giant hop bitterness to the finish.

On tap @ Toronado. Pours a clear copper color with a small white head. Quite a hoppy, herbal aroma. Tasty, hoppy body; very herbal with hints of pine and malt. Bitter, but refreshing. Tasty!

Fantastic DIPA that deserves regular rotation. First, let’s get the Union Jack comparison out of the way. Double Jack is smoother with more sweet caramel malt and hoppier with quite a bit more fruit flavor. On to the review... Double Jack pours a bright orange-yellow without much in the way of head, but it’s always difficult to judge head when the beer is too cold and on tap. The aroma is simply wonderful. It’s a blast of candied pine, tangerines and grapefruit rind. The sweet malt is noticeable, but the hops are clearly the focus. The flavor is rich with hops, much like the aroma. The malt backbone provides good sweetness. It’s well-balanced on my scale of DIPAs, anyway, which is to say not balanced but not quite as bitter as some. The flavor also imparts some other fruit flavors, apricots, peaches, other lighter stone fruits. I found the fruit flavors more varied and fuller than nearly any other DIPA I’ve tried. The feel is round and strong without any cloying sweetness or bitter astringency. Drinkability is quite good for the size and style.

Wow! Beautiful clear orange color with a moderate-light pale head. Heavy citrus aroma, and a really hoppy, fruity, citrus flavor. Quite drinkable for the high ABV, and very well balance. Excellent.

A very nice iipa. Clear orange with a fizzy white head. Big grapefruit aroma and taste with a goodbitter bite and notes of caramel oak and vanilla.

on tap at the Ojai Bev Co. Excellent brew with twice the bite as the regular union jack. Love this beer.

On tap at Pizza Port Solana Beach, after attempting to get a pint at Toronado the night before. Pours a toasted gold color with a small frothy white head. Aroma is mild potpourri with citrus and crisp hops. Very nice. Flavor shies away from the aroma, not in strength but in character, as I expected a much more prominent pine needle overtone. Malt profile is well balanced underneath, with a moderately thick body. Finish is characterized by short-lived grapefruit and medium bitterness.

At Naja’s Place on Tap Appearance: Pours a vibrant golden amber with a 1/8 inch of off white foam. Aroma: Light whiffs of pine and grapefruit. Taste: A large mouthful of grapefruit that is followed by a piney flowery mango blast finishing moderately bitter. Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. About the same viscosity as Union Jack. Overall: Way more balanced than I had anticipated. I wouldn’t have minded it being offensively hoppy, but it just wasn’t. A really great beer.