Fitgers 1713 Triple IPA

Whoa, cheers to Fitger’s, this growler was filled all the way to the top. ALL the way! Lightly hazed, pale peach appearance, thin white head. Juicy citric aroma, grapefruit and pine resin, quite a mess of hops at play here, very intriquing... Hoo daddy, this is a bitter bastard once it storms the palate, tossing the tartness around like a monkey let loose with a paint can. Thick mouthfeel, complex array of fruity associations, but dominated by bitterness. Not for the weak of mouth! Damn, I’m liking this brutally bitter beast! There’s just enough malt, and not too much alcohol that this doesn’t resemble any of those blisteringly hoppy, yet irristibly tasty double-IPAs they keep creating out on the West Coast,(and also on the Third and East Coasts, now and then) but with the incredible amount of hop varieties and staggering number of additions, it becomes a super-IPA, rendered in a manner most unique. Full-bodied, with an interminal finish, unrelenting, unrepentent bitter blasts. Damnably delicious, utterly fantastic, memorable, to say the least. I’ll stop rambling now, and just enjoy...and dream of one day trying some other Fitger’s IPAs, someday...sigh...

My visit it was listed as 1715 and was told it was 17 hop varieties and 15 additions - that pretty much sums up this beast of the North Shore. On-cask at the brewpub 6/16/05: An emense yellowy froth of silky whipped proportions sits atop a beautifully cascading, up-running waterfall, creating an active orange sherbert along the top half before finally settling to its hibernating state of dark golden orange haze. Big droppings and droopings of foam stick to the sides in stringy laced patterns as crumbles. Keeps a largely set murk of milky cereal the whole way dwon the glass. Umm...it looks fuckin’ awesome! Hefty citrus aroma of peels all up in your face. Tons of lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, and tropical nuances create a lotion of creamy hop nectar thats fresher then fresh. Big and leafy, sticky and resinous. Lord have mercy on me for what’s to come... Holy hop juice Batman! This stuff is juic-sey! Big on the orange flavors with fluffy tangerine skins, dryish grapefruit, and one solid bite of bitterness from some interwoven pine sap and dry lime dust tartness. Very complex when you get into it. Beyond comprehension really. So many juicy things squeezing every ounce of flavor out of the hops its ridiculously mind boggling and hop heavenly pleasing. The malts are there; toasted and raw with a bit of a husk associated breadyness. Touches of nuts and oatmealy sweetening too. But this is way before, and in non essentail details to what the hops bring to the table. Loved the orange/lime tang and tartness this created as it surged across the tongue. Juicy and hoppy, big, and favorably brash in all its glory with a massive warm body of full stature. Billowing with eagerness to fulfill every citrus you’ve ever encountered and in its freshest way. Oh my was this stuff amazing! So damn good but hard to pass through the throat. Wow, there’s alot to take in here. This stuff really raises the eyebrows and slows the mind. It took a good long while to finish a full pint, but it was worth every minute. Something I’ve grown accustomed to now with these hop brutes at Fitger’s.

Murky light brown color with a medium head. Floral and citrus aroma. Woah. More citrus and pine in the taste with a healthy blast of bitterness riding an undercurrent of malt. Damn fine IPA.

Hazy Golden Brown Coloring with Good Creamy Head. Ctirus and Lucrative Hop Aroma. Thick, Creamy Mouthfeel. Wonderful Balance of Hops, With Light Citrus and Piney Notes. A Little Sweet, Like Hard Candy. Decent Warming. Highly Drinkable and Overall Subtle For the Hops Powerhouse You Presume it to Be. One of the Better Double IPA’s I’ve Had.

Clear dark golden pour. Copious white head with sheets of excellent thick lacing. Super fruity and piney aroma, backed with strong floral. Sharp, piquant, acidic flavors, but too bitter for me and not with much depth. Leaves a butterscotch flavor on palate. Alcohol is very noticable, especially in the nose.