Foothills Seeing Double IPA

Brewed by Foothills Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA

On tap at Westville Pub in West Asheville. Pours a nice reddish brown color with a quickly receding tan head. Body was a little hazy. Aroma was fabulous, sweet, citrus fruity, and some alcohol. Flavor, was impressively hoppy, though bordering on the harsh side (as the beers tend to, I suppose). It wasn’t as full-bodied as the Rogue for example. If you like this beer, though, you’ll *really* like Terrapin’s Big Hoppy Monster. I think this is the first IIPA I’ve tried from NC. I think Natty Greene’s has one though.

Once poured into the pint glass, the aroma escapes and pervades the environment....I could drink it in from a foot away....very nice, but a closer inspection is required....ah, spank me! Fresh, vibrant hops, juicy fruit, melon and berry more than citrus as usual, brilliant bitterness, but not raw, ...very potent...beautiful. I did this backwards, for I usually begin by describing the appearance, but the aroma grabbed me first, so here’s that, then....hazed vermilllion, nearing orange, edging magenta...good head, that stays awhile before dissipating. Taste...I got a sneak peek as it soaked into my mustache while I snorted up the aroma, and, alas, I had no recourse, but to drink it, and I think I liked it okay, but here’s the sippin’ for real... Big, brash, and bitter, a bold mammajamma. Quickly establishes dominance of the palate, takes hold of the senses and never lets go. Dark fruits aplenty, but also an excellent ballast of sweet malt, doing it’s job well. Very sweet, and utterly substantial, with profoundly candyish elements to the taste, matching the bitterness well. This is a big flavored beer, in hops and in general tastiness, as well as the booze factor, and the raises it’s hand to be heard also...Really edgy this, ....I’m getting the name now, as my grip on my own senses seems likely to falter if I partake in too much this night... Great Googly Moogly, this is a barnburner of a barleywinish IPA...supremely delicious, and devilishly drinkable. Full bodied, almost thick, sturdy, hangs in there with aplomb, and the finish is interminable, fruity, bitter, tasty...for those who demands performance in their IPAs...dang if this don’t do the job! I could keep on drinking it...to a point. The fullness and extremeness and the alcohol volume are enought to dissuade over-imbibement. Beyond that, though, I can’t think of a good reason to put down this growler...except that I won’t have such a tip-top morning.

Growler. Pours a cloudy dark caramel orange with a small beige head. Aroma of tangerine, caramel malts and faint pine. Taste is dominated by tangerine citrus with hints of caramel malts and a bit of pine. Very hoppy and Very tasty. Alcohol is well hidden. Excellent !!

From notes 10/14/05: Pours a hazy, unfiltered golden orange color. Glowing. Creamy beige head lasts for just a short while and I’m left with a just a thin ring of single-file bubbles around the edge. Lacing is spotty with wet loose conglomerations of foam oozing down the glass. Aromas smack you hard. Juicy citrus and pine. Fantastic scents that blow me away. I find myself sitting there and inhaling deeply for minutes on end before even drinking it. Wow. I love this aroma. Flavors give a good wallop of bitterness to the palate. A bready malt base gives a firm foundation. Layer upon layer of hop cones are built upon that. Citrus, pine, and oils all coat the tongue and peel away a coat of enamel from the teeth. Voracious bitterness lingers. Hop burps are divine. Solid mouthfeel and an intense drinkability for the hophead. 9.5% and 100+ IBU? Sign me up. Great beer.

Draught at the brewpub. Hazy light brown color with tan head that laced the glass. Cotton candy, flowery hop nose and flavor. Slightly sweet with bitter finish. Very good beer.

I can’t tell you enough how much I LOVE this beer. to sip slowly and enjoy, too F&%$ you up in a pint-minute, to drink more than one as your beer of choice for the night. mmm, mmm, good! yes! Beautiful solid colored sunset golden tan brown,orange and pink-amber hue with little to no white head that dissipates quickly and fails to lace. wonderful pine, grapefruit, citrus and light hop aroma. Solid mouthfeel throughout. Tastes of plentiful hops, grapefruit, orange and other citrus, pine in the background. well balanced bitterness and sweetness with definetely a bready/yeasty undertone. touch of alcohol too. Since I don’t like overly hoppy IPA’s, even though this one packs a hoppy punch, the balance of citrus and sweetness and earthy pine masks and highlights the hoppiness perfectly. drink this one with caution. you’ll want more than one and come back for more and be drunk before you even know it.

Growler, fresh from brewery. Pours a deep opaque orange-amber with a thick, long lasting, creamy off-white head, which leaves nice sticky lacing. Though I’ve had this many times, this time the aroma jumps out as fruity, flowery and winey, like a chardonnay. Great sharp, sappy citrus hop aroma with some sweet malts far in the background. Delicious citrus hopjuice flavor, but with plenty of balance and hardly any alcohol; quite a feat given the ABV. Medium full bodied and smooth, with moderate, soft carbonation. Balances prickly bitter, but not overly so. Super DIPA; one of my favorites.

Appearance: Pours a highly appealing, radiant golden-orange color. The bulky, creamy white head leaves plenty of lace on the way down. Smell: The pungent smell of this brew really packs a wallop! The aroma is quite fragrant, showcasing a juicy endless array of zesty citrus and pine scents. Taste: The colossal malt base is more than a match for the monster hop flavors. It’s like Malthra and Hopzilla duking it out in my mouth for palate supremacy. I dare say this one’s a tie! The rich caramal malt flavor is splendid, as is the robust lemon and pineapple hop flavor it balances. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with a mild carbonation and oh-so creamy. Drinkability: Incredibly drinkable. I went back for seconds! No joke!