Golden Valley IPA VS Brut

Brewed by Golden Valley Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
McMinnville, Oregon USA

Other reviewers noted this beer as being skunky due to the clear bottle. Mine was not at all and was actually one of the freshest tasting beers I’ve ever had. I guess it all depends on the care taken by the bottleshop to store it properly. Also I purchased my bottle local to the source, in Oregon so it didn’t have to travel very far. Pours hazy amber with thin head. I was expecting more carbonation since it came out of a champagne bottle. Aroma is interesting, it is very dry and a bit yeasty. I can probably attribute this to the fact that I got the bottom half of the bottle, with the yeast dredges. Also some green aromas of pine, very fresh. Flavor is excellent, much better than the aroma. Some pine and pineapple citrus, very fresh- backed by biscuit flavors. Very complex flavor and not as one sided as IIPAs usualy are. Finishes slightly sweet with potent bitterness. Very nice.

750 ml clear bottle. Poured a slightly hazy medium orange color. Head wad thin and off white. Aroma was on the skunky side with whiffs of light caramel and burnt plastic. Slightly sweet on the tongue with moderate hop bitterness of 4 out of 10. Tasted of dried leaves, a bit of pineapple, and sprucy hops. Had promise, but the skunk was too much. Clear bottle???

Light copper body with a light khaki head. The aroma was old sock with bleu cheese and rotten apples. The taste was slightly sweet with some tangerines. The finish was woody. There were also flavors of pears and some toffee. Why put this in a clear bottle?

Skunky aroma. Golden orange and foamy head. Waxy flavors with a bitter finish.

750 ml bottle poured a hazy golden amber with a small diminishing ivory head. Aromas of carmel, grass, hay, some floral notes, fruitiness and light citrus. Palate was medium bodied crisp yet smooth. Flavors of carmel, earthiness, light pine, light grapefruit, some floral notes and a hint of apple with a smooth lingering moderatly bitter finish.

Batch 2, Sampled September 2007
Pours with a lightly hazy, rich amber hue, but shows a bright copper color when held up to the light. The head starts out almost three-fingers in height and is a frothy, creamy, light tan color. Aromas of hemp, pine, a touch of green onion and citrus like orange peel are found easily in the nose. Underneath this caramelized grain, toasty malt, biscuit-like malt and lightly browned soda cracker aromatics play a secondary, yet vibrant role. Spicy, almost hot, oak notes play a role here as well, though they are almost not noticeable as a distinct entity, but instead contribute to the overall character of the aroma.

Much sweeter tasting than I anticipated (for some reason the aroma had me subconsiously thinking this would be dry; though it is only lightly sweet, and well in line for a double IPA), this certainly accentuates the citrus hop notes, but these still don’t play nearly as prominent a role as they usually do in an American IPA. The beer finishes with a drying, herbal, pine-like, even menthol feeling flavor and bitterness. The hops definitely have a hemp-like character to them, it is almost even dank and oily at times; though these notes are well contained and balanced. Spicy with a light woodiness to it, the barrel character seems to meld quite well with the hop notes; in fact the sharper, herbal leaning notes of the beer may well be accented and even contributed by the barrel character. The malt sweetness, general hoppiness and oak spiciness combine to form a component that is almost like cinnamon. Flavors of grapefruit, tangelo, lychee and orange zest mix with spicy notes of hemp, definite pine tar, spicy pepper and a green menthol note all mix together with a bunch of other flavors that I just can’t quite put words to. This beer has a nice heft to it, it is light enough to be easy drinking yet full enough to carry the substantial flavors of hop and oak.

I really like how subtle the oak character is here; it is more subtle in the aroma but even in the flavor if I didn’t know it was here I could almost be convinced that the flavors were from something else like the hops. The barrel character really adds to the complexity of this brew, especially as it warms. So many layers of aromatic notes and flavor notes become noticeable; I almost think I can taste the chardonnay influence at times. This is quite good; I almost feel like the individual components of this brew would not add up to a beer as tasty as this, but the combination definitely works on many levels for me.

Purchased via mail order: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Solutions

Caramel and molasses with a pine resin aroma, hints of citrus, overall sweet aroma. Pours amber with a thick white head, very dense. Thick mouthfeel, cereal flavored malts, some caramel, interesting hop flavors, earthy, bitter grapefruit rinds, piney, not quite sure if i like the hop flavors. there’s a little cattiness.

Three bottles into this odyssey, I feel like I’ve sampled three different beers, so this is a culmination of thoughts and similarities experienced. Deep red pour with mahogany highlighting. Crystalline clear, spent yeast floaties dancing among the carbonation. Pretty color, though the hues are quite murky. Carbonation is less than expected but forms a tall head that is foamy and provides beautiful, thick lacing. Aroma is toasty malt with an aggressive tartness, musty yeast, mellow but plentiful earthy hops, orange rinds, grapeskins and freshly cut oak. A noble aroma that is only prominently hindered by the lack of power it creates. I rather enjoy the earthy/musty combination. Flavor is truly uncommon. Heavier and even more earthy hops, grapeskin notes change to grape juice with relatively low acidity. Bitterness is low to medium, growing at a snails pace. Sweet notes and tannic charred oak round out the flavor. Carbonation is lighter than expected with this brewing and aging method. Mouthfeel is pleasant, full and viscous. A creamy texture is the dominant feature of the palate. Finishes soft and bitter, mildly dry and far from crisp. Refreshing anyhow. I would love to sample this a few more times.