Iron Hill Double Red

Brewed by Iron Hill Wilmington
Style: American Strong Ale
Wilmington, Delaware USA

Draft... GABF ’06... Crystal clear amber ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Earthy, spicy aroma of pink grapefruit, damp leather and caramel. The flavor is medium sweet and moderately bitter with notes of caramel, pine needles and tannic grapefruit rind. Full-bodied with a velvety mouthfeel and lively carbonation. Lengthy, bitter-sweet, fruity finish.

Draft and grolwered at IHP. Pours clear deep copper with off-white head. Nose is piney hops, citrus, carasmel malt, peppery. Tastes hoppy, piney, with mango, black pepper, tangerine, and a smooth palate, with mild late heat. Smooth and very quaffable.
Earlier Rating: 8/25/2008 Total Score: 4
Draft at IHP. Pours slightly hazy dark strawish with copper edges and a 2-finger, fluffy off-white head. Nose is piney hops, tropical citrus fruit, malt. Tastes assertively hoppy, with some pineapply, melony, and lemongrassy notes, and a solid malt bill, although not as much of a malt bill as the Sly Fox varietals. This one is great.

GABF 2006: Clear brownish amber color with an off-white head. Big piney aroma on top of citrus. the flavor had a good bit of pine but also full caramel malt flavor. Moderately bitter from the middle to the finish.

[Phoenixville, PA] Poured a reddish copper color with a small, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of floral hops, citrus fruits, nuts, roasted malts, and caramel. Taste of roast, nuts, caramel, tobacco, pine, citrus fruits, and a bitter, grapefruit finish.

On tap at Pville location. Listed as Hoppopotamus Double Red IPA. Pours a mostly translucent deep reddish/amber with a medium creamy off white head that left nice lacing. Aroma of caraemel, toffee, nuts, sweet toasted malt, citrus and pine. Flavor was sweet and malty, toffee, caramel, toasted notes, lots of citrusy hop notes and a touch of hop bitterness. But overall really sweet and malty.

Draught at IHP (as Hoppopotamus Double Red IPA): Aroma of flora hops, grapefruit, citrus, and pine. Poured deep amber with hints of red and copper in color and a small, creamy, off-white head that lasted throughout. Excellent creamy lacing. Flavor was light to medium bitter and lightly sweet. Tastes of hops, caramel malts, citrus, and some tropical fruit. Medium body. Dryish texture. Average carbonation. Hoppy finish.

GABF 2006. Pours to a glowing brassy body with a dense light beige head. The aroma is hay, grassy bitter weedy hops. The flavor is nice. I like the hop blend of floral and citrus hops and deep caramel malts. The palate is nicely balanced on the bitterness with a good textured feel.

A very fine take on the style, definitely doesn’t fall into boring caramel malts with lots of piney and resinous hops, like some of the other imperial reds I’ve had. Pours a nice peachy reddish color with a huge off-white, slightly peachy foamy head. Lacing was great, rings around the glass all the way down. The aroma was nose capturing, lots and lots of floral notes (lavendar and roses?), somewhat perfumey, grapefruity. Was a bit scared to taste it after that strong girlie smell, but the flavor was solid, following the aroma in a mellow way and mixing in a decent caramel malt backbone and some fruity notes of melons and passion fruit. Mouthfeel was crisp and only moderate for an imperial beer of any style, alcohol WELL under control.