Left Coast/Oggis Hop Juice

Brewed by Left Coast/Oggis Pizza and Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Del Mar, California USA

Rating Number 1000

I love this beer. I wonder if I could marry it?

On tap @ Oggis Santee. Pours a clear gold with off white head and white foam lacing. The aroma is both sweet caramelized malts and freshly picked citrus hops. Wow, I mean wow! The taste starts off sweet and chewy to almost sticky malt goodness before the hops enter with a smooth blend of grapefruit hop bitterness, hints of floral hops and pine hop bitterness. Then I get a nice late addition hop sweet orange juice flavor mixing wonderfully with the malts. The malts also bring forth mild caramel candy goodness and toffee. This beer is big hops backed up by wonderfully rich and varied maltiness. The late addition hops and hop complexity really work for me. The flavor is near perfect. There is a slightly buttery – breadiness that adds an extra level of flavor that really complements the experience. A bit bigger aroma and this would be my number one beer. Why can’t this beer be something I can quaff just down the street like the way the San Diego crew has it? I should move.

GABF 2006 Big c-hop (Columbus?) aroma; orange, lemon, mild pine. Taste is wildflower honey, bitter earthy and piney flavors and a full bitterness. This is a honest to God SoCal DIPA and I like it! Did I mention it is bitter?! Hop extract used.

Courtesy boboski. Clear yellow with a dense billowy white head. Heavily resinous aroma - lots of pine, pineapple, and some alcohol, but all combines well. Aggressive hop and alcohol upon first taste, but a nice lemon-citrus hop character emerges. Long aggressive finish. Well done. Second sample (courtesy SoLan) proved to be quite a bit solventy and abrasive. Knocked it down a point on flavor and aroma.

Thanks Jason. Aroma is resinous hops amd some malt peeking through. Some apricot type aromas do come through, along with an odd wood like quality. Flavor is aggresive, and forward. That roasted aroma comes through on the palate. Very nice.

Bottle. Aroma of typical grapefruit hops. The flavor is quite bitter (piney), and there is very little malt to balance. The hops are somewhat metallic and harsh, and could be better.

Bottle from footy (thanks!) - hazy copper beer - strong resinous hop aroma - fairly sweet taste, that the hops, naturally, add a citrus aspect to - there isn’t much to say - lots of sweet citrus and stong, almost metallic hop bitterness - not offensive or anything, just not that great (of course, my notes were pretty much scribblings by this point in the tasting).

Deep amber with a hazy hoppy aroma, bright citrus aroma (grapefruit and tangerine) and a fairly wet earthiness. Flavour is earthy and softly citric with grapefruit and chewy orange pith bitterness. The malts are a bit sweet and cloying, but lacking in character. Not really the type of IIPA I go for.

Bottle: Deep orange copper topped by an off white consistent head. Nose is full of perfumy hops, sweet caramel/slightly oxidized malt and oily hop extract. Very resiny flavor. Not much character, in terms of fruitiness or rich hop depth. Just a piney harshness and an inky finish. Seems like lots of extracts were used.