Livery Double Paw Imperial IPA

Brewed by The Livery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Benton Harbor, Michigan USA

Date: 06/21/2007
Mode: Growler
Source: Tasting, Pre-RBSG

hazy orange, frothy beige head, streaks of lace, big sweet tangerine aroma, lots of fruity tangerine flavor, bitterness starts of low and grows into a long finish,

Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

(Draft) Pours a hazy yellow body with a small white head. Aroma of orange, tangerine, grapefruit, caramel, toasted grain, and herbs. Flavor of hops (citrus, herbal) and caramel malt.

Objectively speaking: Hazy amber big IPA where the house yeast is more apparent than usual.
I like: Exquisite hop blend produces a very complex aroma. Incredibly piney, powerfully aromatic, but ultimately not so bitter at all. Concentrating on aromas and these are concentrated indeed. Also surprisingly not very citrusy at all. Original in that regard.
I dislike: The yeasty sourish breadiness takes a lot of room here and attenuates the toasty feel. Surprisingly has very little carbonation at all, though I’m not sure it’s something I disliked. Not much happens outside the hop scope, but well-focused.

Growler... March 08 Tampa Bay Tasting... Clear yellow ale with a small, creamy, white head. Fruity, floral, earthy nose... a total hop bomb! Lots of fuzzy and tropical fruits in there. Medium-bodied and acerbic with restrained carbonation. Fruity, tangy flavor. Moderate to medium bitter. Dangerously drinkable. Bitter, astringent, dry finish. Growler provided by BBB63!

Growler sampled at the Pre-RBSG ’Tosa gathering on 6/21/07 courtesy of BBB63: Pours a clear orange amber with a frothy, well-lacing white head. Nice, fresh citrusy piny hoppy aroma has a touch of lightly sweet pale malt. Starts lightly sweet and pale malty with good earthy fresh hops toward a crisp bittersweet finish. A nice double IPA.

Snifter at the brewery. Fresh juicy orange and pine tar greet the nose, with some sweet honey and hop oil notes. Some yeast presence up front, muddled, but then the beer turns sharp and textured, finishing with a homebrew resemblance, then more of a juicy blood orange hop flavor with a bit of sweetness.

Weighing it at 9% ABV on my visit to the brewpub, this DIPA packs a whollop both with the hops and with the alcohol. It pours a hazy gold body, mayhaps with a touch of amber, and a modest head. The aroma has at its base some sweet grainy malts and a splash of caramel. This is then buried beneath hop scents of pine, grapefruit, and tangerine. The flavor starts light and sweet with grainy malt, then gets buried by an avalanche of solid hop bitterness. The finish is prolonged and biting, a tasty unbalanced drink.

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Dark golden color with a moderate off-white head. Earthy floor malt, whole grain bread, and full fresh rolled hops scents. Mild mellow malt under a sea of pine and citrus. Not over the top, but rather balanced as far as IIPAs go.