Long Trail Brewmaster Series Double IPA

Brewed by Long Trail Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Bridgewater Corners, Vermont USA

Bottle (22oz). Shared with blankboy, garthicus and tupalev. Last beer of a very long day of sampling - and my 100th DIPA rating! Hazy gold-orange pour, with a large-ish creamy/frothy beige head. Dry resin/citrus aroma, leafy, with only mild grapefruit pith bitterness - it’s decent enough, but the fruity malt backbone seems a bit ... weak. Taste of tropical fruit, pine resin, ripe apple/pear, with dry resin/citrus bitterness balancing it in the finish. Average body, only mild carbonation, with a reasonably long grapefruit pith finish (the pithiness finally emerges in the linger). this is good --- but not great.

Pours cloudy gold, with a white head. Aroma is grapefruit, pineapple, sugar, and malt. Flavor is graprfruit, caramel, and alcohol. Medium body, slightly bitter finish. Another nice one from Long Trail.

I was a little disappointed in this double IPA. The beer looked seemed to show quite a bit of potential, with an appealing appearance and inviting aroma. It poured a clear dark orange color with a very generous and sticky white head. The aroma featured some notes of pine, hops, cayenne pepper, lemon and grass. But unfortuantely, that’s where the great parts of this beer ended. The body was a little light and the flavors weren’t quite hoppy enough. There didn’t seem to be enough of a malty backbone for my liking either. There was a nice shot of spicy hoppiness right in the middle of the flavors, but it seemed to turn into a chalky flavor toward the back-end. This double seemed to miss the mark, but not by much. Maybe if they used a different combination of hops and added some balance with some bready malts, this could be a real dangerous beer. But for now, it’s unfortunately just pedestrian.

Thanks to HogTownHarry for sharing. Appearance: Slightly cloudy, yellow/orange with a medium white head. Aroma: Leafy, hoppy, pineapple and pears, some nice malt too. Flavour: Pine, lemons, alcohol, pepper with a nice tangy finish.

bottle poured a light golden in color with a thick dollop of white head that floated about for a while. aroma has bright citrus hops, candy sweetness, and a nice perfume of bitterness and alcohol. mouth feel coats well with medium carbonation. flavor has a nice resiny bite, pine, citrus, and just enough sweet malt to keep it all together. the first long trail beer that has given me some wow. after drinking there beer for over 10 years it is nice to finally see these guys get to brew this level of beers.

On tap at the local. Nose is bitingly tart and piney but not a wafter. Creamy tan head that crescents the mug and soon disperses from there. Intense grapefruit hop bite overshadows the medium bodied maltiness from start to bitter end. Surpisingly medium minus in body for 8.6%. I felt it after just one, but I had been in the sun for most of the morning. A bit more on the grain bill and this would be quite super.

Smells pungently of sour hops, very sharp scent. Pours a dark-ish golden amber color with a nice thick yellow hued head. Taste is lots of hops with just the right amount of malts to balance it. Very fruity, citrusy sourness with a nice warming feel from the alcohol, which is hidden well. Very nice double IPA.

In short: A highly drinkable well-rounded archetypal American IPA. Very enjoyable
How: Bottle 22oz. Consumed fresh. Tasting session with Montreal crew.
The look: Partly cloudy blonde body topped by a medium white head
In long: The nose has your typical yet always pleasant mix of coniferous and citrusy American hops. Adequate malt backbone offers 2/3 honeyed malts 1/3 caramelized malts. Hops bring woody coniferous flavours, dry fruits skin and some fresh citrusy notes. A little yeasty. A pleasant semi-dry sensation. Lively carbonation. I really enjoyed my last few experiences with Long Trail brews, they seem to be improving. If you are looking for a standard but exemplary big American IPA you need to look no further. Unless of course you’re not standing in front of Long Trail Double IPA, in which case you may need to look further.