Mad River Steelhead Double IPA

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Blue Lake, California USA

orange amber hue, creamy fluffy white head, good lacing. restrained tropical nose, some apple blossom. balanced overall, in fact more on the sweet side for an iipa. the hop character is underground and subdued. perhaps this is a bottle that has been around for some time. some tropical flavors of mango and papaya, but there’s an herbal soapy side that washes much of the goodness away. pardon the pun.

Yeah for the redwoods... Murky orange body with bubbly off-white head, looks a bit like a lambic in the glass. A quiet aroma, for an IIPA. Caramel and grapefruit, some herbal woodiness as well. Medium-chewy body. Not nearly as big as most IIPAs but still enjoyable.

Pours dark copper and hazy, some light dregs left behind in the bottle. A moderate quarter inch head of off-white fell within two minutes, making way for a few streaks of lacework and a skimming of foam on top. Aromatics are fruit-laden and zesty. Plenty of citrusy, tropical notes and a hint of pine sap. Tangerine, pear and grapefruit dusted with powdered sugar. The nose is somewhat subdued for a DIPA, but I have no idea how old the bottle is, so we’ll cut ’em some slack. The mouthfeel is creamy and crisp, with some lingering stickyness. Ripe fruit and hop resin abound on the pallet, with plenty of snappy citrus zest and a firm alcohol backbone. Malt is subdued, as expected, and a smooth, lingering bitterness helps keep residuals in check. Finishes with lingering fruit and warming residuals.

Tasted on tap at the 2008 Bistro 2xIPA Fest. This double IPA pours a light orange gold color. Small to medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is malt, caramel, and sweet with a touch of floral hops. A medium bodied double India Pale Ale. The malts are caramel and sweet, with a touch of grain. The hops are earthy and floral. Kind of sweet and a touch grainy, and there is another flavor that I can’t quite figure out. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Double IPA? A new one on me. Pours a reddish amber with a good three inch off-white head Lacings galore. Aroma is piney hops. Taste is bold piney resinous hops, good amount of sweet malts. Wow. Big bold taste. Hides abv of 8.6% pretty well. Nice brew.Paid $1.79 per single. Worth it. From a bottle.

On tap at Capital Ale House - Downtown. Slightly hazy copper amber body with a medium frothy off-white head. Sweet caramel aroma with citrusy and floral hop hints. Huge caramel flavor with a citrus hop kick and some floral hops. Firm hop bitterness. Medium full body with moderate carbonation and a sweet bitter finish.

Draft at Pizzeria Paradiso in Georgetown. Poured a clear medium orange color. Head was off white with good retention and lacing. Aroma was of subdued caramel and flowery hop. Dry on the tongue with moderate to high hop bitterness of about 7 out of 10. I tasted grapefruit, toffee, and a hint of salt. Light to medium bodied. Decent.

Hazy dark gold and orange body. Khaki head that sticks to the sides of the glass. The aroma is the classic straight up grapefruit with some toast. The taste has some light hints of grapefruit rind, but a lot more malt than I was expecting. This almost tastes like peanut butter toast followed up with some watered down grapefruit juice. A decent Double IPA, but a little boring.