Mad River Steelhead Double IPA

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

Bottle. Orange/pine hops aroma. Hazy orange-amber color with large head and nice lacing. Strong pine hops and sweet caramel hops flavor. Nicely blended. A pleasure to drink.

This is another shocker for me, another double IPA I fully expected to hate (since I normally don’t like IPA, particularly American style-IPAs which are less malty), but which in fact I really like. It is hazy amber with a thick, slowly dissipating off-white head and some weak lacing. The aroma is nice, complex floral hops with some malt. The taste is actually rather sweet at first, with strong floral hops up front but followed by some caramel malt before leaving a dry, slightly bitter finish. The palate at first is soft and smooth. The hops, of course, linger in the mouth. It is quite pleasant and interesting. Ironically, I find this only slightly bitter and less bitter compared to a number of regular IPAs and even regular American pale ales, etc. The flavour is, of course, very hoppy, but it is a rich floral flavour and softened by a strong, sweet malty base. I think that is a key factor, but I’m not certain.

Amber color. Invigorating hoppy aroma. Very nice mouth-feel with lingering bitterness. Not my favorite IPA but very satisfying.

I have to give one high scores for perfectly balancing this style and making it a classy offering. Aroma was strong grassy hops with a hint of malt and pine. Pour was a hazy orange with a nice one finger white head. Taste was nice and extremely hoppy, with a just enough malt to balance it out and decent carbonation. PIne, citrus and a little malt are in order. The big thing is, the beer isn’t too hot and isn’t syrupy. Great DIPA.

12 oz bottle. Pours a slightly hazy orangish gold under a small creamy off-white head. Excellent retention due to the vigorous visible carbonation. Nose is very resiny with some piney notes and heavy caramel maltiness. Flavor is moderately bitter with a mostly resiny hops up front and a toasted slightly sweet malt base. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slight stickiness on the finish and moderate soft fizzy carbonation. Overall, I didn’t think that this stuck out in any way, just another IIPA.

amber color nice white creamy head soesnt last too long tho, sweet nose and a nice piney usual iipa taste, one of the better califorina born ipas in my eyes. which I didnt expect. nice hops and enough sweetness to help make more enjoyable. maybe a new found friend and I am only on the second one out of the 10 dollar six pack. I will fuck this beer if it grows a dick, and i like it even more that they dont charge 6 bucks for a bomber!!!!!

Looks great in the glass - cloudy with a strong amber body. Great malt offering with a huge upfront biscuit malt backbone. The hops are equally huge with a big piney, acerbic, strong grapefruit presence. Resinousy and astringent on the finish. Almost a little too one dimensional in the hop realm however it satisfies reall well on that level and makes for a great Hoppy drink. Slightly herbal with what seems like some Jasmine and other kind of flowers, but not hoppy floral. Higher than average ABV present as it lingers. Well contructed drink - should be on your Must Try List for hop lovers as it does a good job of really showcasing the hop profile.

Pours cloudy, almost muddy but with a confident white one-inch head that leaves lace. Very soft, velvet mouthfeel. Hoppy but not an assault, or perhaps simply well-balanced by its malts.