Mad River Steelhead Double IPA

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

Darkish hazy appearance but not brown, more like orange brown. Decent head. Yes, double imperial IPA.A prime example. A beer you know yer drinken. Bitter, near astringent. Soap and grapefruit rinds. Coating, seething steatopygic palate. Perfect example of the style. I need a chaser.

Cloudy copper color. Small white head. Nice fruity hop aroma. Medium carbonation. Close to full bodied. This beer totally lacks balance. Tends towards the hoppy side with no malt sweetness to back it up. Fair. Needs more balance.

Bottle courtesy of The_Epeeist, thanks Chris! Pours a a hazy copper color with a decent sized off white head. Aroma is grapefruit, lemon, caramel malt, orange. Flavor is floral hops, grapefruit, orange, mango perhaps, caramel. Palate is medium to full bodied, medium carbonation, finishes sweet yet bitter. Nice and smooth, creamy body. I thought this one was really good!!

Draft at Collins Pub, Seattle. Strongly citric aroma, full of fresh, juicy grapefruit with notes of pine, flowers, orange peel, and some very lightly toasty, sweet malts in the background. Translucent light amber color with a lasting, creamy, eggshell head. Flavor is suitably dominated by hop flavor and bitterness, but sees more of the malt enter the picture than was suggested by the aroma. Aspects include strong, resinous pine, more fresh citrus (orange, pineapple, grapefruit), some light, leafy herbal tinges, honey, light toast and very faint brown sugar. Mouthfeel is lightly oily, drying, very gently astringent and smooth, body is quite full. Flavorful and powerful, ultimately, but easily quaffed as well.

Bottle. Big grapefruit rush with lesser pine and a touch of apricot, nice blend of hops. Sticky and syrupy smelling. Dark but still clear orange-copper body with a soapy beige head. Sticky, hop-overloaded taste, dry and lightly bitter, drying out to a bone dry, sticky, bready, resinous hoppy finish. Grapefruit and orange peel, floral malt and hop mix. Lots of earthy pine and citrus, medium-strong caramel. Assertive and robust. Body is full and typical of a big IPA but with better-than-average alcohol concealment. Surprised by this one, hadn’t even heard of this brewery before - very good, straightforward double!

12oz. bottle. Dark, unfiltered orange color, topped with a tight head that drops to an even sheen--good lace. Understated aroma that just hints at the citrus/pine flavor beneath. The alcohol hides well in the mix, but seems to take over at the back of the tongue. Not a hop monster, but a nicely amped up IPA.

Murky orange pour with a non-existent head. A yeasty earthiness lays on top of the complex nose. A complexity of hop notes - citrus to perfume to resin to fresh cut grass - dominates the malt back. Not very defined though, the hops are muddled but in full force. This beer is big from start to finish. Lots of caramel sweetness in the body is balanced by a heavy bitter and alcoholic finish. A nice beer but not much finesse here.

Bottle. Pours a deeper gold colour with a minimal head. Big, bold hop nose swirling with stone fruits. Flavor is a lovely balance of malts and hops, both promininent, but neither being crowned champion although the hop may barely take the fight if you were compelled to pick a winner. Mouthfeel is viscous, which I like in a 2IPA. Could use more fruit, but the balance is there and is not just another opportunity to build an incredible, over-the-top hop missle