Mad River Steelhead Double IPA

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

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

Bright orange-amber-gold with a medium, fine light tan head. Caramelized orange peel with some earth and resin with a touch of sweet malt and alcohol. Orange peel hops flavors with some malt sweetness. Fairly thick body with mouth-coating bitterness that holds out with some sweetness through the finish.

Bottle: Pours a nice looking clear orange color with a 1 finger white head. Aroma is of sweet malts and citrus fruits and some pine as well. Flavor is malty and hoppy. Medium body with well balanced malts that are there but dont get thick or syrupy at all, they balance out the med.-high bittereness. Lots of citrus and pine in this beer. Excellent hop characteristics all the way through. One of the more easily drinkable imperial ipa’s.

Bottle. Poured orange amber with thick off white head. Much lacing. Hoppy aroma, Full hop flavour, yet subtle, not overpoweringly hoppy like many DIPAs. Subtle finish, that seems bland then springs on you. I’d definitely drink this again.

Pretty freaking decent. However, doesn’t have a double blam IPA taste. It’s mellow and smooth - not like fine grit sandpaper - more like a soft bristle toothbrush, not sure if it’s doing the job but it feels good.

12 oz. The beer looks good!; with the syrup hop mixture looking almost as strong as the tongue whack of citrus&pine and the biscuit malt sweetness to help back it up. A nice and drinkable DIPA also less the $9. A new fav.

[Compared with Meantime India Pale Ale] The Steelhead is very similar color just a touch darker--golden apricot approaching brown. Richer caramel smell. More hop sting, less sour, but still grapefruity.

Bottle poured a clear copper with a small diminishing amber head. Aromas of grapefruit with hints of orange and apricot also light pine and carmel notes. Palate was light to medium bodied, crisp and dry. Flavors of grapefruit, pine, light earthiness and light carmel with a crisp dry lingering bitter finish.