Mad River Steelhead Double IPA

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

Location: 12 oz bottle from Norms, Fall ’08

Overall Impression: Very solid DIPA. Nothing stood out about it, but it was highly drinkable.

Bottles and served in a pint glass: Hazy coppery hue with a nice tight creamy head with left okay lace, some floaties however. The aroma has notes of mild resiny and citric hops, a touch herbal as well along with a hint of caramel and bready malts, a some pepper. The taste is actually pretty balanced but the hops still shine. Moderate hop spice and a hint of metallic notes upon the finish. The mouth feel is smooth and has a pretty nice body for the style. Honestly this is much more approachable for the average beer fan than it would appeal to a hophead. That said it is quite drinkable and there is noting wrong with that.

In the bottle at the 2009 Crescent Moon Extreme Beerfest. Pours a light orange color with a medium white head. Intense green hop aroma. Freshly mown grass. This is a big hop bomb. It is the hop bitterness and not the ethanol that burns your esophagus. After the grapefruit rind explosion passes, you taste a bit of subtle chocolate. This is indeed a palate re-setter after drinking lots of big malty beers.

From a 12 oz bottle this brew pours a dark orange with a thin white head. Lots of citrus, malt and floral hops. Great grapefruit taste with grassy/floral undertones and a hoppy kick with it. Nice solid IPA that I see myself enjoying more often than just today.

Bottle shared by mmtmatrix. Poured a clear copper-orange color with a 1/4 inch off-white head that faded to a bubbly layer. Aroma of moderately floral hops with some dry citrus (orange peel) and undertones of soft caramel. Smooth, lightly sweet entry with some faint caramel that leads into a crisp, light leafiness with some citrus (orange and faint grapefruit) that finishes moderately dry. Moderate carbonation and decent palate. Overall, a pretty average IPA that lacks the hop presence to be considered an IIPA.

Pros: Nice appearance, long lasting cream. Cracker-like malts, cereal, nice balance and fresh flavors.

Cons: Nose is very light on the hop, slightly milky, sour cream, chive, kinda nasty. Dull. Not very bright, or assertively hopped.

A decent ale.

Orange pour with small white head. Lots of malt on the nose, with only soft hops integrating into the malts. The flavor has more hops than the nose, but not dominant at all.

[Bottle] Pours hazy amber-orange with a small off-white head. Aroma is disappointingly restrained, and more malt heavy (bready) than expected. Light citrus is there, but overall this is the weak point of this beer. The taste is not what I generally look for in my IIPAs either, as it too, is far too malty and lacking the hoppiness I was looking for. Stylistically it would get low marks, but from a hedonistic standpoint, it is surprisingly quite good. Faint bitterness on the swallow, with light lemon and lime, and then a very enjoyable maltiness on the finish. Good, thick mouthfeel with an average length finish that keeps it from getting a 5. I’m not sure when this was bottled, so perhaps the hops have dropped off because of its age. I would like to try a bottle that is known to be fresh, but regardless it is a drinkable beer that isn’t too bad.