Marin Eldridge Grade White Knuckle Double IPA

Brewed by Marin Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Larkspur, California USA

Sampled from a 22-oz bomber during Dark Lord Day ’09 at table 1. Pours a hazy orange amber brew, some syrup texture that brings a thick beige head that has some nice retention and lots of lacing. Aroma of heavy grapefruit scent, some herbs, tropical fruit and a hint of golden grain malt. Taste is full bodied, a little oily, with flavors of grapefruit zest, herbs, a touch of apricot, and a little tangerine. Finish is semi-sweet, mildly bitter with a lingering grapefruit and pine aftertaste. Most excellent Double IPA.

I’ve had White Knuckle several times thru the years. It’s always been a favorite of mine on tap and inthe bottle. Not exactly sure how fresh this bottle was, but it was still spectacular and another reason why I enjoy Marin’s products.

The beer starts out with a cloudy amber/ dark orange body with a sticky light tan head. No floaties visible, okay lacing. Aroma has an incredibly fresh aroma. Stunning that there are strong notes of citrus, spruce, rose petals, peaches and some light cat piss. The aroma is kept in check with the strong malt showing, but the star of the aroma is clearly the hops. Body is thick, slightly cloying but nothing outrageous. Aroma was equally as impressive as the aroma, with a assertive hop profile. Bitter grapefruits, blood oranges, tropical fruits, herbal, wet earth and caramel. All bouncing around the palate, all easy to detect, all easy to enjoy. Thanks Marin!

Bomber purchased from City Beer Store, poured into a pint glass. Opaque deep dark gold color with a nice dense beige head. Pungent resinous hop aroma with citrus rind, oranges, and rosemary. Bready malt notes with a hint of caramel. Flavor is a tongue-pummeling hop fest. Notes of pine sap, grapefruit rind, tangerine, rosemary, maybe even apricot? Sourdoughy maltiness with some toffee/caramel sweetness. It’s got the kind of epic bitterness that just sears across the palate when you touch the back of your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Dry, unastringent finish completes the excellent mouthfeel. Supremely drinkable.

Tap at the brewery. Pretty copper-red color. Almost no head. Big Earthy citrus hop nose. A mouthful of hops but not excessively bitter. Oily on the palate. Exceeded my expectations.

Pours a hazy orange with thick white head, laces well in my tulip glass. Aroma of citrus hops, a bit more floral hops than I prefer, but not overdone, pine, and a strong grass. Flavor matches pretty well and gives that nice kick, with a bit of sweetness. Very solid IIPA, thanks cloudskipper!

Appearance – This beer is orange orange orange! This looks like grapefruit juice without the pink! Dark amber orange in color with a creamy very-off white head; closer to pearl in color than anything else. Head retention is nothing to write home about, no lacing to speak of. A quick swirl of the glass rendered a 1 finger head that produces some better results, much better results. Smell – Smells like a citrus bomb just went off in my house. I could immediately smell this the second I popped the cap. Lots of grapefruit, tons of grapefruit, some tangerine, tiny bit of lemon. This must have some hops in it that I am not too used to, cause it has a new-ish smell to it; I like it! Taste – This tastes just like it smells, only with a bigger hit in the grapefruit arena. I think someone slipped a slice of grapefruit in this bottle when I wasn’t looking. Doesn’t have too strong of a kick for a DIPA, but the kick is there. Has a very resiny tanginess to it. This is unfortunately a little too one dimensional for me. Mouthfeel – Thick and resiny. This coats the mouth a lot more than any other DIPA I have ever had. Drinkability – This is definitely a sipping DIPA, a little too thick for my tastes. Not enough going on in this beer to draw me back time and time again. This one bottle will do.

(tasting notes from 3/9/09) Draft at MBC. Nice hop aroma. Not huge, but more there than their other beer. Hops are very piney in flavor. Nice body. Not too thick. Brownish-orange color. Good choice for the hophead!

Poured into tulip glass from bottle. Thin off white head. Dark, Rich amber coloring. Smells of pine and citrus. Good balance of hops and malt. Lingering hoppy bitterness but not overwhelming. Great overall beer!