McNeills Warlord Imperial IPA

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Bomber - Poured a quite cloudy dark orange-amber in color with a very small white head. Low carbonation, but still some lacing on the glass. Aroma is thick with citrus-grapefruit hop perfume with some flower hopiness mixed in. Flavor is a fairly well balanced mix of citrus and pine hops with just a hint of malty sweetness. Medium bitter with an extended finish. Alcohol is well hidden. Not among the best IIPAs that I have had, but good enough to drink again (and repeat).

Poured a lightly hazed amber color with an off-white head Mild to moderate amount of hops make up the aroma. Sweet malt underneath with some mild plastic phenolic notes as well Alcohol starts to come out as the beer warmed. The bitterness in the flavor started from the beginning through the very long finish. Moderate to high bitterness. Semi-dry finish.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, amber body with a wispy, off-white head. Smell: Pungent hop aroma of juicy grapefruit, resinous pine, and even a handful of flowers. Flowers? For me? Thanks, aroma! Taste: Scant, fleeting caramel flavor and sweetness. After that, it’s all hops, with plenty of grapefruit, pine, and bitterness. Finishes dry and with a punishing bitterness. I’d ask for a tad bit more malty sweetness, but that always seems an unfair request of an Imperial IPA, like trying to tame and request "more gentleness" from a wild jungle cat. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: While not as far toward "chewing on hops" as you can get, it’s still pretty bitter.

Thanks to notalush for leaving this bottle for me post-tasting. Deep cloudy amber/orange beer with a thick white head. Fresh bright orange hoppiness, moderate grapefruit and a nice piny bitterness. Lean pale malt aroma with a hint of brown sugar and honey as well. Flavour is solid, sweet citrus with nice tropical mango flavour as well. Slight earthy dankness on the back of the hop note but otherwise a solid brew. Moderate but resiny bitterness. Thanks Brandon... I enjoyed this one.

Date: 09/08/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

hazy burnt orange, wispy off white head, streaks of drippy lace, huge sweet pine and caramel aroma, big sticky creamy body, lots of sweet caramel and pine flavor, light bitterness adds some balance but lets the sweet malt and hops shine,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Pours a slightly hazy copper bronze with a thin well-lacing wispy white head. Aroma of nice, fresh piny grapefruity hops and a good, lightly sweet caramel malty presence. Starts with a good sweet caramel maltiness and fresh grapefruity bittering and flavor hoppy balance. Finishes crisp and bittersweet with decent complexity of flavor. A nice IIPA.

(Bomber shared on Goldtwins’ back porch, 8/9/07) - the concensus seemed to be that this beer was not very good, but I have to admit that I quite enjoyed it - medum aroma pour, with a minimal head - dry, piney, herbal aroma - pretty enticing, but fairly standard - pretty dry, not packing that huge sweetness that a lot of IIPAs have, which, for me, is always welcome - however, the woody hop dryness begins to become almost tongue-curling after a while - maybe a little more malt balance would be welcome (although after reading the other reviews that say it has a strong malt backbone, it almost seems like I had a different beer) - the hops are very earthy and tasty, but the beer needs a little more to it.

(22 oz. bottle from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/vermont/woodsto target=blank>Gillingham’s) Kind of messy...Pours cloudy orange with one finger of off-white head. Aroma of pine, grapefruit, vanilla, rock candyish malt and something a little off. Mouthfeel fairly smooth, lightly fizzy, medium-full, very lightly sticky. Webby lacing, quite persistent. Flavor is kind of a mix of bitter grapefruit and pine, light rock candy, hints of caramel and vanilla, even some breadiness. That doesn’t sound too bad but actually it doesn’t all work together very well. Some off-tasting hints as well. Seems sort of a work in progress but at least this wasn’t infected as was a recent bomber of a McNeill’s brown from the same store.