Mendocino Winter Ale (05/06 - IIPA)

Formerly brewed at Olde Saratoga Brewing (Mendocino Brewing Co.)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Saratoga Springs, New York USA

Bottle Pours a clear deep golden, slightly redish with a modest sized but lasting and dense yellowinsh light tan head. Clingy lacing adds to the pleasing appearance. Nice IPA aromas, combination of piny and citrus with just the right amount of malts to balance. Again, flavors are balanced, with the hops up front a bit. Quite bitter and a nice full body. Lasting dry puckering bitterness. In my mind this is a classic IPA.

Reddish copper in color with a nice lacing. Hoppy and malty aroma. Caramel notes. Citrusy and piney hops. Malty and hoppy flavor. Clean tasting. Well balanced. Medium bodied. Finish is bitter. Nice beer. Very drinkable.

Bottle courtesy of goldtwins. Brilliant copper-amber color, tan head that fades to film rather quickly, but coats the entire glass. Huge pine resin and orange zest in the initial aroma, backed up by quite a bit of caramel malt. creamy mouthfeel at first turns to bubbly carbonation as you finish your sip. Flavor is a tad one dimmensional, all piney hops, with some orange zest. Alot less malt than aroma indicates, only shows up briefly in the finish. Hurts the score for me as I prefer, bigger malt presence in IIPA’s. Fine brew nonetheless.

very hoppy, but nice and mellow. only slightly astringent. the aroma is awesome. nice citrus-y, hoppy, sweet aromas. very decent brew, i could hang with this often.

Hazy amber colour. The aroma is all hop - citrusy, foresty. Rich earthy hop character, too. Tasty enough because I love hops, but not especially balanced nor dynamic.

pours a translucent amber color with a medium sized off white head, aroma of HOPS!, smell of pine and citrus. flavor is hoppy bitter (really bitter), citrusy, and malty, good body good brew.

Bright orange with an off white creamy head. Aroma is huge malts like a barley wine with some masked citrus hops. Rather smooth at first with a good malt body and a hint of mango. Flavor is grassy and floral hops with some lush malts. The hops shine through and take over in the finish. Isn’t that bitter because of a good balance. Finish is slightly dry.

When you first pop the cap I get hit with a Dreadnaught mango and pine/simcoe flash flood. Then it softens into a more pine and earth and a little alcohol. Pours out dark copper with a short lived white head. Flavor is quite great...some grapefruit, mango and pine. Bitterness is medium to high...most noticed on the after taste. I’d say it’s a great IPA, and a worthy IIPA. At 9% this is extrememely drinkable and dangerous as the alcohol is unnoticeable. It is very aggresively hopped and there is a flavor comparison somewhere between Alpha King and Dreadnaught. By the way, major point becuase this is only $5.99 a six pack. Extra points on the bargain. Excellent beer.