Mendocino Winter Seasonal Imperial IPA

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Hopland, California USA

Nice mixture of citrus and hops on this beer. Pours a nice amber color with a small head. Good beer though better than most the Mendocinos!

12oz bottle. Funny, I live in CA and got this bottle from Headbanger in Ill. Hmmmm. Anyhow, pours amber colored, thin white head that fades quick and leaves a touch of lace. Smells of dark citrusy hops. Tastes of dark citrusy hops, with a malty backbone. Full body, nice carbonation. Good call.

This is a very middle of the road DIPA. Its got your classic citrus aroma and hoppy punch. Well made, no glaring flaws. Not as over the top as some, has enough maltiness to even things out. Plus I got a six pack for $6 which is a steal.

12oz. bottle. Nose is full of fresh citrus fruit, plenty of juicy grapefruit, orange and pineapple, blended with a touch of pine and faint, honeyish malt sweetness. Clear light-medium copper color with a very fine, thin head. Flavor is dominated by the hop profile, citric, juicy, clean, resinous and earthy, drying and nicely bitter throughout, with only a faint hit of caramel malt sweetness in the background and touches of orange peel on the finish. Mouthfeel is oily and thinly effervescent, body is medium. Not a complex rendering, but does have a pleasantly robust, flavorful hop character befitting the style.

Bottled. Poured clear, medium orange with about 3/4" of white head sticking around. The aroma picked up sweet grapefruit meat and carmel with light spicage.. rather one-dimensional, but it was pleasant. The flavor was very spicy, with grapefruit meat and alcohol-laced caramels at the core.. high pine and grapefruit bitterness surround, leading to a warm, tacky, bitter grapefruity finish.. OK balance, but only decently-composed. Medium-plus bodied with lots of bitterness and a bit too much overt alcohol. Not bad, and well worth the price.

Pours a clear amber with a fizzy but minimal head. Aroma has tons of floral hops. Flavor is the standard IPA hoppy spiciness/bitterness, but the mouthfeel is fuller than most. Not bad, but I’ll stick to Dogfish Head’s IPAs.

Bottle. Clear amber/orange with a medium head. Aroma of bitter citrus, pine and band-aids. Taste is much the same - with some caramel malt. Not gonna spend a lot of time on this. Alcohol really comes through in an unflattering way.

Bottle. Pours clear amber-orange with a moderate white head. Aroma is lots of citrus hops, with a bit of honeyish malt behind them. Flavor is also lots of citrus hops, more grapefruity than the aroma, with some woody bitterness. Moves to somewhat sweet malt with a bit of alcohol and more resiny hops in the finish. Pretty good.