Mendocino Winter Seasonal Imperial IPA

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

Thanks to weeare138 for sharing. Pours a translucent golden amber with a medium bubbly/creamy off white head. Aroma of caramel, pine, lemon, other various citrus and some floral notes. Flavor of pine, sweet malts, light hop bitterness, cereal grains and mixed citrus.

Bottle. Bours a nice caramel color with a frothy head. Aroma is very hoppy and floral. The hops come through very nicely in the first taste. Grapefruit is very present in this bitter ipa. Overall I like this IPA very much.

not sure WHY this is called an imperial. tastes like a run of the mill IPA. It is really good but nothing outstanding by ny means. balanced nice and smooth nice hop aroma etc. nice beer! drop the imperial

Bottle. Dark red color, similar to a Coke. A kinda strangely fizzy head, but long lasting and a nice tan color. More malt on the nose than is typical of the style. The taste really seemed more like a nice APA to me than a DIPA. Malts nicely blended with hoppy bitterness. Really well balanced, if a bit thin for the style. It may not fit the style definition very well, but it’s an interesting beer that’s easier on the palate than a lot of big beers and finishes perfectly clean.

Copper color; small lingering head. Citrus, grapefruit hops, straw and malt aroma and flavors. A bit harsh, biting, spicy, and missing the malt component I’d associate with a winter seasonal.

Bottled. Pours orangy amber, with a yellowish-tan head that faded a bit too fast. Clear with some decent lace on the glass. The aroma is hops, citrus and some sweet notes--caramel? flavor is hoppy--tart grapefruit, with some honey-like notes in the end. The finish is long, bitter (though not as bitter as I’d expect from an Imperial IPA), with little to no alcohol notes. Mouthfeel is medium, not as oily as some other Impy IPAs, with a low level of carbonation.

Forgot about this one; from a rating archive. Slgihtly hazy orange appearnace. Thin head. Citrus aroma with some grape. Bitter flavor, dry, but at the same time very drinkable. A little light bodied, however, still nice and hoppy for only 7.5%. Doesn’t really have the strength of flavor I prefer in an imperial IPA, but kind of middle of the road between an IPA and IIPA. Not bad by any means.

Bottle, #347 Orange pour with small quick dying head and good lacing. Mildly hoppy aroma with a bit of sweetness. Flavor is much more hoppy. Overall not too complex, but it is a good brew.