Mendocino Winter Seasonal Imperial IPA

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

Clear amber with good, creamy off-white head / Big, fresh hop and weed nose / Medium, very creamy hop body with good finish / Brilliant flavors of grapefruit, fresh cut pine, peach, and spice with long sweet toffee finish / Outstanding.

The look is a bright orange with a finger of puffy head. Some haze, but a good amount of carbonation. Wide swath of lace. Excellent bitter, piney hop smell. Hops are also have sweet orange peel. Bitter but also citrus. Mild dry malt, but mostly hops. The hops, however, are complex and have more than just one flavor. Sweetness of dry malt taste comes first, then bitter hops. The hops, however, are not brutally bitter. They are beautifully balanced. Bitter but with a sweet finish/respite. The feel is fizzy and a little bubbly. A tad spiky, though smooths out at the end. Creamy as it warms. This is a bitter but balanced beer. Nicely defined. Bitterness is only possibly hindrance to repeats. Otherwise, delicious.

Found this one bottled at Binny’s in St. Charles. Wow. Thick white head atop a clear, reddish-brown pour. Very strong citrusy hops nose. Clean and profoundly bitter, with piney hops, grapefruit, orange rind but a creaminess that belies this beer’s shaprness. Strong finish. Amazing.

From a twelve ounce bottle purchased at "Kellers IGA" in Cincinnati, Ohio - This one pours a copper hued brew with a just a very, very slightly off-white head of foam and a complex grapefruit-flowers-malt aroma. Tastewise, it really isn’t too complex, but it is a tastey beer, and it has a very hoppy bite at the end (and leaves great lacing on the glass)!

Clear, pale-amber color, and a two finger thick head made this beer look quite beautiful. The aroma was of floral, piney, and grapefruit hops, and was not particularly pungent. The taste was delicate and bittersweet. This was a well balanced beer showcasing both the zesty spiciness of the hops and the sugary sweetness of the pale malt. It was flavorful but less imperial than the version of couple of years ago. The body however was silky smooth and soft. I’d not go as far as the neck label in saying that this was was a full bodied IIPA, but it did seem to glide on my tongue quite well. Easy to approach and drink up.

Props to brother Bob for this gift basket stocking stuffer... perfumy esters to the pour--a surprisingly strong , flowery fragrance--and overwhelming spruce hops produce as unique an IPA scent as I’ve sniffed... beautiful, stately, slow-rising effervescence that curves with the snifter; thick white head that melds with its reddish-orange body... sweeping cirrus lacing as the glass drains... soft, warming, thickly cream palate... active mouthfeel but balanced and somewhat mellowing... intense kick of hops at the throat and a lingering cascade at the finish... hops are a bit sour and intense...surprisingly rewarding (the "double" in anything often blinds the brewer of his sensibility) and nonabrasive, with its Christmas tree effect subdued and its character presented with dignity...

Pours a dark orange with a medium size white head. Spruce aroma. Sweet to bitter with loads of hops. Full bodied. Awesome beer.

Wow, the hop aroma is amazing, totally overwhelming, love the hops. Has a great appearance, neat orange/amber color, very clear. Has a remarkable smooth taste to it considering the intense hop aroma. A really neat beer, would definately recomend.