Middle Ages Wailing Wench

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Syracuse, New York USA

Draft. Very dark for a D/IIPA with a strong malty aroma. Taste is less hoppy and more maltish than most in the style - Strong ale with plenty of powerful piney hops. This one is pretty good, but something kept it from "really good" that I can’t quite put my finger on. Need to try a bottle too.

Bottle from HogTownHarry! Thanks Harry! Nose of caramel malts and some butterscotch with only a tiny hint of hops! Dark copper with a medium tan head; flavor is a mix of hop bitterness and caramel maltiness and a little citrus, and it ended with a mildly bitter hop finish!

Thanks to bentley78 for the bottle. Lovely pour, caramel-brown body that is topped by a dense light head that produces excellent glass lace.Really nice aroma, caramel, floral hops, some butterscotch, and pine. The flavor is first bitter, then some earthy caramel maltiness followed by a wash of floral and pine hops. The body is prickly and tad thin. This one is interesting. It is like a British IIPA, I like it.

Pours a translucent copper/brown amber with a large foamy off white head that left lacing and did a nice job at sustaining. Aroma of caramal malt, with some grapefruit/orange hops in there. More malty than hoppy in the aroma. Flavor was also malty with a caramel, nutty feel coming through at first followed bit a tough of hop bitterness. Flavor from the hops is more of a pine/grapefruit.

Indeed, quite robust in colour and hop levels. Black, unusual for an IPA, but nice bitter finish. However, lacked palate complexity in terms of variance of flavors. But good nonetheless.

draft at the Sunset Grille in Boston - Pours dark amber with a thin head. The smell is of hops and an impressive amount of citrus fruits. The flavor is a powerful hops assault with a decent malt balance and seriously strong citrus notes. It’s full bodied and finishes with the lingering, quality hops of the style. I really enjoyed it. I’m surprised the ratings aren’t a bit higher. Perhaps the draft was that much superior to the bottled version, or my tastes are just different.

bottle split with Muenster. Pours a fairly dark red with a tan head. Kinda dark for an IIPA. Aroma is not "screaming with hops" in fact. It is astringent, packs some modest grapefruit and thin caramel. I was excited about this too after sampling their superior "X" IIPA. This falls far short of that level of quality. It’s quite chalky, some grapefruit saves it. This is pretty thin for an IIPA. I want a complex assault on the senses from this style, and this is just borgeous.

Quite a bit of malt to this. Reminded me of a less sweet, less deep Yulesmith. Not bad, but I was not particularly impressed; again the hops were a bit one-dimensional.