Middle Ages X Double India Pale Ale

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

This offering pours a caramel color leaving a nice beige head that looks frothy and stiff. The aroma is piney, fruit, hoppy, sugar plum. The taste starts on the palate buttery, then has a bitter bite on the palate moving to a caramel sweetness. There is a faint alcohal presence that warms the body, then finishes again with some bitterness. This is a good Double IPA, a beer that will def warm you up on those cold evenings.

Bomber bottle provided to me by Jason and enjoyed in my Stone IRS snifter:

Draw another goblet ... From the cask of X ... Copper misty memory ... Hazy glimpse of me and my beer ... Give me back my hop wonder

Pours a hazy coppery hue with a long lasting frothy head and outstanding lace. The nose found lots of juicy citric and pine driven hops in the beginning with some additional earthy and vanilla esters as well. The flavor profile come forth with a sharp grapefruit twang and forever lupulin bitterness but the wonderful thing about this brew is the balance because those sweet and bready malts didn’t take a backseat to the primary characteristic. A little Fusel tone but nothing the keep me from loving this flavor profile. I also found a quick hit and run of pepper and clove on the aftertaste. The feel is sharp and refreshing, way too much for a 10% ABV brew and it’s not as astrengent as I would have guessed. Still it could be a bit heavier, but then it would have been as drinkable as it is.

YUMMY!!! BigBadBear recommended, even for those of you who are not hopheads. AGAIN MANY THANKS to Jason for getting me this beer from my wishlist, it was worth the wait!

(Draught) Sampled at the Blue Tusk in Syracuse, NY, for $3.50 a half-pint. Pours a thin, white creamy head and a clear orange body. Nose of oak barrels and oranges. The flavour has a hidden smoked porter extension beneath the high hoppiness of the Pacific Northwest. A good recognition of 10 years of fine brewing...

On tap at Barcade. Dang that’s the best taplist I have ever seen. Beautiful deep gold color. Awesome hops and packs a massive punch with the 10%. I would love to get another bottle though for a better experience than in a crowded bar.

This beer is what I like to call a hop cocktail. It is the kind of beer that is just perfect to relax and unwind with, and makes for an excellent aperitif beer. X Anniversary comes in at a mighty 10% abv, so you will have to be careful if you want to consume more than one 22oz bomber, or a few pints of this one. X Anniversary Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, deep golden to light amber color with a thick and creamy white head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is the first thing that grabs your attention. Very fragrant spicy/citrus hop aromas paired with some earthy yeast aroma, and hints of peppery alcohol flood the nose. The palate on this beer is very firm, with good flavors of pale and biscuit malt along with some citrus hop flavor. X Anniversary Ale finishes with good pale and biscuit malt flavor up front, then ends with a very bitter/spicy hop tang that lingers on the tongue. This is a very well done Imperial IPA with lots of great hop character. This beer is really a bigger, brawnier version of their outstanding IPA, ImPaled Ale. Every thing you expect in an Impy IPA is in this beer and then some. X Anniversary has much more hop character and alcohol, but is as dangerously drinkable as Impaled Ale. Retailing for $4-$5 a 220z bottle, this beer is very well priced, and a beer you should look for if you find yourself in Syracuse, or a market where Middle Ages beers are sold. You would never believe this beer is 10% abv, so be careful with this one. I would not pair this one with food, rather enjoy it as an aperitif, or a beer to sip and savor after a long, hard day at work.

Bottle courtesy of hopdog. Slightly hazy copper, with average off-white head. aroma is dominated by citrus and pine, no malt detectable at all. Flavor is all c-hops through and through. Again lots of citrus and pine, with a tiny bit of sweet malt, but doesn’t come close to balancing out the flavor. Decent beer, just one-dimensional, I prefer to have some sweet malt background in an IIPA.

22oz bottle via trade with hopdog! - Thanks Steve! - Pours amber with a foamy offwhite had that stays pretty well and laces down the sides of the tulip in intricate patterns. Aroma is grapefruit and pine. Flavor is mostly citrus. Grapefruit and pine dominate, but a nice bit of caramel malts and a touch of vanilla come through to smooth this out. Palate is somewhat resiny but very drinkable and a hophead’s dream.. Nice bitter finish and a somewhat sweet aftertaste. Nice..

Poured an effervescent amber with a fizzy off-white head. Aroma of some tart fruit and grapefruit and piney hops. Flavor is fairly mild for the style, with some alcohol, bitter grapefruit and pine hops with a bit of acidity, touch of apple. Not especially typical of the style, as the hops don’t seem to take a dominant role. Style pleasant and pretty drinkable.