Middle Ages X Double India Pale Ale

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

22 oz. bomber bottle, no freshness date, sampled in a tulip glass. Poured an amber orange with a small, compact head of light tawny foam that quickly settled into a thin sudsy lacing, minimal amount of sticky lace. A fruity nose of ripen tropical fruits and peaches, followed by dry pine needles and citrus. The malts are buttery caramel with a faint graininess. The alcohol is a light spicy solvent. Velvety smooth moderate body with a little creamy heftiness from the carbonation. The hops have a nice multidimensional contrast, sweet and sour tropical fruits, citrus peels, sticky, oily herbs and an softly cleansing spiciness at the close. Caramelized sugary malts add sweetness to the hop flavors, some bready graininess emerges in the end. The alcohol is mildly fruity solvent tasting with a low grade warmth in the palate. Finishes dry and softly bitter. For an higher ABV DIPA, this is an easy sipper, quite enjoyable during tonight’s ice storm, glad I won’t being going to work tomorrow.

Bottle purchased at Sam the Beer Man in Binghamton, NY. Pours slightly hazy salmon orange, off white head. Aroma is tangerine kiwi peat. Flavor is the same with malt and caramel, some welcome hops bitterness. As per usual, I’m not liking the wet earth aroma/flavor or the sticky sweetness of double IPAs.

Bottle. Moderate malt notes of roasted and caramel, heavy notes of pine, grapefruit and a little lemon for the hops, moderate smell of leather for the yeast, with cherry, dark dried fruits and alcohol. Head is small, creamy, slightly off-white, has good lacing and is mostly lasting. Color is a murky orange. Flavor starts moderately sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet and acidic and moderately bitter. Palate is medium, oily and has a lively carbonation. A great example of it’s style.

@ Brazen Head on cask-pours a tan head that bubbles and hazy gold color. Aroma is grapefruit/lemon. Taste is grapefruit/lemon/pine hops, secondary medium malt, slightly thick mouthfeel, some woody. OK/mild carbonation.

Pours a darker brown hued orange with a small tannish head in my tulip glass. Nose is salty hops with a underlying syrupy citric tone. Flavor is pungent and salty with a bit too much alcohol coming through. It seems to rest on the back of my tongue. Over time it seems to even out and become a consistently smooth IPA. I can’t say it is too much of a DIPA. It is just nice and mellow and full bodied. Nie to try. Nothing showy at all.

Cask at the Brazen Head. Dark amber color. Pine, lemon, and grapefruit hops dominate the flavor. The flavor has some kind of standard caramel malt, with lots of piney / grassy bitterness. It was average for the style.

Bottle -- Poured a medium metallic orange with a steady but thin head. The aroma is quite perfumey It drinks with a bit of an acidic tingle right up front and a sour-mashy bitter orange base. There’s just a hint of biscuit here, too. The body is a bit on the light side and the 10% is extremely discreet, dangerously so. Think this would go well with some lightly spicy fare or a hearty salad. (#3122, 10/6/2007)

Orange brown color with a nice big head. Very nice sweet hop aroma. Now late 2007 X is 2005 not sure what the changes are. Had shortly after was released and find it is much richer. Taste so hoppy and delicious malt biscuity sweetness. Rich smooth body but still easy to drink, should have a full pour on this one. Had a sample and appreciate a full pint more.