Middle Ages X Double India Pale Ale

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

Lighter golden-amber with a piney aroma. Taste was sharp-pine hop with a decent caramel-sweet malt backing. Decent, but a notch or two below where a good DIIPA should be.

Tap at Barcade. Deep golden coour with a thin white head. Aroma is quite hoppy even after over a year. Full of fresh pine needles and a sharp peppery alcoholic character that really works with all the prickly resin. A nice vanilla note in the back also plays quite well in here. Flavour shows nice hoppy character with soft spicy aromatics behind the fresh pine character. A touch of floral and more sweet vanilla. A light touch of crystal malt bulks the body up a touch and works quite well with this hop bill. A pleasant surprise, this one is.

Feb. 20, 2007; 22 oz. "bomber" purchased for $5 at Chanatry’s Market, Utica NY. Labeled as "Middle Ages X, Double India Pale Ale." Orange pour with rocky head & ample lacing. Wonderful balance on this one -- not over-the-top "hoppy" like many brews of this style -- and, possibly, the maltiest IIPA I’ve tried. I don’t detect the "sour twang" that put off the previous rater. Not particularly complex. Don’t know where Middle Ages hid the 10% ABV, but it’s WAY down in the "mix." Very pleasantly surprised by this one, and will definitely be picking it up again.

Pours orange with a fast falling white head. Finish had a sour twang to it, kinda clashed with the bitterness. Aroma of candy-sweet citrus hops. Flavor is blanced well, have a sweeter base helped handle the massive hop finish. Caramel and honey flavors brew up from the malt to work against the citrus hops. This would have been a great beer, but the sour twang to the finish really made it taste like a funky mess.

22 oz. bottle pours a faintly hazy amber and develops a medium light tan soapy head that settles quickly, but leaves good lace. Citrus hop aroma over a background of honey andlight brown sugar. Medium/full body, resinous, and medium carbonation combine for a pleasing mouthfeel. Bitter right on the front end and through the finish, although there is a limited counterattack from some light toffee like sweetness. Overall, this big hoppy brew is very good, and the alcohol is never really apparent.

A: Pours a very nice orangish-tinted copper with a nice, foamy, white head. The lacing is robust and evident right off the bat. S: Another wonderfully hopped scent, this DIPA gives off the aroma of some solid fruity notes and is backed up by a nice, refreshing piney and citrusy flavors. T: No surprises here, this one comes at you full force with massive hops in your face. This is a well-crafted DIPA, complex with flavors of grapefruit, pine needles, citrus and even some well-balanced sweet breaded malts. But the best part is the bitter, bitter finish, that lingering hoppy goodness we all love so much. A superbly crafted beer. M: Much like all else with this beer, the mouthfeel is well-balanced. The perfect amount of carbonation (read: not too much) and that classic oily, slick, hoppy residue hopheads tend to dig. It will make you want to keep drinking it. D: The high ABV will prevent excessive abuse of this beer, but it’s still damned easy to drink. If you like DIPAs, this will NOT disappoint. If you don’t, try this one anyway. It’s good. Darned good.

650 ml bottle

I acquired this in a trade over the past couple of months. I am assuming since it is an anniversary ale that it is a one-time release. If that is the case, drink what you have now. It seemed nothing like a double IPA when I sampled mine with hezron and malachi. Instead it is more like a thin barleywine or American strong ale. On the other hand, if that is your thing, sit on it for a while to see if it degrades anymore.

Aroma / Apppearance - The body was somewhere between amber and copper in color with an off-white half finger head. There was a nice lacing that left layers of sediment along the sides as I worked through the bottle. The nose was a little disappointing for a double IPA. It was primarily caramel and cheap waxy candy store chocolate. In the background the hops timidly gave off hints of pine and grapefruit. There was also a slight nod to strawberries.

Flavor / Palate - A resiny grapefruit feeling coated the throat on the first sip. This is what I would have expected from an Imperial IPA minus the harsh bitter aftertaste. Instead comes a slightly muted bouquet of lemons, orange rinds, caramel and honey. The finish leaves just a hint of moisture on the back on the throat along with a faint suggestion of hops.

clear amber gold, huge merengue like head with fantastic lacing. Olfaction is pine and grapefruit, no floral notes. Massive hoppiness with caramel/ringwood yeastiness. The high EtOH and hop saturation tempors the Ringwood character which for me is a blessing. This is almost a Ringwood Ruination! Great effort.