Piece Amarillo Brillo

Brewed by Piece Brewery & Pizzeria
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Chicago, Illinois USA

Despite guideline crossover between IIPA and strong ale (who gives a shit anyway) this beer is complete, balanced and satisfying. A deep red/brown with a slightly cloudy color and perfectly sized head. The arona is of pine and citrus but with a bready note. Very balanced witih just enough sweetness and just enough bitterness. Hop flavor is good and bold yet not thin and dry. A really great IIPA.

Barely translucent and cherry-lacquered brown in color with a creamy, café fluff, half-inch whitish head and retracting marshmallow lace. Aroma is a fitting tribute to the glory of amarillo – sweet sugary truncations waft up the nose in resilient offense. Cherry-mango-pineapple concoction is a triumphant tympani beating to a well-executed dry hop formula. Some sequential wafts yield buttery cherry toffee and grassy daffodil fields, but this is aromatic amarillo at its best. Sweet, bitter palpitations are ridden most with sugary beets and the glorious two-step of a bitter flavoring hop performed of amarillo. Toffee-like, cherry Nip accents provide a constant, sweet flavored testament. It’s not a righteous double IPA congregation – it’s what an aggressively balanced IPA should shoot for. A swish in the mouth and the flick of the tongue bring out the more boisterous qualities, including grapefruit and starfruit for a bitter-sweet trajectory. Palate bespeaks of balance. Sweetness of cherry toffee allegories perfectly compliment the hop flavors. Carbonation is perfectly in tact, and when this brewery nails it, it’s seashells and balloons across the continent. Hot alcohol hints at the tongue flick in the finish, but never fear – amarillo sweetness to the rescue, rounded out with herbaceous grass. Quite an enjoyable 13 ounces.

This is a very well balanced double IPA. I would say this is more an imperial red. Biscuity malt and big juicy hops. This is the balance I prefer. I asked Cutler if i could get a growler of this and he told me they prefer to keep the smaller batches on tap for the regulars. He did suggest that I could buy 5 tulips and an empty growler and do what I want with them- but I didn’t want to make him an accessory to a crime. Though the crime is clearly not letting those outside a driving radius of piece regularly experience his masterful creations.

Draft @ the BP. This is one excellent brew. Citrus w/ a mild malty-sweet backbone. Excellent.

Hugely hopped and grapefruity but I can’t really tell the difference in flavor or aroma between this and Dysfunctionale or Wingnut for that matter. Like a lot of Piece beers I think this is too sugary sweet and focuses your palate away from the hops. Full bodied, went well with the pizza.

the brewpub calls this a "double red ale." i dont know what they’re smoking, but props to the original poster for correctly categorizing this an IIPA. and a pretty terrific one at that. very fruity in both smell and taste. very sweet as well. it would be nice to have this side by side with the wingnut for comparison, but both are very close to Dreadnaught. this beer is a delight.

Draft at Piece. Smell is nice and fruity hops with a little malt showing through. My girlfriend said it smells like candy. Plenty of hops with lots of malt to back it up. At any rate, this is probably the best beer I’ve had from Piece, along with the Big ’n’ Curvy.

tap at brewpub-Dec31, 2004. I forgot to rate this beer when i was in town. I didn’t write down my rating, but i remember this beer well. THis beer pours a nice deep orange hue with great lacing. A nice off-white head topped this beer. Aroma of huge piney hops full of graperfruit and lemon. This beer has a good caramel malt backbone that came through the aroma as well. flavors are hugely piney and resiny with a high bitterness. Thie finish has great resiny pineyness/bitterness. A great IIPA from this brewpub. It was pretty expensive, but definately worth it.