Pizza Port Guru

Brewed by Pizza Port (Solana Beach)
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Solana Beach, California USA

Draft at Solana Beach. A hazy amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet with strong notes of hops, grass, grapefruit, and pine needles, and so is the flavor, leading to a dry grassy and rather bitter finish.

Draft... RBSG... Lightly hazed golden ale with an orange tint and a mid-sized, creamy, white head. Good retention. Piney, grapefruity aroma also offers malty notes of toffee and caramel. Full-bodied and chewy with spiky carbonation. Leans on the bitter side of balance. A wealth of malty caramel and toffee sweetness is outdone by oodles of grapefruit pith and evergreen bitterness. Lengthy, bittersweet finish with a dash of salt.

On draft at O’Brien’s. Appearance is a murky dull orange hue, minimal off-white head, moderate lacing. Smell is sweet hops [pine/citrus], hints of candy bubblegum, grassy and floral tones. Taste is big pine-grassy hops with a dominating alcohol presence initially, sweet fruits and bread malts soon enter, finishes dry and bitter. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, oily thick texture coats the tongue and mouth, prickly carbonation. Drinkability is moderate, very strong and hoppy DIPA that is in the ’hop bomb’ range, the stiff alcohol presence impairs extensive drinking.

Draft. lightly hazy amber beer with an off-white head. Big grapefruit aroma. Grapefruit/summer fruit flavor with caramel backing. Medium body. Big hop flavor, but bitterness could use a little boost. Lingering summer fruit/grapefruit and some caramel.

From tap at Solana Beach. Pours slight cloudy orange with a lacing white head. Aroma is fruity hops of grapefruit but also a bit spiced. Solid spiced and hoppy flavour with a nicely balanced caramel malt base. Dense flavourful brew yet also smooth. Smooth and nice finish with bitterness and dry fruity flavours. Lovely.

On Tap at PP. Made my mouth water as I walked to the table. I could smell the fruity/hoppy aroma over the pizza. Great color. Big mouthfull of flavor, but didn’t have the sharp bite at the back of the flavor. Could drink more than two pints.

Tap @ Solana. Poured a hazed amber with an off-white head. Nice big hop forward aroma. Big pine and grapefruit. Huge but smooth pine and grapefruit flavor. The malt is hidden. Long hop finish with a mild-moderate bitterness. Nice warmth. This is what an IIPA should be.

Tap @ Pizza Port, Solana Beach. Pours a hazy gold with a small white to off-white head. Aroma is pine hops up front, with citrus and dark fruit notes detectable as well. Flavor is slightly sweet up front, with fruity notes and citrus hops dominating the beer’s finish. Beer remains smooth and drinkable throughout, making this hop monster a rather nice experience.