Pizza Port Hop 15

Brewed by Port Brewing/Lost Abbey
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
San Marcos, California USA

This has some hoppy fruit tones and seems well crafted with a bit of a bitter finish that has a piney edge to it. It seems solid but I’m not blown away by it either. It is possible that the previous double IPA I sampled muted my taste buds though. This one is extremely drinkable and the alcohol is well hidden.

Pours a nice hazy golden-orange color with a thick and fluffy yellow-tinted head. Aroma of fresh grapefruit, pine cones, sweet sugary malts, and a sweet citrus fruitiness. Flavors were hugely malty to start with, but quickly gave way to the fresh, spicy, piney hops. A really interesting and unique combination of hops in here... intense, earthy, a bit smoky, some bitter citrus/grapefruit rind, really nice complex realm of tastiness. Mouthfeel was pretty slick and syrupy, but that was cut short by the sharp astringent bitterness of the hops. Overall a great beer.

On tap at Ebenezer’s. Aroma strong of pine and citrus hops with the solid caramel malt base. Flavor pretty complex for a DIPA highlighted by more of the same, luscious hop presence without ever overwhelming the mouth with bitterness. Mouthfeel can get a bit syrupy toward the end after initial smoothness, but so long as you’re fine with a slower drinking beer, not a problem. 7-4-8-4-16/3.9
Rerate 7/22/08 Bottle. I sort of disagree with my first rating at this point. While the aroma is still nice with that citrus and hop presence, the flavor is just bizarre and overpowering. There is at the same time too much hop bitterness and too much malt sweetness. If by "balanced" you mean equal amounts of bitter hops and sweet malt, then it’s balanced, but it’s really not because the two do not work together and are both unnecessary extremes and parodies of themselves. Gets even sweeter and syrupier on the finish, really not good regardless of pace of consumption. Has some good stuff going on, but just doesn’t work.

Bottle. Pours hazy copper with small off-white head, lacing. Nose has pungent passionfruit, fresh oranges, lemon peel, mild pineyness and a bit of honey. Aroma is really robust, filling up the nostrils. Flavor is lightly sweet, toffee, hints of soil/earth, mild pine and light bitterness. Lingering moderate bitterness and resiny oiliness in the finish.

Bomber courtesy of agl108. This one’s been aging for a number of months. A very deep amber/copper pour with lots of big floaties and a finger-thick tan head. Rich caramel aroma that features some vanilla extract, hints of vanilla beans and a bit of alcohol. LOADS of spicy, citrusy hops become more apparent as it warms. Full-bodied and kinda creamy. Good balance taste-wise. Lots of caramel and some vanilla to start things off. Transitions nicely to some grapefruity hoppiness. A bitter, fairly drying finish that lingers a bit. Just a touch of warming alcohol present underneath it all. Now I want a fresh bottle!

Bomber, split with NachlamSie. Pours a nice orange with off-white head. The aroma is freshly-cut grapefruit, pine, and a little bit of spicy malt. The piney hops are straightfoward in the flavor, with juicy, fruity hops after that. That malts are toasty and makes the beer pleasantly dry. I like my DIPAs a bit out of balance as this one is, so I am pleased.

Deep amber hazy pour with a small white head. Some light lacing. Aroma of ,what else but, hops. Plenty of citrus and piney hops. Taste is very heavily hopped, with some mild malt backing. Not sure what hops they used here, but there seems to be a good mix. I detect some Simcoe, but there’s plenty others as well. Bitterness in the finish is unforgiving, but nice. Mouth is medium and dry. Another big west coast IPA, very nice.

3-6-08 bottle.
Nice red amber with ideal head and thick lacing. Nice sweet hop smell (wet poignant hops, not dry at all). A hint soapy but nice and very enjoyable. Smooth and almost creamy mouthfeel. I love the high drinkability of this. Tastes refreshing and earthy and hoppy. A good beer all around!