Point Whole Hog Six-Hop IPA

Brewed by Stevens Point Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Stevens Point, Wisconsin USA

Date: April 25, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, DLD
Appearance: clear gold, wispy off white head
Aroma: sweet caramel pine and butterscotch aroma
Flavor: sweet crystal malt flavor, lots of pine, drying earthyness, long bitterness
Overall: too dry and bitter
Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *4

12oz bottle. Small off-white head atop lightly hazed body. Aroma is medium sweet, orange, bread, light caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, pine, earthy, some caramel/bread, light booziness. Medium body, some resin. Wholly underwhelming.

Bottle… Clear amber ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Excellent retention. The aroma is restrained, but offers notes of biscuit, earthy hops and a touch of either toffee, caramel or praline - I can’t decide - and just a whisper of acidity. Full-bodied and very creamy with modest carbonation. Decent balance. Toffee and caramel sweetness up front; earthy, astringent bitterness and a rumor of tanginess on the backside. Lengthy, moderately bitter, dry finish. Kudos to otakuden for providing the bottle!

(12oz bottle) Pours a clear golden body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of toasted grain, grass, earth, and caramel. Flavor of hops (citrus, pineapple, grass), toasted grain, and caramel malt.

Bottle: Pours a transparent amber orange with a thin, wispy-lacing off-white head. Aroma of sweet toffee and mild butterscotch (not necessarily the diacetyl kind) with some juicy piny hops. Starts with good fullness and a sugary sweet maltiness with some light fruity notes and some orange and spruce character before a slightly more bitter finish. An ok IPA, but could use a bigger citrusy hop profile.

Clear amber to copper in color liquid. Tallish khaki colored head. Just a few rings of lace. Light citric hops along with some pine in the nose. A bit of grass and some caramel in the background. A hint of alcohol as it sets in the glass. Very smooth and slightly chewy feel. Firm, yet supple, I don’t think I have used those terms for a beer before, but they seem to fit this one. Buttery caramel in the front. bitterness overtakes thing in the middle and on into the finish and linger. Some toasted malt also in the middle, but again the bitterness rules. Linger also has a bit of toasted grain. The balance seems a bit off. It seems like a strong Irish red to me.

Dark copper colored body with a fluffy khaki head on top. The initial nose is oranges with some almonds and toast. Up front, it smells like most big IPA’s. Toasted almonds and grapefruit and fairly strong up front. However, the finish is a syrupy sweet mess of orange juice and pistachios. I wanted to like this one more, but the finish ruins it for me.

Picked up a four pack from Discount Liquors in Waukesha, Wisconsin. From a 12-oz bottle pours a clear golden dark amber colored brew with a decent beige head that slowly dissipates to a thin creamy head. Aroma of citrus zest, a hint of pine, some golden grain malt and some dry herbs. Taste is medium to full bodied, some grapefruit, iced tea, a hint of spruce and dry herbs. Finish has a sharp bitterness that slowly disappears with a semi-dry aftertaste.