Rocky River I.B.U.sive

Brewed by Rocky River Brewing Co. (OH)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Tasted on tap at the 7th Annual Bistro Double IPA fest. This imperial IPA pours a light to medium gold color. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is orange and citrus. A medium bodied imperial IPA. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are grapefruity and floral. Nice balance. Lots of hop flavor without being over the top. Medium to light bitterness. Crisp and clean. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Dirty orange color with no head at all. I think they need to pump up the CO2 on the tanks. Aromas were pretty one dimensional:GRAPEFRUIT!. Not bad because I like that kind of thing, but not very complex. Heavy body with a lot of hop presence. Very oily. Light malt sweetness underneath huge hop flavors. Very acidic finish. Decent enough Double IPA.

On Tap @ RR: Large creamy white head, fantastic lacing, on a medium amber cloudy body. Heavy grapefruit & pine hop aromas throughout, but as it warms the hops are a liltle more balanced in aroma by caramel and toasty malt. Hops are also a little resiny. Fruitiness comes from the hop aromas. Well balanced, but only lightly to bitter for an IPA. Again, grapefruity flavor from hops dominate and accounts for the fruitiness. Some caramel malt balances, but finishes only lightly bitter in the semi sweet, and has a citrus hop aftertaste the lingers. Dry m/f from hop resins, lower level of carbonation, medium body. Alcohol’s well hidden. Not a bad IPA, but these are becoming a dime a dozen anymore. Good, but not great or outstanding. I do like the fact that this is unfiltered, and the carbonation is lower to allow the flavors to come through.