Sockeye Hopnoxious Imperial IPA

Brewed by Sockeye Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Boise, Idaho USA

This one is worth the trip. I was served it in a 10oz glass. They *claimed* it was because of high alcohol content. I sort of doubt that. However, it was orangish/yellow. The head looked more like a saison to me, actually. Huge citrus odor. Delicious. A winner.

Reddish amber with a frothy white head and sticky lacing. Slightly hazy. Citrus and pine aroma. Some floral notes and sweet caramel. Great bitter bite with a tone of citrus; orange and grapefruit. Really sweet malts. Great bitter tail. Chalky mouthfeel.

Pours a dark golden amber with a nice ring of cloudy foam. Lovely hop nose that literally jumps out of the glass. Loads of citrus, some herbal notes and some great fruit. Impressive balance, rugged hops goe to battle with a very strong malt backbone. The lacing just coats the glass to the point where you can hardly see glass anymore. Very nicely done.

Murky mahogany, very little head, sticky lacing, lightly shimmering. Nose of citrusy hops, some pine & grapefruit; fruit. Very little carbonation on the mouthfeel, sort of like a cask ale in that regard. Nice rich malts & an over present bitterness that’s intense but managable.Some flavors of apricot & wormwood. Not a harsh bitterness like some hop monsters though. The finish is malty, rich toffee & sweet caramel. This is pretty good, almost like a british bitter with the hop profile but the brute strength of the american ones.

Tap at brew pub: Just ran in during happy hour and gulped down this tasty speciman. It is only the second time the brewer has made this one. The color is a clear copper with a small white head. The aroma is full of fresh cut pine, juniper shrub, sweet lemon grass and ripe apricots. The flavor is powerfully bitter also exhibiting the fleshy flavor of apricots and other usual suspects in beers with a bountiful amount of hops. The finish is dry like chewing on the fuzz of a peach and the bitter aftertaste is prolonged. It doesn’t seem as syrupy and alcoholic as other 2IPA’s. Overall, I enjoyed this immensely and seems to be on of Sockeye’s better offerings. It displayed the backbone and flavor of how I like my regular IPA’s to feel and taste.

On tap at Sockeye Brewing. pouts out a sun orange with some amber. Topped with a off white cream head. A very nice citrus hop aroma. Tast full of more citrus hops. I picked up some malt and some caramel sweetness. This is a very tasty brew.

Draft at brewpub: Orange & amber color is mostly transparent with a little haziness. Nice white head and very thick lacing. Nose is light, but floral and citrus hops are dominant. Taste is packed with floral hops, citrus, grapefruit, dandelion, and pine. The sweetness of the malt and caramel does a great job leading into a bitter, dry finish. IMO, very well done.

This has a nice citrus/grapefruit hoppiness that boasts a prevalent, but certainly subservient, toasty and caramelly/nutty malt base; not a harsh bitterness, as Bück says, but there is no quarter given here in the complex hopping; also, the body is quite viscous without being thick; the alcohol is there, but you only notice after you’ve had a few.... this is one nice brew