Stone Coast 840 IIPA

Brewed by Sunday River Brewpub and Restaurant
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Bethel, Maine USA

Name: 840 Imperial India Pale Ale
Date: 02/09/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Extreme Beer

muddy orange, wispy off white head, huge sweet fruity citrus aroma with a fresh grassy edge, lots of hop flavor on a rich caramel malt base, lots of fruity sweetness, lingering bitter finish,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4
-------- /> I would like to rerate this beer.

(22oz bottle) Medium, fluffy off-white that leaves nice lacing atop hazy amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, orange/grapefruit, caramel, some peach. Taste is mild sweet, grapefruit/pine, herbal. Dry finish. Medium body, some acidity. Not bad, but could use more malt.

(Draught) Pours an amber body with an average-sized creamy off-white head and nice lacing. Aroma of caramel, grapefruit, and grass. Flavor of caramel, citrusy hops, toasted grain, and toffee with a moderately bitter finish.

22oz bottle. Poured a medium orange color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of skunky / earthiness, citrus, and lighter caramel. Tastes of citrus, lighter skunkiness, and lighter caramel.

Bottle… This beer rocks!… Cloudy, caramel-colored ale with a mid-sized, creamy, off-white head. Good retention. The malty, earthy aroma is comprised of caramel, guava and a touch of diacetyl. Flavor-wise, sweet caramel gives way to bitter grapefruit rind and a pinch of salt. Full-bodied and creamy with moderate carbonation. The lengthy, bitter-sweet finish dries out in the end. Cheers to ughsmash for this bottle of beer!

My Bottom Line:
Floral, leafy, citrusy hoppiness proliferates within the frail caramel maltiness until resinous bitterness claims the back of the tongue. This full frontal hop nudity should be exciting for those in dire need of a hoppy encounter.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A slice of foam tops the misty amber.
-The body’s relative thinness makes the hoppiness a tad too brash.
-The aromatic hoppiness gets soapy at times.
-Alcohol is not tasted much, which is fun.
-The citrusy hoppiness is often orangey.
-The hop signature is obviously not your typical Double IPA’s, which is appreciated.

Bottle.

Pours amber with a thin white head. Smells of resin, citrus, yeasty. Tastes of resin, some sticky sweetness citrus, boozy and bitter.

Oak aged version. On tap at Hop Devil Grill. Tap at Hop Devil Grill. Hazy orange beer with a thin white head. Aroma is quite subtle, light oaky character, some soft earthy character and a bit of orange and tangerine. Flavour is quite soft as well. A bit of vanilla and oaky tannins. The hops are really quite muted, but the bitterness is maintained. I liked this a lot better in the non-oaked version. This just seems like a pointless experiment. 7 3 5 2 11 On tap at the Hop Devil Grill. Copper coloured beer with a thin white head. Aroma is just a massive blast of hops. Citrus (lemon/orange/grapefruit) as well as some noble type of spiciness. Flavour is incredibly hoppy and bitter, to the detriment of the beer. A bit too rough and unbalanced. Resiny and chewy. 8 4 5 2 14