Upland Bad Penny Double IPA

Brewed by Upland Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Bloomington, Indiana USA

On tap at the pub. Deep golden color in the snifter. Sticky, off white head that was initially big and foamy but shrank to a lasting slick and left sheets of lace. Big candied grapefruit rind nose. This is a thick, syrupy beer. Pink grapefruit juice, apple sauce, and apricots all with a big alcohol sensation. Not an obrusive alcohol burn, but you can tell this is a big beer. Very nice for a big hop head beer.

On tap at the brewpub. Great-looking deep orange with a creamy, lasting head. The alcohol is well hidden from both the aroma and the flavor. Big aroma of floral hops, with the bittering hops bringing up the rear. The flavor is bitter and floral, with the balance tipping a little too far to the bitter for my taste. A bit more malt would help this beer to feel more balanced. Otherwise a rock solid DIPA. Went great with the pasta I had.

Moderate body, strong hoppy aroma. Strong hop, bitter flavor. Very good! Very akin to Arrogant Bastard.

On tap at brewpub. Pours a very lightly hazed orangy copper with a healthy creamy white head. The nose is full of hops, floral to slightly piney. Malt forward, a bit richer. Alcohol pokes out, especially as it warms. The mouthfeel is full and creamy, suggesting the residual sugars that show up in the flavor. Creamier and maltier than hoppier in the spectrum of IIPAs. The hops aren’t super biting, though they are fresh and floral. A bit fruity. Alcohol pops out and balances the malt well. An enjoyable beer, glad to have caught this on tap.

Draft@ Upland 10.02.2008. Clear copper with a tan head. Big pine sap, floral hop aromas. Medium body. Strong grapefruit citrusy and piney hop flavors ride a solid malty sweet base brew. A very good DIPA here.

Draft sample at the tap room. Pours a dark amber color with a fluffy head. Aroma is all herbs and grapefruit. Considering that grapefruity zest is my favorite character of hops, I enjoyed this beer very much. Palate is full and very well balanced. I liked this beer a lot. Not one I could have alot of, but great nonetheless.

On draught at the brewpub in Bloomington, Indiana as Imperial IPA on the menu board. Pours a clear copper amber brew with a thick off-white head that slowly dissipates yet leaves excellent lacing. Aroma of heavy grapefruit and grapefruit zest, a touch of caramel malts, and some light tropical fruit. Taste is full bodied, a little thick in texture with more distinct heavy grapefruit flavors that overpowers any other caramel flavors. Finish is an in-yer-face heavy bitterness that really sticks around. The high alcohol presence really comes out when this beer comes to room temperature.

This is Ken Smith’s winning entry in this year’s UpCup homebrew competition. It features, as I have been told, six hops, and the result is simply marvelous. Poured copper with a beige head. Aroma is hop-drenched, no sign of resin, just caramel, bread, and lovely fruity aroma hops. Can’t really taste the alcohol, but damn does it ever kick like a mule. Otherwise tastes of caramel and thick, deep breadiness, is strongly bitter but actually rather inviting. Quenching and dry with flittering citrus accents, grapefruit and peach mingling with orange peel and a stunning burst of tangerine. Medium body edging toward full. Eyes wide open, eyebrows high! Crazy, crazy, crazy good - somewhere, sometime, someone needs to mass-produce this.[4.4]

Ok, one year later, got another pint of this at this year’s (2009) UpCup gathering. Disappointingly duller than last year’s take; hop tones are muted all around, gone is that wondrous sparkling tangerine, and the bitterness and alcohol weight are more soporific than exciting. Downgrading this from "world-class" to "solid". [3.6]