Upland Double IPA

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

Indy Brewers Fest 2009 - Aroma of fruity citrus hops and malt. Flavor is tangy citrus with just enough malt to keep it from being astringent. Not as big as I’d like, but still a nice DIPA.

Not a fan. This one is orange juice through and through. Aroma is almost all orangejuice, with just a hint of grapefruit. Flavor is all pulpy orange juice. Very sticky sweet, and the hops never get a chance to shine because of the massive sweet syrup and tons of juice. Didn’t even finish a glass. Very let down with this one, especially after the deliciousness that was Bad Penny.

Draft at Spencer’s. Pours ornage with a bit of a white head. The nose is syrupy malt sugars that beat back most of the citrus hops. The flavor was more of the same. Just lots of syrupy sweet malt that really just kind of kills any enjoyment one might get from the hops. Medium body and oil mouthfeel. Sweet finish. Please bring back Bad Penny.

Draft sample at IBGF 2009. Poured a clear copper color with an average frothy off-white head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Heavy complex citrus hoppy aroma with a alcohol tone. Medium body with a slick texture and lively carbonation. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium to heavy bittersweet and small alcohol bite finish of moderate duration. This is a very good beer.

IBGF 2009, Double Dragonfly: Golden hue with a lasting frothy head and okay lacing. The aroma has notes of grapefruit, mango and peaches along with resiny piney vapours. A bit of pale and caramel malts too. The taste has a nice balance of bittering versus sweetness that really works, big but not in your face. Fruity and a bit boozy but everything is in quiet moderation. The mouth feel is crisp and slightly sticky. A real treat for this works on so many levels, a big IIPA without being astringent nor metallic. Mikey Likey!

On tap @ Upland. Pours an old copper colored body - clear with an off-white head. Aroma is of caramel/crystal malt with tons of citrus and piney hops. Some toffee is also underneath the hops. Flavor is set up by a backbone of caramel and toffee from the malt with the hops sweeping in to dominate. Some citrus fruit, perhaps mandarin orange is also present. Sweet up front with a bitter finish - surprisingly milder than I expected. Average carbonation, somewhat resinous, but not overdone. Lightly sticky. Overall quite enjoyable.

Draught at the brewpub, only got a sampler of this. Rusty amber pour with a light tan head. Hoppy nose, pine with caramel. Bitter, intensely floral dry taste, liquid perfume in place of aromatics. Nice dark toffee leaning into chocolate and light sugar down with the resin. Alcohol is there but feels a bit short of 9%, and definitely feels like a ton of PNW dry-hopping or at least late adds. Medium-full body, nice little go if a bit weird, nothing like, say, its brother to the north (Dreadnaught).