Upstream Double IPA

Brewed by Upstream Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Omaha, Nebraska USA

On tap at the Legacy location. Solid "burnt umber" color, just like the crayon, with a firm head. Solid hop aroma and a full earthy hop character. Decent IPA; choose this or their ESB.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours a hazy gold with a creamy off-white head and patchy lace. Caramel malt behind big citrus hops. Medium-bodied and slick with a well balanced, bitter finish. The flavor follows the nose with a sweet, mouthwatering, bitter-hopped finish. This is more of a standard IPA than a "double", but it is easily the best of the offerings I sampled at the brewpub.

On cask at the brewpub.Pours cloudy gold with a long-lasting, creamy whitish head.The nose is exactly like cutting into a grapefruit. I’ve never smelled another beer so similar to the real thing. Light to medium-bodied and silky with a controlled bitter finish. The flavor, like the nose, is all grapefruit. The tap version is more balanced in its flavor, but this is still great if you like grapefruit juice; unlike any other IPA I’ve sampled to date. (The score remains essentially the same, simply reversing the aroma and flavor scores.)

From growler, 2006 RBSG, provided by Sledge Jr (Thanks Todd!). Pours a clear dark gold under a small film of white head. Aroma is pretty aggressive with bright citric hops and some sweet bready malt. Flavor is not as bitter as I was expecting based on the nose, more of a floral hoppiness quality. Malt is there, but remains in the background. Mouthfeel is softly carbonated with an almost creamy mouthfeel. Overall, an enjoyable brew, somewhat unbalanced, but that’s OK by me sometimes.

Growler... RBSG2006... Hazy golden ale with a small, creamy, white head. Decent retention. Notes of white pepper, damp leather and pink grapefruit constitute the nose. Nice malt backbone balanced out with generous, but not heavy-handed, hopping. Full-bodied and silky with lively carbonation. Tart, tangy, lightly bitter finish. Well-balanced English style Imperial IPA.

Tap @ brewpub: The brewer said this wasn’t a 2IPA, but anyways . . . they meant "double" as in "in your face" IPA. However, this is definitely their best beer. It is a cloudy look with a puffy head and lots of lacing. The aroma is fruity apricots and hops. The flowery hop flavor has a lasting bitterness that is nice. It’s only fault is that it has that hairspray quality to the bitterness. The body is quite thick and leaves a lot on the tongue to ponder.

Beer #2 RBSG 06. Growler. Pale orange color, slight head. Pine hop aroma with some sweet caramel. Flavor was a straight match. Nice. Fairly light for the style, perhaps a bit simple, but likeable.

Draft at Legacy location. Hazy, amber w/ nice tan head. Big citric hop aroma...just as it should be. Drinks w/ plenty of resin & citrus...Malt makes a passing impression, mainly through a slight underlying sweetness...hop flavors show some apricot & peach...bitterness not overwhelming, but does linger for awhile and make an imperssion. Good hop fix...not sure why they want to throw the Double IPA name on it though. If I were judging styles, this wouldn’t fit...

Draft sample at Upstream Old Market. Poured clear golden color with an average frothy white head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate malt and sour citrus hop aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture. Medium bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. My expectations where met and I had a pint with my food..