Valley Brew Uberhoppy Imperial IPA

Brewed by Valley Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Stockton, California USA

Bomber thanks to aspidites! Pour was a deep amber with lacy white head. Aromas strong of piney hops, sweet caramel malt, and a hint of citrus. Flavor is excellent with nice malt presence and the hops just make this beer awesome. Alcohol is well hidden.

Zeeland 08’ tasting. Thanks to Steve for this one! Poured a deep orange color. Aroma was orange, pine and tangerine. Taste was a lot of the same, sweet tangerine, big malt presence. I drank it cold and it was very good, but I think this got better as it warmed to room temp. It really came together and was super juicy and floral. I think this stuff would be out of control on cask.

Growler courtesy Taverner - big thanks!! Although this is not really in order of my #300 (I have a healthy backlog), but we’ll enter it as my #300 nevertheless (I’ll guess 9 months till I hit #400, I’m a lightweight on here)...anyways, pours a VERY deep copper color...can’t remember any (I)IPAs anywhere near this dark in color, with a good robust head...I don’t think this growler was upset at all by its 2000 mile trek eastward. Aroma is a nice conglomerate of flavors...I would say the citrus hops dominate this one...lots of orange, grapefruit, and lemon, but there is a good dose of piney hops, a pretty heavy caramel malt base and even some dark fruit mixed in here...along with a pretty high level of alcohol. Flavor hits hard and doesn’t let go...I’ll concur with others that this has the malt backbone (which I was expecting given the ABV) to carry this one on through...another great example of why I love IIPAs while keeping a take-it-or-leave-it attitude with most ’regular’ IPAs. Heavy levels of caramel, toasted malts with tons of piney and grassy hops combined with an insane level of sweetness. The citrus hops are there, but there is just a bit too much resinous hops and flat out alcohol burn to let them shine, and that was the one disappointment with this beer. If this comes in bottles at some point, I’d LOVE to get one to let sit for a while, blasphemous as that might be to the hard core hopheads out there, but I think there’s enough hops to let this one hold on while letting the alcohol simmer for a little bit. Finish is a bit on the heavy side, and this is a pretty slow drinker for the style given the alcohol burn and the heavy texture. Overall, this was a beautiful beer...

First, I’d like to thank Taverner for this growler. What an utter onslaught of ridiculous hop goodness. The nose is basicly citurs. I get some grapefruit, and orange. But there’s some much going on that I’m not even going to bother trying to. There’s also plenty of malt to carry this beer through. I think its kind of toasted. The flavor is so big and brash. Its very aggressive. Bitter to no end, with a really pretty hot alcohol character. The alcohol is this beer only knock with me. If we could mellow that a bit, I might actually blow a load. Medium body with a touch of prickly carbonation. Sticky sweet finish, but not cloy by any means. I’m left to ponder how much this beer lost due to being shipped half way across the country in a growler. I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

Sampled at RBSG. Lots of hoppy aromas. Citrus, pineaple, mango. Flavors of pine and grass and more grapefruit and a wonderful maltiness that is detectable in the finish. Good good Good

tasted off of a growler....a decent beer...but it tastes kinda grassy and lacking in the hop complexity that I assume with a top 50 beer.....and it just was rough on the edges...and super overpowering hop flavor

Big thanks to Hophead84 for letting me swill off his growler. Pours hazy amber with a moderate sized white head, some lace. Smells dark citrusy and slightly floral, caramelly as well. Tastes caramelly malty sweet with some very dark, bitter citrus hop flavors. Lots of alcohol flavor as well. Full body, somewhat subdued carbonation.

Tap at brewery. This was a great beer. Poured a dark orangish color, very dark DIPA. Nice hop bitterness, with a good malt backbone. Just outstanding.