Valley Brew Uberhoppy Imperial IPA

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

Bomber courtesy of RiversideAK. Thanks Alex! Also, thanks to Mike and Steve for bottling this. Drinking this one on a cloudy, gloomy sunday still feeling a little sad about how the Carolina basketball season ended yesterday. This was supposed to be my celebration beer for the game. Oh well. Been wanting to try this beer since I heard about a year or so ago. Pours a bit darker than expected with a murky amber color and a thick light tan head. This beer was handbottled some weeks ago and is still in remarkable shape. Looks great. Smellls great. Nose is really nice hop oily sweetness. Flavor is very nice with great balance between big tasty hops and heavy malt backbone. The more I smell and drink this, it reminds me of the first time i had 3Floyds Dreadnaught. This is what a double ipa should be about. I might prefer Pliny the Elder just because of its lower abv, but this is an amazing feat of flavor. Again, Steve (and Valley Brew) continue to brew some of the best beer available in the country.

2008 Vintage, 22oz bomber from Aspidites shared at the PP Bottle Shop with wetherel and deftim13 and bikesanbeers. Pours amber with a tan bright white head. Nose is big and hoppy and resinny with a nice backbone of malt. Taste is sweet with a little smoke, hoppy but subdued, really nice and big and well rounded. Not a palate crusher but damn good. This is a sublime Imperial IPA.

Tasted at PP bottle shop with weeheavy (who got this great bottle from aspidites), bikesandbeers, deftim13, Tim, and shawn. Nice big hoppy aroma when you pop the top, reminiscent of pure hoppiness. Big 2 finger head forms in the glass of mixed bubbles, mostly microbubbles. Lying underneath is dark amber color, much darker than I normally see in an IIPA. Tasting reveals a heavy malty backbone, possibly loaded with melanoidins, which also darken the beer. YUM! I love the caramelization. Bitterness is mild, especially after a few sips and your tongue is desensitized, then it becomes easy to drink. I think my favorite of the night.

Cleveland tasting

Thanks to Dawn for bringing this from the other coast. I wasn’t expecting to get to try so many top rated beers in a single session so my palate was not ready for the hops explosion. This is an excellent imperial IPA. Once I adjusted it became clear that while it is not quite the best it still deserves most of the accolades heaped on it.

Aroma / Appearance - The nose is not quite as aggressive as what I was expecting from something "uberhoppy" but it still wakes one up. The resin and piney hops are crisp and dominating. The smooth peachiness is evident only after a little reflecting. The caramel/amber body is a beauty to swirl around the glass.

Flavor / Palate - The hops dominate the session from start to finish. Anything left on the palate before is just destroyed by the wave of West Coast aggression. Caramel malt keeps things in check just enough to prevent it from being one dimensional. For a double IPA it is very drinkable. I’d love to get my hands on another bottle at some point or try it fresh off a tap.

Big thanks go to Dawn for sharing this! Pour is auburn/copper with a nice of white head. Wonderful aroma of fresh hops...could smell it all day. Flavor is bitingly bitter with hops dominating throughout. It does have nice malt backing as well...just enough. Very easy to drink for a big beer. Man, I would love to get another bottle at some point!

Bottle shared at the Cleveland tasting by me, courtesy of Aspidites. THANK YOU MIKE! It was a hit! Now, we all know, I dont like HOPS. EGADS! Or IPA’s. I know I know...This one was actually quite drinkable and rather enjoyable, even to one such as myself. Aroma was kind of grassy, and definitely hoppy. Taste was definitely hoppy of front, and even some earthiness, then its followed up by some sweetness of the malts. So I think that made it more enjoyable for me. Glad I got to try this one and share it with others!

On tap at the brewpub. I have had this several times at various festivals and have loved it every time. 2 pints and a 10 ounce goblet were enjoyed during this tasting, so sample size is not an issue here. Very aromatic, pleasant, hempy, catty, Simcoe hoppy goodness present in the nose. Me do love my Simcoe hops. Some sweet notes as well as some citrus aromas are present. Amazingly quaffable...more than I remember. Mildly hazy copper-amber body with a small off-white head. Wish there was a larger, stronger head on this. Hempy, piney, orangey, Simcoe hop flavors to start. Becomes chewy, malty, lightly sweet. Has a very light roastiness towards the finish before more floral, hoppy, bitter flavors come in at the end. This is so fucking good. Wonderfully balanced. A world-class beer.

On tap @ Bistro 8th Annuual DIPA Fest poured a hazy copper with a small lasting amber head. Aromas of carmel, pine, orange, pink grapefruit and a hint of earthiness. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth with a dry finish. Flavors of orange, carmel, pine and a hint of grapefruit with a smooth dry lingering bitter finish.