Valley Brew Uberhoppy Imperial IPA

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

(Bottle, thanks scrizzz!) Pours hazy amber with a small off-white head. The aroma is medium to heavily green-ish hoppy with fantastic fruit overtones of passion fruit, papaya, strawberries, star fruit, lychee, black currant, mango, pineapples, peach and juicy oranges/pink grapefruit. There are also some more “heavy” hop notes of fresh herbs, pine, earth, resin and roses. Easy going, toasted malt profile. A whisper of yellow apples, watermelon and ripe pears. Very clean nose - no yeast or disturbing acid notes. One of the most complex hop aromas I have ever smelled. The flavour is light sweet, medium to heavily bitter and light acidic. Very clean, citric juicy, piny, earthy, light salty and exotic fruity. Perfect toasted, light caramelly malt backbone. The mouthfeel is clean and soft at first before the hop acid tones kicks in. Near medium carbonation. Lingering afterbitterness. More resinous and earthy in the finish but there are still room for tropical fruits. Light alcohol warmth. Medium bodied. Near perfect, I love!

GABF 2009. Pours sparkling amber with an average, fizzy white head, somewhat diminishing with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, hay, straw, cereal), heavy hop (flowers, perfume, grass, pine, grapefruit), average yeast (sweat, earth) with notes of pear, peach, and pineapple. Full bodied, creamy texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, light sweetness, heavy acidity and bitterness.

If you like this beer then absolutely must try the El Toro Deuce because they are very similar. To me the Deuce is more complex wit a bigger malt backbone. This Uberhoppy awesome and is one of the best doubles out there. A smidgen too sweet though.

Bottle from City Beer. Copper body with a white head that dissipates into a lasting film. Nose is lots of pine, citrus, some light peppery spiciness, apricot, and sweet orange. Flavor is restrained pine, floral notes, grapefruit pith complemented by nectarine, orange, and caramel sweetness. Finishes with a bitterness that is nicely measured, not at all tongue-numbing. Beautifully proportioned for a DIPA. Medium body with soft carbonation. Incredibly easy to drink. Excellent.

On tap, GABF Saturday; sampled thrice. Pours murky orange with a small head. Palate is full, chewy, with a lingering finish. Flavor and aroma are in fact much more tame than I had imagined. I got a fairly balanced attack of piney, resinous hops, earth, wood and sweeter fruit (peach, sweet orange). Very well balanced, and the finish has an incredibly mellow bite. The ABV is also hidden perfectly. Overall, this beer reminded me of Alpine’s Exponential Hoppiness, a lofty-yet-still-valid comnparison that stresses balance and mature flavors over citrus hop bombs. I hope to have this again in the near future!

Thanks to whomever brought this to The Bruery’s Beer Geek Show & Tell. Nice and hoppy up front (citrus, pine) with great malt balance on the back. Very tasty, very well done.

sample from the pitcher at GABF on 9/26/09... very clean golden pour with a white head... HUGE piney hop nose... absolutely perfect nose... smooth medium body... the bitterness really balances well throughout the mouth... big hops on nose, but well balanced throughout... this leads to an extremely drinkable IIPA... this is like butter... so smooth and delicious. I want a bottle of this...

Copper pour with a big, loose, white head that fades to a great lacing. Big floral pine aroma with a nice grapefruit balance that fades to some peppery spice and then to a dry, earthy, bready caramel malt. The flavor is very similar but lends a little more towards the the floral, bitter, alpha acids with more dry malt and pine lingering on the palatte. The body is creamy, medium-full with soft carbonation and a touch of astringency.