Willoughby Hopnotic Double Red IPA

This is pretty good stuff! Aroma of floral hops, taste of floral hops. Body is medium to thin but the beer hides its alcohol decently well.

Swung in for a sampling and found that I had not rated this in the past. This has a deep red/mahogany pour with a medium light brown head. The aroma is sweet floral hops. The taste is strong bitter piney hops. The beer is med bodied with a sharp clean finish. Good Beer.

On tap at brewpub
The final tap of the afternoon/evening was a beer that I have not seen offered in the last year. I hope it enters the regular rotation; this is a solid imperial red for a brewpub that caters primarily for the local audience.

Aroma / Appearance - Caramel red in tone it is bubbly and mostly opaque. Strong pine, resin, roses or tulips, and hay make up a very hoppy blend of aromas. Despite not being as aggressive as many West Coast style Imperial IPAs it is not subtle.

Flavor / Palate - Rosy pine, dried oak, and the resin that is used to wax bowling alley lanes meld into a smooth and sweet texture. Well balanced this batch might have the advantage of being only 7.5% instead of 9%. Without being over the top it has every key aspect you could ask of something passing itself off as a "Double Red".

GABF 2007: Poured a clear copper color with an off-white head. The aroma had a good citrus and piney mix with a balanced caramel malt underneath. Malt started the flavor with grapefruity hops taking over from the middle. Malt finished up the flavor. Medium body.

Date: 10/11/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, GABF

clear amber, fine beige head, sweet crystal and caramel malt aroma with lots of earthy and citrus hops, rich malt flavor, nice sweetness, lots of hop flavor, lasting bitter finish,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4