Type: Imperial India Pale Ale
ABV: 9.0%
Sight: A very beautiful golden-orange, copper-penny-like with a lighter yellow towards the bottom. The head pours creamy white and is a good finger thick. Lacing is abundant and sticks to the glass all the way down.
Aroma: Subtle but pronounced orange essence up front with an earthy, slightly piney twinge following. I get caramel malt notes and some of that alcohol comes in near the end. The nose of this brew is very fragrant but not to the point of overkill.
Taste: Mild up front, but the tongue does get a mild burn from the alcohol. Orange and some earthiness present well and balance with the lighter malt base. Some sweet malt hangs in the back of the throat along with tingles from alcohol with a bigger gulp. The brew finishes leaving a thin creamy film on the tongue.
Overall: Kinda disappointed with it overall...yeah there were good points, the malt was sweet and creamy, the earthiness was pleasant and welcoming. On the other hand the hop presence was a let-down...sure I got some citrus in the nose but, not what I expected with the tremendous amount and type of hops used. I also didn't get any dryness from said hops, along with very little bitter, if any. Maybe my expectations of DFH are so high that I am hurting the review, but I really don't thing so. In closing, the mouthfeel was actually light to medium and the finish was duller than expected.
Score: 7.5/10
I do actually agree with this to some degree! I've had the Squall here recently and found it good...but just a tad bit disappointing. I too boil it down to me just expecting something extremely special from every sip from anything that DogFishHead produces. I do have a bottle of this stuff though that I'm aging on purpose for at least a year along with some anniversary beers. I can't wait to try it again then and see what comes of the second tasting.
ReplyDeleteIlya