NAME: Green flash Imperial IPA
TYPE: Imperial IPA
ORIGIN: San Diego, CA
ABV: 9.4% ABV
REVIEW: Light amber color, rich crisp pine on the nose, very fruity IPA with hint of peach and a sticky, bitter aftertaste. A little fuller mouthfeel but not too heavy. A nice spring beer, wouldn’t mind having this with some good BBQ, I think I prefer their traditional West Coast IPA though.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
It’s Valentine’s Day, playas. I hope you’re treating your ladies right. If you’re single, I hope you’re enjoying a cold one with good friends. If you don’t have friends, get off the computer right now and put yourself out there man!
Anyway, here is a Valentine’s Day review of a VERY SPECIAL beer I tried around the same time last year. This here is Russian River’s ever elusive Pliny the YOUNGER!!!! This beer only makes an appearance once a year, is released in draught form in VERY limited qualities, and is usually kicked come happy hour (or if you’re in Massachusetts, come closing time, since happy hour is illegal here, which is ridiculous). Anyway, I tried this at Local 44 back in Philly last year. In case you were wondering, I took a day off from work and got to the bar by 10 am to try it, and I don’t regret it one bit. It is an incredible beer. So without further ado, here is the review:
NAME: Russian River Pliny the Younger
TYPE: American Triple IPA
ORIGIN: Santa Rosa, CA
ABV: 11%
REVIEW: Golden amber color, white foamy head, medium-strong hop nose with nice citrus fruit, nice, crisp bittersweet taste with a crisp mouthfeel, smooth, sweet, finish. Huge, smooth, delicious IPA that you wouldn’t know was 11% unless you read the menu. Despite the anticipation, I actually still prefer Pliny the Elder but still very much worth the effort.
goodwilltasting grade: A
By the way, in case you haven’t yet, you should definitely check out my QUICK BEER REFERENCE, where you can find all my reviews in convenient spreadsheet form. Do it.
NAME: Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA
TYPE: American IPA (Blend of the 60 and 90 Minute IPAs and Bottled with Maple Syrup)
ORIGIN: Rehoboth Beach, DE
ABV: 7.5%
REVIEW: Golden brown color, minimal head. Sweet pine bouquet, crisp mouthfeel with a lingering bittersweet finish. Very slight hint of maple makes this a great breakfast IPA if you’re gangsta enough.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Deschutes Inversion IPA
TYPE: American IPA
ORIGIN: Bend, OR
ABV: 6.8%
REVIEW: Amber color, golden head. Subtle pine and grapefruit on the nose. Crisp, full mouthfeel with good carbonation. Nice and hoppy with light citrus notes, kind of a flat bitter finish but otherwise a solid IPA. Gets better as it warms.
goodwilltasting grade: B.
NAME: Maine Beer Company Lunch (draught)
TYPE: American IPA
ORIGIN: Freeport, ME
ABV: 7.2%
REVIEW: Golden Brown color with crisp head. Pine on the nose, hoppy citrus notes, crisp mouthfeel, slightly more viscous than a San Diego IPA. Feels like a hybrid of English and American style IPAs if you ask me.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: City Steam Innocence
TYPE: American IPA
ORIGIN: Hartford, CT
ABV: 6%
REVIEW: Golden caramel-y color, creamy head, sweet grassy smell with citrus notes. Pretty aggressively hop forward, kind of a palate wrecker but the bitterness mellows out as it warms and gives way to a floral sweet finish. Nice mouthfeel with good carbonation. I wouldn’t say this would be a session-able beer but an otherwise good effort on an American IPA, Hartford.
goodwilltasting grade: B
NAME: 21st Amendment Hop Crisis
TYPE: Imperial IPA
ORIGIN: San Francisco, CA
ABV: 9.7%
IBUs: 94
REVIEW: Golden color with frothy head, very citrusy on the nose with a hint of pine. Very smooth beer with nice grapefruit and apricot notes, medium bodied with a slightly flat mouthfeel. Sweet, caramel finish. It’s no Pliny, but that’ll do pig. That’ll do.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Bear Republic Racer 5
TYPE: American IPA
ORIGIN: Healdsburg CA
ABV: 7.0%
REVIEW: The IPA that started it all… For me anyway. For real this is the beer that got me into IPAs in the first place. Fresh grapefruit, slight pine smell, darkish golden amber color, nice citrusy grapefruit notes up front, really fresh, crisp tasting with slow slightly sweet finish. Super refreshing and drinkable. This is a beautiful beer.
goodwilltasting grade: A
NAME: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
TYPE: Imperial IPA
ORIGIN: Rehoboth Beach, DE
ABV: 15-20%
REVIEW: This here is the elusive Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. It’s not easy to find. DFH only brews this a few times a year and releases a limited amount because it’s so time consuming and expensive to make. Crazy hoppy. It’s boiled and continually hopped for a full 2 hours (hence the name), then dry-hopped daily as it ferments, THEN aged another month over whole-leaf hops. It’s a deep amber color, über hoppy beer with a rich, smooth mouthfeel. Slow, very sweet finish which masks it’s high ABV. Honestly I think I still prefer the 90 Minute, but definitely worth a try. Very good.
goodwilltasting grade: B+
NAME: Long Trail IPA
TYPE: English IPA
ORIGIN: Bridgewater Corners, VT
ABV: 5.9%
REVIEW: Drank from the bottle so not sure about appearance, but smell has a subtle hop nose, faint pine and very floral on the tongue, weird biscuit-y mouthfeel, bitter finish with an unpleasant aftertaste. This beer pretty much solidifies my distaste for English-style IPAs. Try again, Long Trail.
goodwill tasting grade: C-
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