The Big DIPA
Denali Brewpub

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From:
Denali Brewpub
 
Alaska, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #1,836
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
87
Ranked #17,463
Avg:
3.84 | pDev: 8.33%
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
17
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 22, 2022
Added:
Jun 24, 2014
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
In the quest for the perfect hoppy ale, we created The Big DIPA. A whopping five pounds of hops per barrel provide a wallop of the flavors and aromas you love. Behind all this hoppy goodness is a grain bill strong enough support this big blend of Zeus, Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade and Chinook hops.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by bros:

  None found.

 
Rated: 3.5 by Justinprintz from New Jersey

Jun 22, 2022
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.99 by FLBeerGuy from Florida

Aug 11, 2021
Photo of dbl_delta
Reviewed by dbl_delta from Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery in Talkeetna. Pours surprisingly dark - kind of like a brown ale. Disconcerting, but whatever. Great lacing. Initial impression is muted citrus, pine, and pepper - malts actually dominate. Mouthfeel is fairly thick. Finish is again muted. Overall, not bad but not one I'd revisit.
Jul 01, 2021
Photo of beerthulhu
Reviewed by beerthulhu from New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoyed on draft at Denali brew pub, Talkeetna Alaska 2020.

A: A rich dark reddish-cola color has dr. pepper like highlights . A cushy beach sand colored head is one half inch and shows a very good amount of resilience. Minimal lacing on the glass has a small amount of carbonation from tap. The coloring reminds me more of the old school west coast approach, lots of specialty malts.

S: The nose backs this up with a good amount of toasted caramel malting, some specialty malt sweetness, mixes with the famous “C” hops providing that grassy, pine, citrusy smell. Some cola like highlights finish with a bit of piney-grassiness. Overall, approach was noticeable, of moderate awareness.

T: The malt base seems to be the outlining factor here. Good cola and toasted malt adds backbone to the hop bill which consists of Zeus, Chinook, and Simcoe. The Chinook and Simcoe definitely shine with their spicy, citrusy pine like flair. Bittering and floral, but well balanced, rounded, and never rough, gives this a drinkable flavor when balanced by the sweet, dark malt bill. Some cola like bitterness.

M: Mouthful was big, syrupy with a good fullness resting on the tongue. Some dried cola and toasted malt covering dusts the tongue on the swallow.

O: Overall it’s the combination and amount of the citrusy-grassy pine hops that give this a boost delivering a sharp and defined amount of hoppiness, that is clean, smooth but every bit bittering. The Simcoe and Chinook shine the brightest here, along with some added caramel malts give this an old school appeal.
Aug 01, 2020
 
Rated: 3.54 by rab53 from Washington

Sep 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by einman from Minnesota

Jul 13, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

May 21, 2018
Photo of BradenMK
Reviewed by BradenMK from Alaska

3.7/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
So, I'm tucking into Southeast Alaska to stay, it would seem. I suppose that means it's time to give the locals their due. Denali Brewing out of Talkeetna makes the very excellent Chuli Stout, and I had seen Big DIPA come and go, flying off the shelves here in Ketchikan within days of arrival. Luckily, I managed to catch these puppies sitting, unlabeled, in the Safeway cooler super fresh, if the expiration date (November 2018!) is anything to go by. Very excited to give it a shot.

APPEARANCE (3.5) - Not your typical IPA or even DIPA appearance, Big DIPA pours a deep, russet brown. Out of the can, it's more of a dull gold, held to the light you get a cloudy amber. Darker than some brown ales and nowhere near the lustrous golden, orange you typically see in a DIPA. Off-putting, but not frightening. The can mentions the use of Debittered black malt which I thought would be odd, and, well, there it is.

SMELL (3.75) - Maybe my sniffer's off, but I don't pick up a lot of aroma in this, but what I do pick up reminds me fondly of Stone's Gotterdammerung, which I'd consider high praise. Soft caramel and orange dreamsickle notes tease mysteriously at my nostrils. The smell does open up a bit as the beer warms.

TASTE (3.75) - The first flavor I register is an earthy, tea-and-wood-like bitterness that transitions quickly into the caramel-coated orange peel notes coming from the aroma. It is at once malty and hoppy, but not with your now-traditional onslaught of citrus or tropical fruit. There is a nice toasty, biscuit-y malt backbone supported by a strange melange of hops that combine to produce something, different, but enjoyable. The beer is hopped with Zeus, Centennial, Cascade, and Chinook and I'm definitely picking up that sort of ornery, funky Cascade note that some might perceive as onion-y. Great balance between malt and hops, very well-executed.

FEEL (4.0) - Well-carbonated, on the light side of medium-bodied with a wet, but not slick, overall impression. Nothing crazy, just overall very pleasing to drink.

OVERALL (3.75) - While I do think this beer has room for improvement, I'm not sure if that's me projecting my subjective opinions of what the beer could be upon what the beer is. What the beer IS is very well-made. But, to me anyway, as a DIPA it's an odd duck. But at 8.6 abv, with 100 IBUs, this beer was smooth, unique, and had no glaring flaws in its execution. It's good beer, that's for sure. Where I think it has room for improvement is in little tweaks. With some slight adjustment to the malt bill you could get an appearance that could really shine and a rounder, fuller mouthfeel. I'd ditch the debittered black for a little flaked oats and wheat. With just a small change in the hopping, you could give it a much brighter overall flavor without abandoning the interesting non-piney, yet woody interplay. I'd ditch the Zeus hops for a staggered schedule of Amarillo. But the beer as is is quite tasty, so maybe my two-cents are uncalled for. Enjoy!

EDIT: After an espresso experiment at home, I can also say that, in light of the success and popularity of recent coffee IPAs, this is an absolutely perfect candidate for a coffee addition. Coffee Big DIPA would light up the northern skies!
Oct 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.76 by grue_soda from New York

Aug 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.9 by Agentveba from North Carolina

Jul 08, 2017
Photo of bremmer
Reviewed by bremmer from Alaska

4.44/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Very nice full bodied hoppy double IPA. Excellent balance between the heavy blend of hops and malt. Good head and color. Will definitely go back for this beer in the future
Apr 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3.59 by DucksFan16 from Tennessee

Mar 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.28 by unclekeith from Alaska

Jan 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by nicole309 from Alaska

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by pintofparadise from South Carolina

Jul 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by FalconOne from Ohio

Jul 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by zerosiah from Ohio

Jun 24, 2014
The Big DIPA from Denali Brewpub
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 17 ratings