Simnotic Double India Pale Ale
Cricket Hill Brewing Co.

Diligent research concluded, this is not the same as Sim-notic Imperial IPA from a few years back, although the 8.2 ABV is the same. The pour from a pint can into a clear Imperial pint glass shows a haziness perhaps missing from its sibling brew. The pour released a pretty copper-amber colored liquid, rather opaque for its brightness, with a starchy white head. An aroma dominated by a sharp hoppy bitterness is present. It's somehow acrid. There is no taste to be heralded. The body is thin, the hop character is one dimensional and really not as prominent as it should be, until it becomes bitter during the finish. That may be contributed to by the noticeable alcohol. There are good points, too. The glass lacing is nice, it's neither too sweet, nor too bitter and its carbonation is right. Other than a good job at disguising mich of the over 8% ABV, there's nothing noteworthy here. It's rare for a Simcoe hopped brew to be so ordinary. Probably there was a higher ratio of wheat to barley malt in the wort. This is just a guess, but a well malted Simcoe hopped brew usually tastes much better than this. The more consumed, the more certainty that once again, wheat in the wort keeps this from being a nice IPA. Of course, it will always abet a big white head and glass lacing. Not the most important factors to most beer lovers.