3rd Anniversary Double IPA | Port Brewing
Brewed by:
Port Brewing
California, United States
portbrewing.com
Style: American Double / Imperial IPA
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 10.00%
Availability: Limited (brewed once)
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by HopHead84 on 05-11-2009
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.
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Reviews: 139 | Ratings: 168
4.27/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
22oz. bomber: this one pours a clear, golden color. There was a good bit of an off-white head that leaves a fair amount of lacing. Nice strong hop aroma. Pine with some grapefruit. Nice taste. Good strong hop bite, with some malt sweetness in the background. Bitter taste is resinous pine with some grapefruit. A good beer.
★ 323 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
22oz. bomber: this one pours a clear, golden color. There was a good bit of an off-white head that leaves a fair amount of lacing. Nice strong hop aroma. Pine with some grapefruit. Nice taste. Good strong hop bite, with some malt sweetness in the background. Bitter taste is resinous pine with some grapefruit. A good beer.
★ 323 characters
4.29/5 rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bomber into a Bruery tulip and paired with a Pepper Jack Burger and sweet potato fries....
A - Murky dark gold and orange body. Thick egg shell head holds tight and leave sticky patches of foam on the way down.
S - West coast IPA mega hops. Tropical fruit, pine, grapefruit, citrus. You name the hop characteristic, it's in here. Some solvency alcohol noted here as well.
T - Smooth up front bitterness, huge hop flavor, and alcohol bite without the burn. You are hit immediately with enough bitterness to get your attention. Then a segway into more lupulin than the human tongue can handle. Pine, grapefruit, lemon zest, everything... Again, a solvent level of the 10% ABV is noted in the mouth and belly.
M - Moderate body, big carbonation to scrub your palate, teeth, cheeks, etc. Warm but clean finish from the alcohol here.
O - This is Port Brewing Anniversary Ale. They are obviously hopheads (like me) and they wanted a monster. So they made one. Would I drink this everyday? Yes. Would everyone feel this way? No. Port Brewing is becoming a favorite of mine, so let the percentages be skewed to hell!!!1
★ 1,121 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bomber into a Bruery tulip and paired with a Pepper Jack Burger and sweet potato fries....
A - Murky dark gold and orange body. Thick egg shell head holds tight and leave sticky patches of foam on the way down.
S - West coast IPA mega hops. Tropical fruit, pine, grapefruit, citrus. You name the hop characteristic, it's in here. Some solvency alcohol noted here as well.
T - Smooth up front bitterness, huge hop flavor, and alcohol bite without the burn. You are hit immediately with enough bitterness to get your attention. Then a segway into more lupulin than the human tongue can handle. Pine, grapefruit, lemon zest, everything... Again, a solvent level of the 10% ABV is noted in the mouth and belly.
M - Moderate body, big carbonation to scrub your palate, teeth, cheeks, etc. Warm but clean finish from the alcohol here.
O - This is Port Brewing Anniversary Ale. They are obviously hopheads (like me) and they wanted a monster. So they made one. Would I drink this everyday? Yes. Would everyone feel this way? No. Port Brewing is becoming a favorite of mine, so let the percentages be skewed to hell!!!1
★ 1,121 characters
3.83/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoyed on 6/18/11. Reviewed from notes:
A: Pours a hazy amber w/ a light orange hue. Finger of head dissipates quickly but leaves lacing on the glass and a layer covering the top.
S: Mixture of grapefruit and pine on the nose.They seem to fight for dominance on the aroma.
T: Lots of astringent hops. Pine mostly. More than a nose would guess. A good malt backing. In comparison to other DIPAs, something is amiss, but the astringency is up there with them.
M: Some/light carbonation. The hop tannins coat my tongue pretty heavy and coat my teeth slightly.
O: A very hop forward beer but somehow the mixture on this one doesn't work for my taste buds like other DIPAs do.
★ 677 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoyed on 6/18/11. Reviewed from notes:
A: Pours a hazy amber w/ a light orange hue. Finger of head dissipates quickly but leaves lacing on the glass and a layer covering the top.
S: Mixture of grapefruit and pine on the nose.They seem to fight for dominance on the aroma.
T: Lots of astringent hops. Pine mostly. More than a nose would guess. A good malt backing. In comparison to other DIPAs, something is amiss, but the astringency is up there with them.
M: Some/light carbonation. The hop tannins coat my tongue pretty heavy and coat my teeth slightly.
O: A very hop forward beer but somehow the mixture on this one doesn't work for my taste buds like other DIPAs do.
★ 677 characters
3.8/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served in a Bruery tulip.
Pours a bright peach color with good lacing and a thin collar after the white head falls down. The nose contains a lot of tropical-fruit notes plus a mild citrus character. There's a bit of sweetness coming through. Nice malt presence amongst the dominating notes of mango. The flavor contains a nice sweetness and it has a bit of malt character, though not too much. Really nice hop profile throughout. Body is medium with a nice bitterness in the finish. Quite a nice brew.
★ 502 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served in a Bruery tulip.
Pours a bright peach color with good lacing and a thin collar after the white head falls down. The nose contains a lot of tropical-fruit notes plus a mild citrus character. There's a bit of sweetness coming through. Nice malt presence amongst the dominating notes of mango. The flavor contains a nice sweetness and it has a bit of malt character, though not too much. Really nice hop profile throughout. Body is medium with a nice bitterness in the finish. Quite a nice brew.
★ 502 characters
3.9/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22 oz. bottle from Monument Wine and Liquor, Concord CA, hand carried back to The Big, shared with neighborhood beer buddy, poured into Delirium Tremens glass.
One finger white head, quick dissipation, minimal lacing, deep gold body, several trails of carbonation rising. Big hop hit in the nose, piney, citrus, resiny, tropical, must have been a huge hop bill, some caramel sweetness in the middle. Hop attack up front on the palate, a good bit of guava sweetness, some dryish malts, and a long lingering resiny finish. Despite its age this hasn't lost a lot of its hop bite, wonder if it would have been overwhelming fresh. Mouthfeel is medium, decent effervescence and quite sticky. At this ABV and hop presence, I'd be hard pressed to have more than a glass. Not very well balanced, but isn't that the point? Worth a try for all hopheads.
★ 844 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22 oz. bottle from Monument Wine and Liquor, Concord CA, hand carried back to The Big, shared with neighborhood beer buddy, poured into Delirium Tremens glass.
One finger white head, quick dissipation, minimal lacing, deep gold body, several trails of carbonation rising. Big hop hit in the nose, piney, citrus, resiny, tropical, must have been a huge hop bill, some caramel sweetness in the middle. Hop attack up front on the palate, a good bit of guava sweetness, some dryish malts, and a long lingering resiny finish. Despite its age this hasn't lost a lot of its hop bite, wonder if it would have been overwhelming fresh. Mouthfeel is medium, decent effervescence and quite sticky. At this ABV and hop presence, I'd be hard pressed to have more than a glass. Not very well balanced, but isn't that the point? Worth a try for all hopheads.
★ 844 characters
3.48/5 rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Grabbed a bomber at Table & Vine while passing through MA.
Appearance is a deep, murky golden tone with a thin head when pouted in a wide, deep wine glass. PP 3rd anniversary smells sugary, hops, some citrus. It tastes like caramel, malt, hops, alcohol, a bitter finish. MF is nearly full bodied with an oily aspect to it. Drinkability is ok for this DIPA. I like it better after it sits for some time in the glass. It is a pretty good beer from Pizza Port, but not one making a special trip for IMHO.
★ 502 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Grabbed a bomber at Table & Vine while passing through MA.
Appearance is a deep, murky golden tone with a thin head when pouted in a wide, deep wine glass. PP 3rd anniversary smells sugary, hops, some citrus. It tastes like caramel, malt, hops, alcohol, a bitter finish. MF is nearly full bodied with an oily aspect to it. Drinkability is ok for this DIPA. I like it better after it sits for some time in the glass. It is a pretty good beer from Pizza Port, but not one making a special trip for IMHO.
★ 502 characters
4.08/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A - Very amber colored, quite hazy. This baby's a year old at this point, so I can understand the haziness. An inch of solid white head. Very peculiar appearance for an IPA, even a DIPA.
S - Very hoppy up front! I'm impressed this beer still has as much hop character after a year.
T - Very interesting taste. The alcohol is certainly present, but it's quite masked by the hops in it. I wish I had tried this when it was fresh, as I have a feeling that some of the flavors changed with time. The majority of the bitterness seems to have faded.
M - The bitterness doesn't remain on the tongue for too long after the finish. The finish is pretty round, well balanced.
D - Decent drinkability. The beer is pretty rounded, but the multitude of flavors is kind of exhausting!
★ 775 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A - Very amber colored, quite hazy. This baby's a year old at this point, so I can understand the haziness. An inch of solid white head. Very peculiar appearance for an IPA, even a DIPA.
S - Very hoppy up front! I'm impressed this beer still has as much hop character after a year.
T - Very interesting taste. The alcohol is certainly present, but it's quite masked by the hops in it. I wish I had tried this when it was fresh, as I have a feeling that some of the flavors changed with time. The majority of the bitterness seems to have faded.
M - The bitterness doesn't remain on the tongue for too long after the finish. The finish is pretty round, well balanced.
D - Decent drinkability. The beer is pretty rounded, but the multitude of flavors is kind of exhausting!
★ 775 characters
3.5/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a 22oz bomber at Baron's Market in Point Loma for $5.99 and poured it into a pint glass.
A: Pours a very hazy burnt golden/straw-like hue, with a decent head and small thin lace.
S: Good citrus hop, a little sweet with a malty finish - pretty light on the hop for a double IPA.
T: Decent bitter hop up front but it gets overpowered by an intense booziness that I found too strong. Not much in the malt department, but it does finish a little sweet.
M: Medium bodied but pretty thin and uninteresting, with mellow carbonation.
D: Not the easiest drinker because of the hot booziness in the flavor. I won't get another bottle (somewhat unimpressed), but i'll try it on tap and give it another shot.
★ 712 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a 22oz bomber at Baron's Market in Point Loma for $5.99 and poured it into a pint glass.
A: Pours a very hazy burnt golden/straw-like hue, with a decent head and small thin lace.
S: Good citrus hop, a little sweet with a malty finish - pretty light on the hop for a double IPA.
T: Decent bitter hop up front but it gets overpowered by an intense booziness that I found too strong. Not much in the malt department, but it does finish a little sweet.
M: Medium bodied but pretty thin and uninteresting, with mellow carbonation.
D: Not the easiest drinker because of the hot booziness in the flavor. I won't get another bottle (somewhat unimpressed), but i'll try it on tap and give it another shot.
★ 712 characters
3.55/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #34 (Nov 2009):
Three is a charm, three's company, three is the magic number or something like that. Gratz, guys, on yer third! Yes, we dissect Anniversary beers ... nothing new.
Golden hazy mess with a solid cap of lace on top. Citric rind, wildflower and herbal tea hop aroma. Smooth, with a resin slickness from the hops; big bodied with the alcohol rear- ing its head around the corner. Hops are the dominant presence, that goes without saying here. Citric, pine, tobacco, mint, herbal ... seems most hop flavors are covered here, adding complexity. Some maltiness is uncovered and melds well with the tropical fruitiness from the alcohol. Breath of alcoholic warmth in the back end. Some roughness from the hops, but nothing a seasoned hophead can't take. Bitter citric finish.
It lands in the realm of Double IPAs, no question there. The raw, old-school style is in your face and sticks to the palate. Good, hoppy drinking here.
★ 977 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #34 (Nov 2009):
Three is a charm, three's company, three is the magic number or something like that. Gratz, guys, on yer third! Yes, we dissect Anniversary beers ... nothing new.
Golden hazy mess with a solid cap of lace on top. Citric rind, wildflower and herbal tea hop aroma. Smooth, with a resin slickness from the hops; big bodied with the alcohol rear- ing its head around the corner. Hops are the dominant presence, that goes without saying here. Citric, pine, tobacco, mint, herbal ... seems most hop flavors are covered here, adding complexity. Some maltiness is uncovered and melds well with the tropical fruitiness from the alcohol. Breath of alcoholic warmth in the back end. Some roughness from the hops, but nothing a seasoned hophead can't take. Bitter citric finish.
It lands in the realm of Double IPAs, no question there. The raw, old-school style is in your face and sticks to the palate. Good, hoppy drinking here.
★ 977 characters
3.3/5 rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This was one of the most disappointing Port releases last year. Review from notes.
Poured a darker brown color than I was expecting at all, but it was all good still, decent enough head. Aroma was high on alcohol, tropical fruit and bitterness.
Taste was just massive bitterness, easily in the discussion of most bitter ever. But the hop mouthfeel was completely gone. Even though I know the beer was relatively fresh, it certainly didn't taste like it, thick, syrupy and massive bitterness without any degree of hop mouthfeel. This was more like a super bitter strong ale than your typical dipa from Port. Well I guess there was a suspicion about it being old, so that is kinda typical of Port at times.
★ 706 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This was one of the most disappointing Port releases last year. Review from notes.
Poured a darker brown color than I was expecting at all, but it was all good still, decent enough head. Aroma was high on alcohol, tropical fruit and bitterness.
Taste was just massive bitterness, easily in the discussion of most bitter ever. But the hop mouthfeel was completely gone. Even though I know the beer was relatively fresh, it certainly didn't taste like it, thick, syrupy and massive bitterness without any degree of hop mouthfeel. This was more like a super bitter strong ale than your typical dipa from Port. Well I guess there was a suspicion about it being old, so that is kinda typical of Port at times.
★ 706 characters
3.9/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22oz into a pint
A - Pours a deep and opaque golden to golden brown color. Appears a bit hazy. Moderate white head formation, breaks down to a film with little lacing. Light carbonation present.
S - Strong citrus and fruity hop nose. Very deep, orange and grapefruit like. Some malt notes present.
T - Starts off with a light malty note, clean 2 row that is immediately bittered down hard with a citrus hop note. Almost acidic. Finishes with a much more potent grapefruit, bittersweet hop note. Malts are an afterthought here. Strong lingering bitterness.
M - Moderate body - seeming to be a little light for the huge malt bill I'm sure it took to get the abv. Carbonation is detected, more creamy than stinging. FInishes with a strong oily texture.
D - Moderate drinkability - the abv will remove your head if you are not careful. I find the bitterness to be a little overwhelming at times, perhaps more than I would want from a DIPA.
A worthy DIPA - the hops live on very strongly, but I think perhaps I would want a more grassy version from a west coast brewery.
★ 1,072 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22oz into a pint
A - Pours a deep and opaque golden to golden brown color. Appears a bit hazy. Moderate white head formation, breaks down to a film with little lacing. Light carbonation present.
S - Strong citrus and fruity hop nose. Very deep, orange and grapefruit like. Some malt notes present.
T - Starts off with a light malty note, clean 2 row that is immediately bittered down hard with a citrus hop note. Almost acidic. Finishes with a much more potent grapefruit, bittersweet hop note. Malts are an afterthought here. Strong lingering bitterness.
M - Moderate body - seeming to be a little light for the huge malt bill I'm sure it took to get the abv. Carbonation is detected, more creamy than stinging. FInishes with a strong oily texture.
D - Moderate drinkability - the abv will remove your head if you are not careful. I find the bitterness to be a little overwhelming at times, perhaps more than I would want from a DIPA.
A worthy DIPA - the hops live on very strongly, but I think perhaps I would want a more grassy version from a west coast brewery.
★ 1,072 characters
3.9/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3
Hazy orange color, looks like squeezed pink grapefruit mixed with honey in the glass. Head isn't too great or sticky, surprisingly. Super fruity aroma, tropical notes mixed with caramel. I note plenty of orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Not hugely powerful, but not too bad.
The flavor is plenty hoppy and aggressive. Grapefruit is the order of the day from this bottle. A little orange zest, tipping over into Orange Glo cleaning solution. The malts are sugarsnap-sweet but also buttery, with diacetyl and toffee notes towards the finish.
Port 3rd brings the heat, but some of the burn is hops. Too bitter, really, but I do love it. Finishes peppery, with boozy heat. The body is where it really shines: smooth, full, everything great. Carbonation levels are perfect, coming up shy of metallic but lightening up just enough.
I do love it, but it's far from balanced. That isn't a knock for me, but I've got to be objective about the scoring. Your mileage may vary, as always.
★ 980 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 3
Hazy orange color, looks like squeezed pink grapefruit mixed with honey in the glass. Head isn't too great or sticky, surprisingly. Super fruity aroma, tropical notes mixed with caramel. I note plenty of orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Not hugely powerful, but not too bad.
The flavor is plenty hoppy and aggressive. Grapefruit is the order of the day from this bottle. A little orange zest, tipping over into Orange Glo cleaning solution. The malts are sugarsnap-sweet but also buttery, with diacetyl and toffee notes towards the finish.
Port 3rd brings the heat, but some of the burn is hops. Too bitter, really, but I do love it. Finishes peppery, with boozy heat. The body is where it really shines: smooth, full, everything great. Carbonation levels are perfect, coming up shy of metallic but lightening up just enough.
I do love it, but it's far from balanced. That isn't a knock for me, but I've got to be objective about the scoring. Your mileage may vary, as always.
★ 980 characters
3.58/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From 7/24/10 notes. Had at the cdc release.
a - Pours an amber smells with one inch of white head.
s - Smells of wheat, fruit, and citrus hops.
t - Tastes of citrus hops, fruity malts, and bready malts. A bit bittersweet.
m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.
d - A decent IPA. Glad I triied but probably wouldn't seek out again.
★ 338 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From 7/24/10 notes. Had at the cdc release.
a - Pours an amber smells with one inch of white head.
s - Smells of wheat, fruit, and citrus hops.
t - Tastes of citrus hops, fruity malts, and bready malts. A bit bittersweet.
m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.
d - A decent IPA. Glad I triied but probably wouldn't seek out again.
★ 338 characters
3.95/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The beer's orangey colour, distorted clarity and jumbo-sized head are all I need to see to think this should be flavourful, well-crafted ale. Its complexion retains that chilly haze that is sometimes polished out by the filtration process. Its head, meanwhile, has been hired by the glass to act as interior decorator (a job that it's fantastically qualified to do).
The aroma is all kinds of wonderful: lemon zest, lychee liqueur, toasty malts smeared in caramel, pine needles, orange wedges, almost every and anything you could ask for in a DIPA, or IPA for that matter. The hops outweigh the malts by a proportion similar to that of the women versus men attending the Lilith Fair festival.
This is less a beer than it is a cocktail of hoppiness, one that I'll argue as my favourite 'beertini' to date. The booze distorts the flavours: rather than having that caramelly, toffee sweetness, the (minimal) malt tastes like a shot of cream liqueur (Bailey's or Amarula) and the hoppiness uncannily resembles a mixture of orange and lychee liqueurs.
Although it's always better to have too much beer rather than too little, a half a bomber of this does seem good enough (the full thing is only a good idea if there's a bed or hammock nearby). I enjoy this, to be sure, but it tastes every bit as strong as it claims to be. The simple truth is that it's too boozy to be enjoyed to the truest and fullest extent.
Another anniversary and another awesome - but way too boozy - anniversary beer; although many complained that last year's anniversary DIPA turned out a little 'hot', apparently nothing in the last year has convinced Port Brewing to change that. And why should they? It's only appropriate that a brewery that's all about pushing palates with aggressive, balls-to-the-wall beers release something emblematically bold and belligerent.
★ 1,847 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The beer's orangey colour, distorted clarity and jumbo-sized head are all I need to see to think this should be flavourful, well-crafted ale. Its complexion retains that chilly haze that is sometimes polished out by the filtration process. Its head, meanwhile, has been hired by the glass to act as interior decorator (a job that it's fantastically qualified to do).
The aroma is all kinds of wonderful: lemon zest, lychee liqueur, toasty malts smeared in caramel, pine needles, orange wedges, almost every and anything you could ask for in a DIPA, or IPA for that matter. The hops outweigh the malts by a proportion similar to that of the women versus men attending the Lilith Fair festival.
This is less a beer than it is a cocktail of hoppiness, one that I'll argue as my favourite 'beertini' to date. The booze distorts the flavours: rather than having that caramelly, toffee sweetness, the (minimal) malt tastes like a shot of cream liqueur (Bailey's or Amarula) and the hoppiness uncannily resembles a mixture of orange and lychee liqueurs.
Although it's always better to have too much beer rather than too little, a half a bomber of this does seem good enough (the full thing is only a good idea if there's a bed or hammock nearby). I enjoy this, to be sure, but it tastes every bit as strong as it claims to be. The simple truth is that it's too boozy to be enjoyed to the truest and fullest extent.
Another anniversary and another awesome - but way too boozy - anniversary beer; although many complained that last year's anniversary DIPA turned out a little 'hot', apparently nothing in the last year has convinced Port Brewing to change that. And why should they? It's only appropriate that a brewery that's all about pushing palates with aggressive, balls-to-the-wall beers release something emblematically bold and belligerent.
★ 1,847 characters
3.65/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This is a pretty conventional Double IPA. It pours a pretty cloudy somewhat dirty water amber color with a big creamy and foamy white head, lacing is there, retention is also quite good. The nose is what you would expect. There are tons of bready malts and there is plenty of ABV coming through as an indication of things to come.
This is a medium to full bodied beer and its pretty strong. The 10% ABV is not very well hidden, in fact, the booziness is quite pronounced. I was getting plenty of the booze soaked pineapple and orange flavors. There is lots of bready and thick sweetish malts underneath. There is a slightly oak barrel booziness in there as well. The beer is strong, and I think probably too strong for its own good. The hopiness is more on the leafy side, maybe some very tannic pine notes too. Overall, the beer is a pretty conventional, albeit overly strong DIPA, but if that's what you are looking for, you'll find it here.
★ 945 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This is a pretty conventional Double IPA. It pours a pretty cloudy somewhat dirty water amber color with a big creamy and foamy white head, lacing is there, retention is also quite good. The nose is what you would expect. There are tons of bready malts and there is plenty of ABV coming through as an indication of things to come.
This is a medium to full bodied beer and its pretty strong. The 10% ABV is not very well hidden, in fact, the booziness is quite pronounced. I was getting plenty of the booze soaked pineapple and orange flavors. There is lots of bready and thick sweetish malts underneath. There is a slightly oak barrel booziness in there as well. The beer is strong, and I think probably too strong for its own good. The hopiness is more on the leafy side, maybe some very tannic pine notes too. Overall, the beer is a pretty conventional, albeit overly strong DIPA, but if that's what you are looking for, you'll find it here.
★ 945 characters
3.33/5 rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
I'm concerned: I didn't hear the usual "whoosh" when opening this beer. Was there a bad seal?
Large bubble head. The liquid is orange-amber and quite cloudy. Surprisingly, there's some spotty lace left on the glass.
Very mild aroma except for an odd rubber smell (like a brand new sneaker!) This beer is missing the typical smells I'd expect from a DIPA.
Strong alcohol flavor to this beer. Good hop bite and aftertaste. The malt is muted but present. The body is richer than some but the carbonation is low.
Bordering on the extreme, this beer is all about the high hop and over-the-top alcohol flavor. Too much, simple too much.
★ 634 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
I'm concerned: I didn't hear the usual "whoosh" when opening this beer. Was there a bad seal?
Large bubble head. The liquid is orange-amber and quite cloudy. Surprisingly, there's some spotty lace left on the glass.
Very mild aroma except for an odd rubber smell (like a brand new sneaker!) This beer is missing the typical smells I'd expect from a DIPA.
Strong alcohol flavor to this beer. Good hop bite and aftertaste. The malt is muted but present. The body is richer than some but the carbonation is low.
Bordering on the extreme, this beer is all about the high hop and over-the-top alcohol flavor. Too much, simple too much.
★ 634 characters
2.95/5 rDev -21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Bottle from 99 Bottles Federal Way, WA
A: Poured a glowing golden orangish color with good carbonationa and a nice white head
S: Citrus, booze, sweet and perfumey
T: Heres a story..There I was at the Daily Pint in Sanata Monica, CA decide to get a pint of the 2nd Anny IPA and upon the first sip I was like whoa..to perfumey, to much booze and sweetness. The mango and tropical fruits were overpowering. Did not even finish. This beer was the same. Walked away
M: Sweet, booze and perfume was not appealing at all
D: I did not finish nor did I want to
★ 556 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Bottle from 99 Bottles Federal Way, WA
A: Poured a glowing golden orangish color with good carbonationa and a nice white head
S: Citrus, booze, sweet and perfumey
T: Heres a story..There I was at the Daily Pint in Sanata Monica, CA decide to get a pint of the 2nd Anny IPA and upon the first sip I was like whoa..to perfumey, to much booze and sweetness. The mango and tropical fruits were overpowering. Did not even finish. This beer was the same. Walked away
M: Sweet, booze and perfume was not appealing at all
D: I did not finish nor did I want to
★ 556 characters
4.03/5 rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: poured a golden orange with yellow highlights with a finger of head and a little sticky lacing.
S: booze citrus and hop aromas with good malt presence. After a couple of whiffs I also got citrus notes.
T: grapefruit hop bitterness up front with citrus zest that does over power the malts a bit and booze in the mixture as well.
M: medium body with a little bit of carbonation and a sweet mlid bitter finish.
D: drinks really good all the way down the bottle and has a good balance between ingredients in the beer. I've had this beer a couple of times and has been decent every time
★ 588 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: poured a golden orange with yellow highlights with a finger of head and a little sticky lacing.
S: booze citrus and hop aromas with good malt presence. After a couple of whiffs I also got citrus notes.
T: grapefruit hop bitterness up front with citrus zest that does over power the malts a bit and booze in the mixture as well.
M: medium body with a little bit of carbonation and a sweet mlid bitter finish.
D: drinks really good all the way down the bottle and has a good balance between ingredients in the beer. I've had this beer a couple of times and has been decent every time
★ 588 characters
3.23/5 rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
No freshness date, but first reviews of this beer were last May, so it would appear this is a year old. Poured into a Portsmouth Brewery snifter.
<1" head, let's call it eggshell color, disappears pretty quickly. So far, not much lacing. Pours a pale amber, a little cloudy but I can still see tiny bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Aroma is pine with a fair amount of booze and a little citrus. Taste is similar - abv is not hidden. Oily mouthfeel suffers from low carbonation.
I could reason that the hops have mellowed after a year, so perhaps that's why it doesn't hold up to the malty abv. But I think instead this is just an IPA that took things a bit too far.
★ 685 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
No freshness date, but first reviews of this beer were last May, so it would appear this is a year old. Poured into a Portsmouth Brewery snifter.
<1" head, let's call it eggshell color, disappears pretty quickly. So far, not much lacing. Pours a pale amber, a little cloudy but I can still see tiny bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Aroma is pine with a fair amount of booze and a little citrus. Taste is similar - abv is not hidden. Oily mouthfeel suffers from low carbonation.
I could reason that the hops have mellowed after a year, so perhaps that's why it doesn't hold up to the malty abv. But I think instead this is just an IPA that took things a bit too far.
★ 685 characters
3.31/5 rDev -11.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
I think this is the 3rd anniversary beer that I am reviewing because the bottle says that it is 10% abv. Plus, it tastes like this beer has been sitting around for a year. However, the bottling date is 4/28/2010. So I'm a little confused.
Bottle poured into a pint glass.
Pours a golden/orange color. Absolutely no head. Just a few bubbles that disappear quickly.
Smells mostly minty with hints of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango. A perfume like sweet floral fragrance is apparent as well. Also, a really distinct orange rind scent is in there.
Taste is of sweet malts. Hops come through as spearmint, vague citrus and tropical fruits, floral characteristics, and distinct orange rind. Hops taste aged. Quite bitter.
Mouthfeel is thick an oily. Very low carbonation.
I wouldn't drink much of this. It tastes like an old DIPA. I'm not feeling it.
Sorry Port Brewing. I normally love your stuff, but this just doesn't do it for me.
★ 945 characters
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
I think this is the 3rd anniversary beer that I am reviewing because the bottle says that it is 10% abv. Plus, it tastes like this beer has been sitting around for a year. However, the bottling date is 4/28/2010. So I'm a little confused.
Bottle poured into a pint glass.
Pours a golden/orange color. Absolutely no head. Just a few bubbles that disappear quickly.
Smells mostly minty with hints of tropical fruits like pineapple and mango. A perfume like sweet floral fragrance is apparent as well. Also, a really distinct orange rind scent is in there.
Taste is of sweet malts. Hops come through as spearmint, vague citrus and tropical fruits, floral characteristics, and distinct orange rind. Hops taste aged. Quite bitter.
Mouthfeel is thick an oily. Very low carbonation.
I wouldn't drink much of this. It tastes like an old DIPA. I'm not feeling it.
Sorry Port Brewing. I normally love your stuff, but this just doesn't do it for me.
★ 945 characters
3.15/5 rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
22 oz. bottle tried 27 Dec 2009.
Served in a Celis shaker pint. Medium light off white head. Beer is a cloudy bright coppery orange color. Strong aroma of fresh squeezed orange juice and zest, plus lots of butter. Tastes like orange shortbread, bitter and buttery. Finishes with a sharp resiny bitterness and ethanol burn. Aftertaste is of orange pith, butter and lingering ethanol.
Way too much butter for my liking... Well almost any butter in my beer is too much for my liking...
★ 484 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
22 oz. bottle tried 27 Dec 2009.
Served in a Celis shaker pint. Medium light off white head. Beer is a cloudy bright coppery orange color. Strong aroma of fresh squeezed orange juice and zest, plus lots of butter. Tastes like orange shortbread, bitter and buttery. Finishes with a sharp resiny bitterness and ethanol burn. Aftertaste is of orange pith, butter and lingering ethanol.
Way too much butter for my liking... Well almost any butter in my beer is too much for my liking...
★ 484 characters
4.32/5 rDev +15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured this one into my glass from the 22 oz bottle; a nice orange color with a surprisingly decent amount of creamy foam. My first reaction to the aroma is wow! Huge citrus hops dominate in a very, very good way. Upon taking a sip, the hops are still there--citrus, grapefruit, maybe tangerine, a bit of pine, along with a good solid malt backbone and a solid punch of alcohol coming in late. Extremely drinkable for the ABV and a great all-around beer.
★ 454 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured this one into my glass from the 22 oz bottle; a nice orange color with a surprisingly decent amount of creamy foam. My first reaction to the aroma is wow! Huge citrus hops dominate in a very, very good way. Upon taking a sip, the hops are still there--citrus, grapefruit, maybe tangerine, a bit of pine, along with a good solid malt backbone and a solid punch of alcohol coming in late. Extremely drinkable for the ABV and a great all-around beer.
★ 454 characters
4/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours thick and cloudy like apple cider, similar color too. Thin head fades fast.
Fresh citrus orchard aromas. A bit of fresh apple in there too. Honey, cloves and other spices.
Yup its hoppy! Sharp cirtus hops bite the tounge. Very sweet malty backbone tries to even things up. 10% ABV is sure to show up and leave a burn down the hatch.
Thick and syrupy. Heavy mouthfeel here with spicy/ hop oil aftertaste left in mouth.
No fooling around with this one. The one thing I love about Port is they love to use hops and do it well. At 10% ABV, bomber is sure to be enough in one sitting. Continue to look forward to there aniversary offerings.
★ 642 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours thick and cloudy like apple cider, similar color too. Thin head fades fast.
Fresh citrus orchard aromas. A bit of fresh apple in there too. Honey, cloves and other spices.
Yup its hoppy! Sharp cirtus hops bite the tounge. Very sweet malty backbone tries to even things up. 10% ABV is sure to show up and leave a burn down the hatch.
Thick and syrupy. Heavy mouthfeel here with spicy/ hop oil aftertaste left in mouth.
No fooling around with this one. The one thing I love about Port is they love to use hops and do it well. At 10% ABV, bomber is sure to be enough in one sitting. Continue to look forward to there aniversary offerings.
★ 642 characters
4/5 rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a hazy dark gold/amber color with a 1/4" off-white head that fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice pale, Carapils, and bisquit malt scent along with a rather mild, bitter hop aroma. It's actually quite balanced for a DIPA. The taste is good as well. It's aggressively bitter up front with some Munich malt sweetness and some bready bisquit malt notes. It has a piney hop character which is perfect for this malt bill. An east coast DIPA from a great west coast brewery. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer. I like the balance. It's not a beer I'd go out of my way to find.
★ 667 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
The beer pours a hazy dark gold/amber color with a 1/4" off-white head that fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice pale, Carapils, and bisquit malt scent along with a rather mild, bitter hop aroma. It's actually quite balanced for a DIPA. The taste is good as well. It's aggressively bitter up front with some Munich malt sweetness and some bready bisquit malt notes. It has a piney hop character which is perfect for this malt bill. An east coast DIPA from a great west coast brewery. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer. I like the balance. It's not a beer I'd go out of my way to find.
★ 667 characters
3rd Anniversary Double IPA from Port Brewing
3.74
out of 5
based on 168 ratings.
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Review from notes. Came across as pretty one dimensional, especially given Pizza Port's brewing acumen for this style. Comes in dark, yellow/auburn notes, thin 1/4" white head. Aroma was alcohol first, then you got a smidge of tropical fruit, nondescript.
Taste was a 100ibu face melt bomb. Didn't impart enough hop flavor. Overly syrupy, thick, viscous. I dunno, I didn't find anything special about this, in fact it was below average for sure for them, one of their worst hoppy beers of all time.
★ 505 characters