Holiday Imperial IPA
Carolina Brewing Company

 

 

 

got this one on tap at carolina ale house in durham...must have been something wrong with the keg, but i wasn't impressed one bit...thus, i won't write much on here because i think i drank out of a bad patch...

pretty much tasteless except for the alcohol which was prevalent...almost no smell...but it was crisp and hops were present...

12 oz bottle, last of my six.

Appearance: Clear orange-gold. Fluffy white head with average retention leaves floating islands and a rim. Lacing is a little disappointing.

Smell: PineSol. Quite a bit of piney hops. Pineapple is the next obvious smell. Nice.

Taste: Yes-- piney and sweet fruity hops. Really a surprising lack of bitterness initially. Sweet maltiness in addition to the prominent hops. Bitterness on the finish along with the caramelly malt.

Mouthfeel: Very full, bordering on syrupy. Resiny, coating, and slick. Nice.

Drinkability: Really quite a good DIPA. Not the best, but damn good. Reasonable price too.

Sampled on tap at Tyler's Apex.

A - Copper with great clarity and a small off white head.

S - A nice blend of sweet, toasted malts and citrusy hops.

T - A very rich blend of toasted malt, citrusy hop bitterness and alcohol with a touch of sweetness. There's a lot going on but it comes together nicely.

M - Thick and creamy with a nice low carbonation.

D - Some nice, interesting flavors. It's a bit strong to have too many but I liked it a lot. This is a nice local DIPA. I wish I had picked some up while the bottles were around.

12oz bottle, poured into a standard pint glass.

A: light copper color, clear, 2 finger white head that fades to a dusting, some lacing.

S: very hoppy smell. citrus and grapefruit like aroma's. slight malty sweet aroma also detected.

T: hoppy in all three aspects. the bitterness lingers long after the drink, while the flavor and aroma greet you and bring you back for more. very tasty.

MF: medium bodied, moderate carbonation.
slight alcohol warming.

Drinkability: really solid offering. wouldn't mind having this as a year round goto. very drinkable.

Review of the 09 Impy IPA. Clocks in at 8.6% ABV this year.

Beautiful deep honey gold color with 1-finger hear. Faint retention but laces well.

Strong grapefruit aroma. One of the most powerful I've had this year. Really nice.

Hits thick and slightly sweet. Hops kick in very fast and the bitters are intense. Nice dry finish. Expecting a little more fruit from the hops, but not disappointed at all. Alcohol is very well masked.

Feel is spot-on. Appropriately thick for the impy style.

Surprisingly easy to drink for an imperial style beer. Not sure I'd want more than 2, but this is a very good beer.

Brew sent courtesy of brentk56, thanks mucho man!

Poured a hazy amber ('cause I swirled the goodies on the bottom) with a nice ivory/tan foamy head. Lookin' good.

Nice whiff of citrus pine, followed by a sticky and sweetish resinous quaff. Bit o' woody pine in the finish. The booze is hidden, but it is a lighter Impy IPA at 8.2%. A solid, but not overwhelming, brew - but nice to sip on, I do wish I had a sixer of them.

12oz. bottle into chalice on 8/3/08. Thanks to Deuane for the bottle.

A - Hazy, rusty orange body with some reddish highlights and thin off-white head that diminished into a wispy film and patchy lacing. Modest amount of slow rising bubbles of carbonation is present.

S - Sweet caramel malts with a slight toasted aspect paired with a pretty strong floral hop aroma and some mild perfume and citrus notes. Slight whiff of alcohol also sneaks into the mix.

T - Starts off on the sweet side with hints of caramel, toffee and toasted malt accents, then quickly segues into an assertive hop blast with a mixture of floral, perfumy and citrus notes and a bit of alcohol burn. The malt presence really balances out the aggressive hop bitterness and keeps this from becoming overly hoppy.

M - Medium body with smooth, creamy texture and a prickly mouthfeel that starts off on the soft side, but builds up the longer you swirl it around. Sticky hops cling to the palate, while the liquid emits a warming quality on the tongue.

D - This was my first Carolina brew, and it did not disappoint. While the floral and perfume hop combination isn't necessarily one of my favorite hop profiles, it was still very well balanced with sweet and toasted malts and minimal alcohol burn. Nice version of an East Coast DIPA. I will definitely seek out more Carolina brews in the future.

Finally rated a beer before JDV. Pours a very hazy orange to light amber color. Some sediment on the bottom but I did a good job not adding it in. A soft white head with great retention and lacing throughout.

The nose as softened since first trying it 6+ months ago. A mostly hoppy nose with a earth and sudsy nose. Some minor piney notes on the back end as well. The malt is soft with hint of caramel and light biscuit. The yeast notes have really backed down with some noticeable alcohol heat notes but not overly solvent.

The taste as really matured as well. The malt is more balanced with the hops playing a bit stronger in the taste. The piney flavors are noticeable but as overwhelming from before. Some more earthy and floral notes with some limited sudsy flavors that come out as well. Noticeable caramel flavors with a touch of victory or biscuit leaving a nuttiness. The bitterness lasts into the finish and leaves a bite in the aftertaste.

The body is closer to full than moderate. Light carbonation, surprisingly but helps bring out the finishing hops. Overall for those who say you shouldn't age an IPA, I think this is a good example that you can and still get a good result.

Poured from a 12 oz bottle to a pint glass the liquid is a dark amber with good carbonation. The head is ok 1 finger off white and it leaves good lace.

The smell is earthy hops, sugary and a slight zest of citrus.

The taste follows, lots of earthy hops and a good caramel malt. The hops are mostly woodsy yet not piney, grapefruit, and an orange note are present

The mouthfeel is good, thick body and ok carbonation.

The drinkability is good, a solid DIPA, just nothing out of the norm as such. MK

Pours a medium slightly rusty copper, decent sediment haze with a good size light cream colored fluffy head that slowly recedes with a decent amount of lace left behind. Aroma is a soft honey, fruity like malty sweetness, good amount of citrusy hoppiness, berries, oranges, and grapefruit. Taste follows with grapefruit and some pineyness that comes out stronger as the beer warms. Some peppery taste at the back of the throat before a slight bite of warm alcohol and a good bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium, carbonation feels thinner than it looks, pepperiness on the tongue and throat, alcohol warmth and puckery drying bitterness in the finish. A great dipa, I continue to be very impressed with Carolina's seasonal higher gravity offerings. Thanks Brent for this opportunity.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber color with a three finger head that sticks well and laces beautifully

Smell: Pith and pine, with undertones of caramel

Taste: The big caramel malt backbone asserts itself immediately, but the pith and pine flavors develop at mid-palate; after the swallow, the bitterness remains strong but is balanced out by the malt at the finish; a bit of a tug of war but the they come together for me at the very end

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and viscous; moderate carbonation

Drinkability: A very nice effort from the boys in Holly Springs; I've been drinking this for a while and have enjoyed every opportunity

I got this in a trade with nutbrown. Thanks Alan!

This pours a hazy amber with a very nice 2 finger head of foam. Very good head retention and there's some nice sticky lacing.

The smell has a nice floral/fruity hop *and* caramel malt thing going on and is pretty nice.

The taste is big grapefruit notes up front but there's no lack of malt here as I'm getting an equally big dose of bready malt that hits my taste buds nicely. There's another fruity flavour I'm getting here and...yes...I cheated. Buckeyenation is spot on with the tangerine reference even though I rarely eat tangerines but I *have* done so in the past and they are definitely there.

Nice thickish mouthfeel here and the carbonation is pretty light despite what you see when you hold up your glass to the light... lots of tiny bubbles. I really like how the malt and hops are so well balanced in this brew..even in the finish! Re the abv, I think it is very well hidden; just a bit of warming some time after the swallow.

Bottom line: This is a well crafted and pretty darned drinkable Imperial IPA from Carolina Brewing and I'm very happy I got to try it. Thanks again, Alan!!

Dark coppery orange possessing a glassy clarity that is minimally disturbed by several slow-moving bubble streams. Their destination is a three finger crown that is the exact color and texture of tangerine mousse. Wide portions of the wonderful looking lid stick to the glass like pulled taffy, leaving an impressive array of lace when they eventually break.

Carolina Holiday Imperial IPA's aroma is pale malty sweet and is citrus and spruce-like too. Although it could be more bombastically hoppy, what reaches my nose is wonderful. It's a pretty safe bet that one (or more) of the C-hops are present.

This is a solid offering that, admittedly, is only getting the above scores because DIPA is my favorite style. It does nothing out of the ordinary and it isn't overly exciting. Having said that, it has a respectable amount of American hop flavor and bitterness, backed by sweetish pale malt.

The fruitiness of the hops is especially tangerine-like, which always makes me think of Amarillo. There's also a fair amount of white grapefruit peel that might be coming from Cascade and/or Centennial. A dollop of pine sap and a hint of spicy alcohol fill out the flavor profile.

The mouthfeel blows through IPA territory and finds its comfort zone on the left (lighter) side of the DIPA curve. No rough edges and sedate carbonation are definite positives.

Holiday Imperial IPA is good beer because it has no real weaknesses. Would I like even more hoppiness? Sure, but it's hard to argue with what the boys from Holly Springs, NC have created. Thanks to brentk56 for a terrifically tasty toss-in.

(Bottled On: 11/20/07). Good to know! I appreciate CBC providing such crucial information.

Appearance: Pours a clear, deep orange body with a small, wispy white head.

Smell: Hoppy aroma of flowers and citrusy grapefruit centered around a modest amount of pale malts.

Taste: Pale malts with a light sweetness lead you into a trap of resounding hop bitterness. Plenty of citrus throughout that, along with the bitterness, lasts till the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Slight oiliness.

Drinkability: A respectable Double IPA, though I could use a bit more 'oomph' to the body. Still decent, though.

Poured into an oversized wine glass a clear burnt orange with a slight but sticky white head that settled into a soapy-like mass.Nice citric-floral hop profile in the nose like..well like laundry soap really with a bit of sweet biscuit underlying,the flavors dont match up to the nose in my opinion a little watery as well.Hops are there but they dont seem to hammer anything home they are mild and kind of linger away into the finish its a little boozy as well nothing really stands out here.I like this brewery I have been there and did the free beer brewery tour and have alot of respect for these guys but this leaves me wanting more.

12oz bottle into a pint glass. Thanks to HopDerek for the bottle.

Pours a fairly clear amber with a big poof of off-white head that retains nicely into a still good sized layer that leaves behind big time sticky hop lacing. The aroma is a little subdued at first but then opens up a little more with piney hops and citrus being dominant, followed by accents of thick sweet maltiness behind it.

The taste fires up with a nice blast of piny hop bitterness and citrus up front with the bitterness lasting through the whole sip. This is backed by a pretty hefty backbone of sweet caramel malts. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slick, almost viscous feel at times. The ABV is present, and as things warm, mixes with the pine notes and malt sweetness to give off a somewhat off-putting sticky medicinal feel.

This one started out OK for me but as it warmed, some unbalanced characteristics took over and kinda crashed the party. Balancing all the big hops, malt, and alcohol involved in some of these DIPAs can be a tricky business. I just wish this one had done a little better job.

12oz bottle poured into a standard pint glass, bottled on 11/20/07. A holiday Imperial IPA - what a great change up from all the winter warmers and Christmas beers that hit the taps this time of year.

A: Pours a deep copper orange. Lots of carbonation, surprising thick head and a very respectable lacing considering the abv (8.2% according to the stamp on the label.)

S: Hops dominates, but detectable balance of malt. Alcohol slightly present, but barely, very well hidden.

T/M: In accordance with the smell, crisp and clean hops dominates - citrus and pine specifically. First sips taken while still rather cold, and the hops hit hard. As it warms, the malt backbone emerges and proves this beer has a great balance. Alcohol is undetectable, further proof that this is a very well crafted hop bomb. Lots of carbonation keeps this beer fizzy, which works well with the high hop content. You can feel the beer as it dances across the tongue, a nice effect.

D: Despite the abv (which is well hidden) and the extreme hops (which are well balanced) this brew is highly drinkable. I wish I had a few more to cellar away in order to sample on a hot summer afternoon, paired with some grilled meats once it has had even more time to mellow. No worries though, it is just as satisfying on this cold winter day.