Mountain Gem
10 Barrel Brewing Co.

had this on cask at the boise location, which is a rad spot. i was surprised to see my lady order this, a big ipa hasnt been her thing in years, but she loves a good cask, and i was more than happy to share this one with her! its a neat beer, but maybe not best suited to the cask dispense, where it feels a bit flat, without the usual round softness the cask provides because there is still considerable bitterness to this, and it seems maybe less fresh to me than it could, but i wont be too critical. the beer is well built and has a really interesting hop profile, a mix of like super noble characteristics and new school fruity dry hopped aspects, some pineapple, some juniper, some botanical tea sort of thing going on, but also oily and sturdy, grassy and bitter, i like how complete the spectrum seems to be, and it only intensifies as it warms, which we let it, because its a pretty slow sipper with lots of body, mostly absent carbonation, and some exposed alcohol at the end of each taste. there is a greenness to it thats a little bitey in the middle, but the overall hop profile is what makes this awesome, robust and unique all the way through. they could back the grain and the booze down a fraction and improve the beer i think. id also like to try a regular draft pour, double ipa has never been my favorite cask style...

Draft at Boise Brewpub. Medium dark Amber, one finger fluffy head. Aroma doesn't give much away, light malts. Taste comes on heavy with some caramel malts followed instantly by sharp, stinging hoppiness, leaves your palate burning. Seems sweet, but the bitterness obliterates everything. Ouch.