The Big DIPA 3
Blue Frog Grog & Grill

So after the debacle that was the big dipa #1, I was intrigued by the idea of redemption when this appeared at the 2010 BIsto double ipa fest (first time I had it), perhaps this brewery saw the error of its ways and decided to change up the recipe, and this time go with a double ipa that has hop flavors and aroma, as opposed to a malty alt like beer. A guy can dream. . .

Pours another substantially darker SRM than your average dipa. Still leans to the amber/auburn end of the spectrum. Like, darker than orange for sure. 1/2" off white head. I mean, even if it looks malty for a dipa, it does hold up appearance wise for the most part. Aroma, shit, here we go again, a smattering of old school bittering hops up against a solid crystal and toasted malt combo.

Taste is another blast of bittering C hops with a earthy, heavy malt presence. Caramel and toffee. No I'm not describing an old ale. Seems like one of those super long boil lots of high alpha acid bittering hops and lots of malt, but little in the way of hop flavor kind of beers.

 

 

 

 

Type: 22-oz. bomber
Glass: Lagunitas mason jar
From: Clem’s Bottle House in Normal Heights (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $6.99
Purchased: April 13, 2013
Consumed: April 26, 2013
Misc.: Wax on the bottle cap

Poured a dark caramel amber cloudy color with two fingers of khaki white gluey head. Very good amount of white foamy layered lacing on the sides on the way down. Very good retention on the top as well.

At first smelled a mix of wet, cascade hops and earthy grainy malts. Lemon tries to come in there. Also got some rye hops. Some caramel malts as well.

Tasted pretty much what I thought it would after the smell. Earthy, grainy, bready malts with cascade, rye and herb hops. Not as bitter as anticipated. Faint sour fruit notes as well.

Medium body. Oily-to-creamy texture. Average-to-lively carbonation. Abrupt, slightly bitter finish.

Much better than the Blue Frog Grog & Grill IPA and overall better than I thought it would be. I still probably wouldn’t get it again.

Bomber I picked up at the total wine in Roseville, CA last month. Really trying to go into the review with an open mind, but seeing the scores it's going to be hard. Bomber to a pine glass, no freshness date

Pours a dark gold with two fingers of foam. Good retention thus far, good transparency and carbonation. So far so good

Aroma of hops and a highly grained malt. Some citrus esters are able to break through, but the real noticeable thing here is the strength of the malt

And now the moment I've been worried about: the taste. Pretty big hop profile melds well with all that malt. Some of that citrus is detectable, however blinded by alcohol in the finish. Pretty one diminishable.

The first thing sticking out for the feel is how boozy this thing is, not something I thought I'd worry about at only 8.4% It's sticky with a dry finished, but as far as drink-ability goes, unless your palate is seasoned to liquor I wouldn't want much of this

Overall this beer is better than I thought, but still mediocre at best. Don't be fooled by the wax cap, there is nothing special going on here

Acquired 2 days ago at a local SoCal bottle shop which had just gotten this in. Cost was $4.99. 8.4% ABV confirmed. 105 IBUs. 22 fl oz brown glass bottle with waxed over pressure cap served into a New Belgium stem-goblet in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are low given its current ratings.

Served straight from the fridge. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a three finger beige colour head of fair cream, nice thickness, and good (~5 minute) retention for the high ABV. Body colour is a fairly vibrant clear translucent amber. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show. Standard fare for the style.

Sm: All I really get is toasted malt. No hop notes. Caramel. Very wrong for the style. Smells more like a winter warmer than a double IPA. A moderate strength aroma.

T: Toasted malt. Light floral hops. Caramel. Rich amber malts. Horridly put together for a double IPA. Balanced as a winter warmer, but ultimately rather underwhelming. Lacks complexity and subtlety. No yeast character. A bit of alcohol comes through.

Mf: Smooth and wet. Thick. Chewy. Overcarbonated. Doesn't really suit the flavour profile.

Dr: Drinkable but underwhelming. Awfully done for a double IPA. It drinks like a badly done winter warmer. I wouldn't get it again. Hides its alcohol decently.

C

 

 

maybe i had a really old bottle, but this beer did not taste like an IPA at all. poured a pleasing coppery-amber tone with quite a foamy head. smell was nothing but malt; caramel and hints of chocolate. couldn't find any notes of citrus, pine, flowers or grass. mouthfeel was smooth with no alcohol heat. across the palate i got more malts, maybe even a speck of toffee in there. finish had some dryness, but i did not detect any of the alleged 105 IBUs of bittering purported in the ale. as an imperial amber or red the big dipa would have scored higher, but this doesn't have the characteristics of a double ipa.

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into an Allagash cervoise glass.

A: Two fingers of frothy head top an amber-brown, translucent beer.

S: Yeasty and not nearly as hoppy as it smelled on the pour. Some onions?

T: Hrm. Creamy-thick, with lots of herbal-dry hops. Something akin to Simcoe, but not quite? Some sweet citrus with molasses malt. I'd be curious to know the provenance of these hops. Interesting balance, with a floral/spicy yeast to shake things up.

M: Dense, excellent, and impressive. Lightly drying, especially on the astringent aftertaste.

O: Props for being interesting, compelling, and absurdly drinkable for 105 IBUs. I would have again. Recommended and underrated.

Notes:
OG: 18 degrees Plato
IBU: 105
ABV: 8.4%

 

Pours clear golden amber with orange highlights. The head is almost white, fluffy and huge and leaves behind some good lacing.

Smell is of sweet malt and some piney hops, malt being the bigger smell. A hint of booze to round it out.

Taste has more hops than the smell, tropical fruit, an lots of sweet malt, with a big bitter aftertaste.

Feel is creamy and smooth? what? There is a touch of hop bite, but not quite enough.

I liked this beer, lots of flavor, just not as much hop all around...

DOA

22 oz bomber pours a slightly cloudy medium amber. Good fluffy head and lacing. Aroma is nutty caramel and some piney hops. Taste is citrusy hops and a little apricot, kind of sweet and syrupy. Alcohol is present and provides a nice warming effect as I drink this on a January afternoon. Finishes fairly wet, a little flat and pasty on the tongue. Far from the best Imperial IPA I've ever had but it was worth a try.

 

 

This is an okay DIPA, a little boozy, and a little flat (not talking about carbonation) in most characteristics.

Appearance: deep orange, almost red. Nice white head that is fairly stable

Smell: Hmm, smells good, but with a DIPA one would expect hops on the nose not the malts to dominate

Taste: again, hmmm. Not much here, it taste less malty than it smells. There is a slight citrus hop profile, but not intense at all. I am drinking this bomber by myself, so it is taking me a while to get through it. The longer it sits the more profound the alcohol comes through (and it wasn't hiding in the beginning). Honestly I feel this beer taste okay, but has no depth to it.

Mouthfeel: Thin, which is normally good for an IPA/DIPA, but this is a different kind of then, almost watery bland. Still not wretched, but not good either.

Overall: For the price it isn't bad. I think I paid $5 for the bomber, but not one I will be going back for. For having "105 IBU's" I wish they would do more late additions/dry hopping, the aroma and taste off the hops were missing. Who knows, maybe it was an old bottle, but I have no way of telling since there is no bottle date. But since I have not seen this beer before at a store I frequent I felt it had to be fairly new.

A clear amber in the tall tulip, rather nice lacing. A big hoppy nose, and plenty of bitterness, but it has a mellow character that make this a pleasant drink. Quite spicy after a few sips. More of an intense flowery nose. Orange peel and tangerine seem to emerge out of the bitterness. Some resiny flavors in a winey mouthfeel. Fruity and flavorful with a strong acidic aftertaste. A different sort of big IPA and quite pleasant.

Interesting beer - DIPAs often balance malt/halt balance through strength, sweet roasted malt, intense hoppiness. This brew works in the opposite direction.

Poured in a pint glass - honey colored brew with a small nose, little aroma of hops...

...and that's because the hops infusion is mild. Scale of 1 to 10, about a six, about the same mouth presence throughout the swig. The malt is not overly sweet, in fact, works pretty harmoniously with the hops. Altogether, quite a refreshing DIPA.