Alpha Hive Double IPA
COOP Ale Works

 

 

 

 

 

An IPA, but on the lighter side. I wouldn't say it tastes like honey, but there is a hint of sweetness. Good smell and look. A strong 9.1% that doesn't taste like it. Not your typical IPA, but pretty good overall.

Can, poured into pint glass.

Poured from a 12 oz can. Date is smudged so I cannot see the canning date but it tastes fresh so I assume it is.

Pours a bright caramel color with a bubbly off-white head. Good retention and some lacing.

Smell is mainly a combination of hops and sweetness from the honey, somewhat floral, and a little dank but not too much. I detect a hint of peppery spices as well.

Taste follows the nose. Good hop and citrus bitterness up front with the honey coming in strong about halfway through. Finish is long and a touch on the bitter side, but there is some sweetness. Very balanced.

Feel - medium body, medium to high carbonation. The texture is a little bit too syrupy for me. I am left with a coating on the back of my tongue that isn’t necessarily unpleasant, but it wasn’t expected either.

Overall - I don’t yet have much experience with double IPAs, but this has me curious to try more, and it is really pretty good.

 

 

 

 

Traditional double ipa. Not bad. Could use some more malt flavor depth and late-addition hop flavors to balance it.

 

 

 

 

Tastes great - velvety going down. Minimal carbonation. I drank it on draft at the Garage in Norman, Ok. The honey taste is very subtle, difficult to notice. It tastes slightly spicy - mostly hoppy. Very little head in a draft pour in a pint glass. Deep golden color. I ordered two before dinner and couldn’t be happier

 

Cloudy dark amber with a luxurious beige head. Rich hoppy hoppy aroma. Taste is a perfect storm of sweet and bitter. A towering IPA.

 

Alpha Hive - Coop Ale Works
DIPA - 8.9% abv
Canned 2/19/18 (47 days ago)

L - 2-finger offwhite head atop a translucent orange body.

S - citrus, caramel malt, cotton candy, pine, booze, a little herb.

T - big dank start. Wasn’t expecting that from the nose. Then some citrus and pine. Moderately boozy, very bitter, moderately sweet.

F - medium oily body with medium carb.

O - an intense hop encounter. These aren’t my favorite hops, but it’s an enjoyable experience.

Type: 12-oz. can
Glass: Beer Nerd 12-oz. tulip
From: Goebel Liquor / Rob’s World of Beer in Wichita, Kan.
Price: $10.99 for a 4-pack
Purchased: March 14, 2018
Consumed: March 16, 2018
Reviewed as: American Double / Imperial IPA
Misc.: Canned on Jan. 24, 2018 at 9:18 p.m. CT

Had two of these previous in Wichita on a work trip. Gave them each a 4.0 on Untappd, writing, “Wow. This is outstanding. DIPA with orange blossom honey. Full review later.” Well, here we are. Hoping it holds up, despite the Jan. 24, 2018 canned on date. Canned description read, “This double IPA is infused with a fierce American hop profile and a delicate, bee-crafted orange blossom honey from Northern California. A sting of dankness, floral notes and many a compelling nuance make this spring seasonal delicious. This is no time to buzz off.”

Poured a copper hazy color with three fingers of rocky off-white head. A few bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Excellent layered lacing. World-class retention. (Sight - 4.50)

Smelled Cascade, Citra, honey, caramel, orange blossom, floral, pine, resin, spoiled fruit, hints of Centennial, peach, apricot, purple grape, tropical zest, pineapple and some peppery spices. Pretty much the same from the can, maybe more honey than the glass. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted honey, orange blossom, caramel, Cascade, woody pine, spoiled fruit, Centennial, peppery spice (Chinook?), Citra, peach, floral, herbal, tangerine, pineapple, tea and orange peel. Boozy, but not 9.1 pct. boozy. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Oily, sticky texture. Average-to-lively carbonation. Astringent finish. (Feel - 4.00)

Just a solid DIPA. Outstanding. (Overall - 4.00)

4.03 | 90 | A-

 

Great aroma. The taste suffers a bit from the floral and honey mix. The hops are right on though.

 

 

 

Alpha Hive has a medium, ivory head, a mostly clear, bubbly, orange appearance, and heavy lacing. Aroma is of sweet, white bread crust and strong hops resin. The flavor is the same, with intense bitterness. Mouthfeel is high medium to heavy, and Alpha Hive finishes puckering, with linger bitterness, on the tongue.

RJT

The beer is a brownish gold with mild head and lacing. It's got a haze that's caused by the considerable particulate presence. Smell is dank and hoppy with a definite honey background. Taste? Delicious. Hoppiness is there in the bitter forefront, but the sweet honey asserts itself and it leads to a taste combination that works together, not against each other. Feel is dominated by the strong alcohol, kind of juicy, well balanced, easy to drink for a beer that's strong in a couple different ways.

Appearance – Clear amber body with a two finger head, with a LOT of lacing.

Aroma – Spruce, lime, and floral.

Taste – Bitter alpha acids followed by caramel. Floral aftertaste.

Mouthfeel – A little sticky and thick, nice.

Overall – Didn’t get a honey flavor but I am sure that’s where the floral taste came from. Nice but very bitter.

 

 

 

CAN: 12 fl oz format with a standard pull-tab. Green and yellow label. Art depicts a honeybee carrying a hop bud. Cost is $10.99 USD per 4 pack at the Total Wine & More in Austin, TX.

9.1% ABV. SRM 16. IBU 100+. "Ale with honey." "Double IPA."

HEAD: Frothy and off-white, with plenty of coating thickness. Robust and long-lasting (~7 minute retention in a tulip).

BODY: Rich vibrant copper. Clear; obviously filtered. No yeast/lees are visible within.

Appears well-carbonated. It's a nice looking imperial IPA whose head retention doesn't betray its high ABV. Not unique or special for the style, but definitely inviting,.

AROMA: Pine and resin are the first hop aromatics that greet me, backed by ample pale malt sweetness and probably some crystal malt as well. I do pick up on honey if only because the aroma reminds me immediately of that of Bell's Hopslam, though the hop profile seems less interesting. I'd guess Centennial if pressed, since it's clean and floral but also resinous and fairly oily. In any case, hop aromatics are sufficiently pungent and the aroma conceals the beer's high ABV pretty well.

Aromatic intensity is average. I detect no off-notes, overt yeasty notes, or spices.

TASTE: Honey injects ample sweetness into the pale malt-dominated backbone but has the unfortunate side effect of giving the open an almost medicinal raw taste. Hop profile is floral, a bit resinous, and somewhat oily but not piney as the aroma suggested. Not citrusy, fruity/tropical, overtly herbal/tea-like, oniony, or "green."

I'd bet on Centennial and Magnum if I was forced to guess, but I'm rubbish at that.

Alcohol warmth is present but it's not unwelcome. Finishes oddly sweet, bending it almost syrupy and medicinal like the open.

Uneven structurally, with the pleasant aspects of the beer packed into the second act and the unpleasant flavours flanking it in the open and finish. There's a glimmer of Hopslam-like balance in the middle bit, but it doesn't last or sustain. A troubled brew in terms of balance, but I like what they're going for.

TEXTURE: Overly thick. Unrefreshing. Borders on syrupy at times. Overcarbonated. Smooth and wet. Not soft or light enough. Oily. Full-bodied. Not quite chewy, but it's heavy on the palate.

OVERALL: It juts out too far into syrupy sweet territory for my tastes, lacking the hop pungency to counter those attributes as well as a hop profile interesting enough to warrant adding yet another imperial IPA to the already direly oversaturated global market. It does invite comparison to Bell's Hopslam, and it fails to hold a candle thereto. It's derivative work, lacking any unique or special characteristics to set it apart from the myriad expressions of the style, but I don't dislike it. This wasn't my favourite, but I'll keep trying beer from COOP Ale Works and I do see flickers of inspiration in this.

High C (2.98) / AVERAGE

 

Canned on 01/24/2018.
Pours to permanent head and patchy lace. Amber orange. Nose is fruity, flowery and dank. Smells of peach/apricot, citrus, wildflowers and some light malts. Flavor is rich and balanced. Hop flavors similar to aroma upfront, balancing malt backbone lingers. MF is medium and CO2 is within tolerance. Great stuff.

Alpha hive is a citrus double ipa. It has a taste of honey lemon and lime. The hoppy taste is there but not like what you would expect from a double ipa. This beer is strong and i personally love it. I nicknamed it the “grenade” because of the green can and the fact every time i drink it i pass out. I’m talking like a pint of it when i get off work and maybe an old fashioned and I’m out. Had a chick come over one day and she drank one with me, Woke up at 4am looked over she was passed out with me. Had my buddy come over he and i drank these. We were watching a thunder game literally had 2 of these each and a old fashioned Anyway i passed out.i felt like a bad host Becusee i had passed out in the chair on my buddy but funny thing is i woke up and To my surprise i looked over and he was passed out too! This shit knocks you out like a light. 2 beers deep. They should sell this in the damn pharmacy for people with insomnia! Love coop and this beer. Glad it’s seasonal. Cheers!!

 

 

Alpha hive pours a honey copper, but is no sluggish chugger. Indeed, quite the rush is to be expected with this one. Atltough the smell is subdued, Citrus, citrus, lemon/line, CITRUS! This beer shouts at me. It offers a sour reward like candy upon finish beckoning to sip yet again. Less of a malt background but with a hop array that holds together long after the carbonated finish. A wonderful achievement.