Double IPA
White Birch Brewing

 

Notes from 2017. 6 pack of 12 oz cans from Total Wine super store.
This ale really packs a punch! It has a lightly cloudy gold color, a rocky white head and has good carbonation. It has a firm hop scent that has citrus, pine and kind of earthy aromas and is intense. The taste is also intense hops, pine, lemon peel and subtle malts. It is crisp, firm and zippy. I also sense a little bit of alcohol later in the beer. It finishes kind of dry and it is dry-hopped so that's par for the course. A well stated hoppy Double IPA that is tasty and is excellent. I'd buy it again for sure.

Double(Triple, Imperial) IPAs are my thing, and have been for more than twenty years. Obviously I know I'm not the only one who loves this stuff! I like my doubles on the lighter side, blond, mostly crystal hops, sweet fruity and nicely bitter. Clear or cloudy is not a consideration for me. This more than meets my highest expectations. Bought a six-pack a few weeks ago and today just bought another, as this stuff doesn't seem to always be available...or its selling out quickly. I don't know a better double in all of northern New England.

 

 

Poured this lovely golden bodied ale into a classic Chimay goblet due to it's 9.2% abv. Seems to be a good choice as the nose has really opened up. The heady white foam spread out in layers, constant coverage and walls of sticky lacing is rather impressive.

The nose is pretty intense with some sweet, balsum fir tree style aromatics that pop out from the hops. Golden malt seems to be full of grains and grasses. Pine cones and tangy fruits are in the aroma and seem to get more intense as time goes by. Cherries and lemmon zest should also be noted within the hop scent.

A zippy, Zaney style mouthfeel, crispy golden malt has a bite, seems light and then the malt mutates into a seriously smoooth, medium feel, zesty alcohol heat and bitter hops just crush the taste buds. The silky smooth effect is a nice touch.

Layers of hops steal the show flavorwise, bitter pine and sour earthy tones first, tangy collection of fruits is next, dry bitterness again, alcohol heat seems to keep it all together as the malt stays neutral, but provides a golden-grains effect and balance.

This is a very complex Dipa. Intense in many ways and certainly one of the more interesting big ipa's you will find coming out of good 'ol New Hampshire.

 

 

 

 

Had this on tap at a local craft beer bar in NJ. Usually take the local brewery ipas like Kane Overhead but wanted to try something new. I really liked this White Birch DIPA. Nice, not overly hoppy flavor and while ABV is higher it is not overwhelming. Hope they keep this on tap menu.

 

Poured from a 12oz can into glass. No dating information found on can.
Cloudy, gold colored body. Last pour remnants resulted in "clouds" in the glass. No floating particles. Pillowy white head settles to bubbly cap. Scattered sheets of lacing.
Aroma of grassy, floral, and citrus hops, with a touch of lemon.
Taste includes sweeter malt, orange and grapefruit hops. A bit of grassy and floral hops too. Low bitterness overall.
Medium mouth feel, with slight prickliness on tongue. Higher ABV is well hidden.
Still tasty as an unfiltered DIPA, but of the "old school" realm. Does not "pop" on the palate, more subdued, which results in a lower rating score.

I have been CANducting a brewery horizontal these past few days with White Birch Brewing & this one marks the end of the line (for now). It always feels nice to add so many beers to The CANQuest (tm) & even better when the spent CANs get picked up by Jeff Lebo for his CANlection.

From the CAN: "Our ales are unfiltered, unpasteurized and traditionally made. Best served at 50-55 (deg.)"; "At White Birch Brewing, our goal is to create great beer for the enthusiast. Each batch is brewed and bottled by hand at our brewery in Hooksett, New Hampshire."; "Double IPA started out as a growler only release at the brewery. Balanced, hop forward flavor with a west coast hop bouquet, this big IPA takes time to enjoy and rewards those that make the endeavor."; "We appreciate your support as we journey down this hoppy trail together and hope you enjoy this beer as much as we do! [undersigned] Bill Herlicka, Founder".

"Unfiltered" only means one thing in The CANQuest (tm) - a Crack!, followed by a VERY gentle Glug into an awaiting glass, keeping an eye on its developing clarity at all times, stopping before any lees come into suspension. My efforts in this case were highly successful as I wound up with a glassful of Yellow-Gold beer (SRM = 4 - 5) with NE-quality clarity, prompting a visit from The Gelt Gang of Croesus, Midas & Mammon. An in-glass swirl raised just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head that left behind some gorgeous lacing. Nose was a mélange of grapefruit & orange/tangerine citrus as well as pine and CANtaloupe. Mouthfeel was medium, but light for this style. The taste was sweeter than I would have preferred with an emphasis on the melon flavor with the others more muted, although discernible, plus the yeast imparted a breadiness that tended towards sweet. Finish was in that twilight area between semi-sweet & semi-dry & it was extremely drinkable! I had polished off over half of it without even a backwards glance! Phew. This could be dangerous in the wrong hands.

 

 

 

Sampling a cold 12 oz can poured into a snifter. The beer pours a slightly hazy goldenrod hue with a fluffy bone white head of 2.5 cm foaming up. The head recedes slowly leaving tight lattice on the sides of my glass.
The aroma is hop centered with some grass and a bit of grapefruit mixing with some floral notes. Complex mix of scents with a little biscuity malt in the background.
The first sip reveals a lighter than expected body with a slightly oily mouthfeel and fine tingly carbonation. The beer drinks very easy on the physical side of things.
The flavor is briefly sweet caramel malt and then rolls to a bit of resiny hop hits and also orange and grapefruit flavors. the finish is a little more astringent than I anticipated and borders on aspirin hits. I get a little black pepper flavor from the booze but no warming quality at all. the can is almost too easy to drink considering the 9.2%. I find this a very drinkable beer, but that the complexity and robust notes are a little lacking on the nose and flavor. Not a bad DIPA but not at the top of my list either. This is also an "old-school" DIPA, not the new juicebomb category.

WHITE BIRCH DIPA 5/17/17

We don't usually see this NH brewer's products in my state, so when I did and it was a reasonably priced DIPA, I grabbed the sixpack of cans.

Poured from the 12 oz, can into a Lawson's stemmed tulip.

a: Translucent gold with an inch and a half thick white head which receded to thick surface foam and dense lacing.

s: Mild to moderate citrus leaning to lemon

t: Biscuit malt with citrus notes leaning more to orange along with a surprisingly mild hop bite for a DIPA, balanced on the dry finish.

m: Light side of medium, good body and considerable carbonation tingle.

o; A refreshing DIPA which hides its alleged 9.2 ABV amazingly well considering its other lightish characteristics. Given that just one can delivered a pretty good high, I probably should consider raising my rating for so effectively covering the significant alcohol content. On further consumption of more, I may.