Small Batch Ale Imperial Red IPA
White Birch Brewing

Pours reddish-coppery-amber with a moderate head. What does one expect? Taste to me is unexceptional but really easy to drink. Too easy in some ways. The glass was gone before I knew it. Ok, but dangerous!

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass, bottled in March 2015 and says 8.8% ABV. Pours a hazy dark red, with a two inch off white head, with reddish huges, and leaves behind gorgeous lace.

Smell is caramel, pine, apricot, biscuit, and some grapefruit.

Taste starts out with some caramel, toffee, biscuit, and then explodes with pine, apricot, and a healthy dose of grapefruit in the bold lingering finish.

Body is medium, could use a little more carbonation, a little dry, and very drinkable.

Overall the only complaint at all is it could use a little more carbonation, but it really doesn't matter, terrific example of the style.

 

Bottle from the brewery
Slightly hazy orange amber color with a small tightly bubbled white head that has minimal retention. Big bready toasty light sugary maltiness with some solid earthy citrus and pine hops poking through. The flavor is malty sweet with light caramel and hints of marmalade. Raw green hop flavors as well as some grapefruit and earth round us out here. Light lingering hop bitterness at the end of every sip. I enjoyed this beer, its flavorful and quite approachable. I'm just not sure what is imperial about it. It is a big red ale, and it hides the 8.5 % abv incredibly well, but its got a solid sweet maltiness that I wouldn't expect out of an imperial ipa. It drinks more like an old school IPA in my opinion.

From the 650 ml. bottle #278 of 750. Dated: January 2015. Sampled January 31, 2015.

The pour is copper-amber with a modest cream colored head. At first there is good clarity but as I get through the bottle the unfiltered murkiness sets in.

At first the aroma is a pretty straight forward malty, slightly hopped red IPA but there is something else kicking around in the background akin to strawberry. That makes it more unique.

The body is better than medium.

The taste has a pleasant roasted malt character at first that swiftly evolves into an earthy hop bitterness that lingers at the finale. And again - strawberries. I enjoyed it.