Endurance (2015 Ski To Sea Race)
Fremont Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Lots of hop flavors mingling here. This was imperial without doubt--warming and dense--and tipped toward the sweet while balancing out hoppy. More fruity than piney, and I personally appreciated that it was hoppy without much of the dank. Somehow not super citrusy, either--overall came out more mangoish to me, with some zestiness verging on pepper. This beer might not stand out from imperial IPAs, but wouldn't get totally lost, either--it felt like a familiar friend with interesting new features--a strong IPA, with some new flavors, maybe these newer hops, around the edges. Great color, look. Just overall solid and strong.

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours clear and amber, with an inch or two of foam capping the liquid; dots of lacing line the glass

Smell: Surprisingly malty aromatics, with a butter brickle sweetness and tropical fruit tones underneath

Taste: Malt forward, with butter brickle (and I am not talking about diacetyl) sweetness; tropical fruit flavors build in the hop bill, with pineapple predominate; in the finish, the bitterness builds significantly, overwhelming the malt

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: Not sure what to make of this beer but it doesn't hit my DIPA hot buttons

Thanks, mabermud, for the opportunity

 

Hugely flavored hot mess of a brew. Amber color with the usual pile of foam in the wine tumbler. Sharp and spritzy on the tongue. Hot with alcohol and hop acidity. Aroma of tangerine peel right up the nose.

Citrus, tannins, and fermenting pineapple taste. Sweet and fruity like a liqueur, or more likely, grapefruit peel macerated in hot rod fuel. This is just an onslaught of hop flavors, though the bitterness is not overwhelming, at least at first. Not exactly drinkable, but it's something to marvel at from a safe distance. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Whidbey Beer Works in Oak Harbor for $5.00.

2015-06-04
22oz bottle poured into a large mug. Bottled On 04/22/15.

Pours clear golden with a big respectable head and a moderate amount of slow carbonation. Smell is citrus, a little mango and pineapple, a little straw.

Taste is honeysuckle and orange blossom sweetness, some malty sweetness, a moderate orange rind bitterness, and then a strong pine and grapefruit rind bitter finish.

Mounthfeel is full but dry. Overall, very good.

bottle date: 4/22/15
Rich light amber. Maybe a touch orange down the core. White soapy head that's at least a couple of fingers. Slowly slowly settles down, but leaves some of the stickiest lacing I've seen in a while.

Sweet juicy fruits jump in right off the bat: Pineapple and some mango and some grassy earthier notes.

Sweet fruits following that same formula of pineapple andma touch of mango and somewhat floral perfume sweets. Finishes sweet and sharply bitter.
This is an excellent IIPA. If you like sweeter big IPAs with juicy fruity flavours but still a sharply bitter hop presence this is a great example.

Poured into a snifter.

Color is gold with a thick white head. Good retention and lacing. Aroma is tropical: pineapple and mango, and some sweet malt. Taste is similar to the nose, with a strong pineapple juice flavor and some caramel. Finish is lingering and pleasantly bitter. Body is medium with lower carbonation. Overall, a good DIPA, but a bit more on the malt-forward side than I would prefer.

A special release specifically created for Ski-to-Sea weekend in Bellingham, WA.

Look: Beautiful, clear, deep orange/burnt orange body. The slightly-off white head is dense and filling, as well as clingy and slick.
Smell: Sweetness, citrus, orange, lemon, and earth.
Taste: Sweeter than not citrus and hops. Easy on the taste buds, orange sweetness, balanced, and smooth. The finish is semi-sweet and semi-juicy. The alcohol is not detectable in the taste.
Feel: Medium body. Medium to low, semi-dense carbonation.

Overall - Fremont is at it again, a nice balance of goodness, all put inside a 22 oz bottle. A good variety of hops, Amarillo hop Extract, Mosaic, Southern Cross, and Jarrylo hops, all put to good use. This is something to seek out when available, if not, more for me :)

I think Joseph left this behind the other night ...but it might have been Phil?? Hey, cheers to both you guys. :D

Big sweet citrus and tropical fruit nose with some caramel. Sweet dried tropical fruits, oily grapefruit rind finish and a big mouthfeel make this a hefty west coast ipa. Great stuff. Thanks again, Philseph!!

 

 

22oz Bomber dated 04/22/15 17:19

A — Pours a deep copper hue, with a tall bright white head, lacing left behind is consistent and sticky.

S — Smells of rich caramel malt sweetness balanced by a wonderfully juicy and bitter hop note, pineapple, mango, citrus, tropical fruit juices, little alcohol heat.

T — Tastes of strongly juicy and bitter hops, this is a hop wallop, Mosiac hop notes are very juicy and sweet, mango, pineapple, peach, nectarine, little bit of a sweet malty balance to it.

M — Very much an Imperial IPA here, rich and almost thick, long and lingering finish, warms on the way down.

O — Nice beer and great representation of the style, nice and sweet malt profile without being overly cloying, high ABV is almost undetected.