Double IPL
von Trapp Brewing

Once I heard this was coming out, I pretty much constantly anticipated finding it anywhere I could! Considering VT's excellent repertoire so far, I predict this to be just as high-quality as the great majority of their offerings happen to be.

Pours a very lightly-hazy golden-yellow color with a thin ring of sudsy foam making up the head of this brew. This sinks down to about a quarter-finger after a while, meaning the retention is not fantastic, but the lacing is quite nicely tiered and the overall color and composition of this brew are quite nice indeed.

The label of this can says that Simcoe hops were used for their "pronounced piney aroma" and Amarillo was chosen for their "citrus aroma." The charmingly simple text notwithstanding, this definitely jumps out of the glass with a hop-charged burst of grapefruit rind, tropical papaya, pine resin and lightly grassy/catty notes. There's some crackery malt and light pineapple here as well... wow, this is supremely aromatic! Compared to their "regular" IPL, this is an entirely different beast. Whereas something like Jack's Abby's Hoponius Union is, in essence, a West Coast IPA fermented and finished with lager yeast, VT's IPL was like a hoppy pilsner or crackery kellerbier in essence, presenting some slight citrus among mostly floral, Noble-type hops with all their spice and earthiness. This seems like a totally different beast from what should ostensibly be its "younger brother" beer. Now I'm excited to crack into it!

On the tongue, this is bright and delightful with a dry and playful crispness. Flavors of pineapple, pine resin, grapefruit rind/peel/pith, grass, herbal spice and guava/papaya hit the palate pretty hard and stick around through each sip. Low-medium carbonation overall... a rather-intense malt backbone rounds things out with some light crackery snappiness. There's a slight bit of heat toward the finish, especially when this gets closer to room temperature, but it's not a huge deal at the end of the day. Still a fantastic product.

This is a great beer at an incredible price, just about competing with (potentially slightly beating-out) Jack's Abby's fairly-similar Mass Rising. I haven't had that in a couple years, though, so perhaps it's time to do a side-by-side. Anyway, this should definitely be found to be worth its salt to any hophead who happens to take a chance on it... and they should!

This piss looks better than it tastes. Not sure what genius decided lagers would benefit from being brewed like American IPAs, but there you have it, folks.

Awful. Avoid.

(16 oz can, BB 07/12/20; purchased single off shelf at Canal's in Marlton... split between a 14 oz mug and fat tulip)

L: clear, golden liquid; solid stand of pearly white, sudsy foam in the mug (tulip foam receded to collar quick)... a bit of lace, nothing stunning; left out last oz of initial pour, eventually dumping it in empty glass - semi-hazy sediment

S: pungent pine, mango, fresh-cut grass; berry note, a hint catty... bit of clean, vaguely medicinal alcohol hovering... hints of orange peel (mug) and/or grapefruit flesh (tulip)... subtle shortbread grain/malt... overall still relatively potent and defined

T: like an IPA / BoPils hybrid right up front, the finish featuring a swell of cookie-ish malt, while the aftertaste hums with peppery pine, bitter citrus peel, with both beaming for days... the tulip pour is just about resin-rich and spicy; bit of a lightly-caramelized malt dust note builds and holds

F: between the luscious, silky resins enveloping the nectary yet buoyant malty body and the latent stridency of the alcohol, its textures eventually arrest the senses, focuses one in the moment, in the glass

O: bought it knowing full well it may be a dud; very much pleased (and I guess not so much surprised) that this turned out lovely... this was my first time actually crossing paths with a can, but I'd veer off from whatever else I was seeking to buy a 4-pack of this; magnificent, yum! (1710)

Pours a light amber color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has hop and malt hints
The taste follows the nose with hop and malt flavors
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good DIPL

 

 

 

16oz can from Halftime. Medium, clear golden, small creamy head. Malty, bready aroma. Taste brings some crisp, snappy hops, more bready malts and a bit of dryness.

 

A: crystal clear; medium gold in color; 1 finger ivory head that receded quickly to a thin collar; little lacing;

S: citrus - mostly grapefruit;

T: orange, pineapple, and grapefruit from start to finish; moderate citrus rind bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: exceeded my expectations;

L: Poured from a tallboy can to a pilsner glass. Had a golden yellow color and a slightly hazy consistency. There was a 3/4", foamy, somewhat long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: A very good aroma of hops, malt, citrus fruit, and pine.

T: Tasted of a hint of citrus fruit (lemon, in particular), a good amount of malt (present throughout, though muted by the hops), a tinge of pine (just enough to make things interesting), and a heap of hops (definitely the dominant ingredient). A very solid and lively flavor. Hoppier than expected, but it still manages to work well. A sharp, focused flavor.

F: A decent amount of carbonation with a somewhat dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: In general, a well made, easy to drink beer. Worth a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. HA ha see what I did there!

Pale amber orange a bit, with lots of lemon yellow mixing color. Fairly clear with some nice amounts of noticeable carbonation. Soapy like head with some retention. Very bath foam looking and bright white.

Delicious aroma. A clean bakery malt sense and bread crust, mixing with a floral to citrus tones, particularly a big orange quality that comes nicely. Real good pine and juicy fruit sweetness without a lot of sugar too.

Palate is just glorious. Wonderfuly balanced, with a hop rush of fresh orange citrus, and soft malt body. Clean supper fruity finish, with a good crisp malt sense, and matching bakery dough. Finishes with real nice pine freshness and and hints of herbal mint finish.

This is what a big lager should taste and feel like, no surprise this great beer come from these guys.

I love going to Hunger-n-Thirst for a number of reasons: 1) They always have a great selection on tap; 2) They treat me well; 3) They take spent bottle 6-pack carriers off of my hands since they are anathema to The CANQuest (tm). It also gives me a ChANce to peruse their well-curated bottle shop, where I CAN usually find enough new CANs to keep me satiated until my next visit. This one was from their Black Friday event.

From the CAN: "'A little of Austria[,] a lot of Vermont'"; "By the family that inspired 'The Sound of Music'"; "This Double India Pale Lager takes the complexity of our lagers and doubles the hops with American west coast varietals. Simcoe hops provide a pronounced piney aroma while Amarillo hops add citrus notes. Balanced with a full bodied Imperial Lager, this beer is perfect harmony in a classic rendition of a new school style."; "Brewed on the grounds of Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont, this lager is crafted with the finest traditional ingredients and our pure Vermont spring water."

I was anxious to Crack! open the vent & begin the Glug, but I kept my enthusiasm in check & went with a slow, gentle C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. It foamed up beautifully to form two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, bone-white head with excellent retention. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7). Nose was definitely pine, but also with some naughty kitty business, thanks to Simcoe. Ha! I love the Smudge the Cat memes & imagine that he is the embodiment of Simcoe. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, big for a Lager. The taste was like an old skool AIPA from the late-1990s with grapefruit, lemon & pine flavors! Mmm. I have missed that flavor profile for a while & this was a welcome return. Finish was semi-dry & dangerously easily drinkable. I keep being impressed by this brewery. YMMV.

Very delicious and one of the hoppiest lagers I've ever had.