Islander Double IPA
Offshore Ale Company

Looks perfect. Color: deep amber; Head: tall & long-lasting; lacing: like my wife's grandmother's crochet or tatting.
Smell is great. A little bit more malty than one might expect from an IPA, but there's plenty of hops too. But certainly malt. Keep that in mind if you don't go for malty IPAs.
Taste is swell. Bitter grapefruit tastes predominate. It's not an especially complex beer, but it's pretty great.
Feel is thick without being cloying. Just the way I like it.
Overall 4.25

My last comment is addressed to Offshore Ale, not to drinkers of this beverage. I live on Martha's Vineyard. I've dined at the brewery at least two dozen times. People on your wait staff were classmates of my daughters at MVRHS. And I have made the crossing between Martha's Vineyard & Falmouth on the old Islander at least 50 times, probably closer to 100. I knew that vessel well. It is well & good that you honor her with this fine brew.

But the label on your Islander IPA is the worst beer-can label I've ever seen, and I have seen hundreds, if not thousands. It's ugly, barely readable, and the text (the very tiny text) is trite. Which I only know because I got out a magnifying glass to read it.

For Pete's sake do better, Offshore Ale. I bought a 4-pack because knew the beer from having tasted it at the brewpub. But if I were some random person finding it in a cooler at a beer store I would never have taken a chance on it. If you don't respect your beer enough to give it a halfway decent label, why should I trust you enough to buy it?

On tap at the brewery into pint glass. Pours crystal clear golden amber, light orange color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas and flavors of ruby red grapefruit, orange, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, apricot, berry, citrus peel/rind, wood, pepper, pine, caramel, toast, biscuit, herbal, floral, grass. Good size pine, citrus rind, herbal, floral, grassy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation. Creamy/bready medium full body. Drying sticky resins after the finish. No lingering hop astringency. Light warmth of 8%. Feels like centennial and Citra hops. Very juicy, vibrant, and dank hops; with a nice clean malt backbone. Great west coast style, no complaints.

 

 

 

 

Dark copper color and clear. Lasting head but it eventually settles to rim bubbles. Good streaky lace.

I smell freshly crushed hop cones. Pleasant lightly toasted barley malt.

The malt base starts darker with potentially a smidgen of chocolate malt or darker crystal. The hop bitterness comes on strong and lasts through the aftertaste even though I'm having Buffalo wings. Light alcohol warmth. Good body with a lower than average effervescence.

On draft at Offshore Ale Company.

Clear, amber appearance with some foam head. Plenty of grapefruit in the smell and taste. Bitter malts balance out the back. Loaded with hops (high IBU, but more on the bitter than smooth side). Definitely not your typical NE IPA type of beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoyed this. Amber in color with a finger of white foam. The aroma is definitely DIPA territory. Leafy, minty hops are on the aroma with a a slight sweet malt note. The taste follows with big notes of dank hop flowers. Hop oils are noticeable on the tongue. Malt backbone is substantial but still let's the hops own the stage. Nicely imbalanced if you know what I mean. Proper and very satisfying for a DIPA. easily one for my favorites from offshore. If you're a hop head, try this.