Bootleg Fireworks 3rd Edition
Baxter Brewing Co.

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From:
Baxter Brewing Co.
 
Maine, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
9%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.01 | pDev: 7.98%
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
80
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 04, 2017
Added:
Jun 21, 2016
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  26
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sgregory:
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Rated by sgregory from Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jul 19, 2016
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.16 by Karenremom from New York

Sep 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by jgunther71 from Illinois

Aug 15, 2017
 
Rated: 3.9 by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

Aug 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.34 by HermitDan from New Jersey

Jul 16, 2017
 
Rated: 3.84 by smi69 from New York

Jul 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by Stealth862 from Massachusetts

Jul 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by mattycasey from Massachusetts

Jun 27, 2017
Photo of digboy
Reviewed by digboy from New Hampshire

3.15/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
16 oz can. Pours a slightly hazy dark gold color with a 3 finger head that settles down with splotchy lacing. Aroma is vaguely sweet - a little muddled mix of citrus and pine and musty whiskey. Taste follows the smell, leading off with a sweet malt background that quickly is overcome with a whiskey alcohol flavor. I find it drowns out the hops all the way to the end, so I call that a negative. I am not getting all the tropical hops notes that others have described. Rather I get the bready malt taking over. Given that this is advertising as a hop delicacy I am disappointed. Feel is smooth and dry to the finish. Moderately bitter.

Overall this is not appealing to me. I'll admit that I am not a fan of alcohol-strong DIPAs so please take my review with that in mind. However I think I have some valid complaints regarding the overpowering of the hops.
Jun 23, 2017
Photo of ichorNet
Reviewed by ichorNet from Massachusetts

4.09/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I've had the pleasure of enjoying at least one can from each and every batch of Bootleg Fireworks, and it's always a very solid DIPA with an absurd hop bill and complex oil profile. This new batch was just canned a few weeks ago on 6/6/17, so it's pretty damn fresh. I've written about this for New Beer Sunday on this site before, but I'm excited to give it a "proper" review.

Pours a very hazy medium orange color with some lighter apricot-colored highlights. Head consists of a rather sizable several fingers of foam that completely covers the surface for minutes after each small pour. Lace comes down in unevenly-distributed cobweb-like sheets, though it snakes across the inside of my glass fairly consistently. Lots of suspended hop chunks floating about in here. Most reviews seem not to mention the unfiltered and rather "no-fucks-given" approach to appearance here, so I'm not sure if it's just a matter of brewery inconsistency or what. I did not note this in my NBS review of this beer (which I posted almost exactly a year ago), but I can't say whether it is because I failed to notice it or because it changed. Who knows? Still a solid looking beer, all things considered.

Nose is pretty much how I remember... sweet and very hoppy with pine, guava, mango, passion fruit and lemongrass. I noted in my NBS post that this utilizes hops including "Mosaic, Summer, Ella, Galaxy and Sorachi" but I know there are a bunch more. The lemongrass/herbal note from the Sorachi Ace comes through very noticeably here, and the strong resin component (likely Mosaic-borne, or perhaps one of the more "older-school" American hops utlized) brings out some intense hop-harshness. Along with the rather-overt ethanol, this is one brutal-smelling beer. However, if you love no-holds-barred, brash hop assaults, this is one for you.

Flavor follows the punishing nose, with strong elements of pine, fresh-cut grass, mango, lemongrass, chopped herbs, guava and sticky caramel bread. More subtle suggestions ranging from coconut to guava to pineapple hit in the mid-palate as this warms, most likely due to the intense ethanol presence. This is by no means an easy-drinking DIPA. In fact, I'd say the flavor profile borders "triple IPA" territory due to intensity alone. Not for the faint of heart!

Feel is slick and surprisingly dry considering the moderate sweetness notable in the transitory phase leading to the finish of each sip. Pleasantly oily and sharply bitter, Bootleg Fireworks is a flavorful ordeal; one which explores the possibilities that dosing with insanely-diverse hop varietals can lead to. Do I feel it's a bit unfocused? Sure. Do I still really like and respect it, regardless of that feeling? Yes, absolutely. This is always worth a shot, especially for fans of extreme double IPAs!
Jun 22, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.44/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a hazy burnt orange to yellow color with a slight transparency about it. A sustaining white foamy head appeared and gracefully dissipated at a nice pace. The smell starts off with sweet grapefruit, fresh pine, fresh tropical fruits bursting into a light crisp malt backbone. The taste wraps the previously mentioned hops together in a mainly bitter manner. Sweetness tends to sit back way more. It gets pretty bitter in the aftertaste and finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium in body with a decent sessionable sort of feel to it. Carbonation seemed nice and low enough to allow the bitterness to hit pretty hard on the feel. It’s pretty dry as well. Overall, I’d say this was a pretty good DIPA, it hits all of the marks as one. I’d have again.
Jun 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.02 by Vintilian from New Jersey

Mar 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.96 by brewnme from Maine

Feb 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.22 by AGawinski from New York

Feb 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.85 by Fitzy01 from Maine

Jan 27, 2017
Photo of scotorum
Reviewed by scotorum from Massachusetts

3.8/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
BAXTER BOOTLEG FIREWORKS DIPA 3rd edition 1/17/17

Sample can purchased to try and to review.

Poured from the 16 oz. can into a Lawson's stemmed tulip. No canning date visible.

a: Clear dark gold with a half finger thick frothy white head which receded rather quickly to patchy surface foam and dense lacing.

s; Fairly strong pine resin.

t: Follows the nose with moderate hop bite over a medium bready malt base. Dry to bitter finish.

m; Medium plus, very good body and moderate carbonation tingle.

o; A very pine resiny double which at first is pleasant and attention-getting but also leaves a lot of bitterness behind. The can notes that it was "brewed with too many hops to list." Perhaps that's the problem.
Jan 18, 2017
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap 1/14/2017 at Natty Greene’s Tavern in North Attleboro, MA, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, citrus and earthy hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and citrus. Then a strong but not over-powering hops presence comes in. The malt character is hearty and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly hoppy.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, this is a solid 2IPA to drink for a while.
Jan 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by smcel371 from New York

Jan 14, 2017
 
Rated: 3.87 by dental from Massachusetts

Jan 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.81 by Uconnelmo from Connecticut

Jan 07, 2017
Bootleg Fireworks 3rd Edition from Baxter Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 80 ratings