Killed By Asteroids
DC Brau Brewing Co.

As I CANtinue to eradicate the backlog of (now especially) CANs here at Chez Woody, I am also finding myself able to CANduct some brewery horizontals in support of (ISO) The CANQuest (tm). I had their Pride Pils earlier & now I am ready for something big. Hey, don't knock it - it's kinda fun!

From the CAN: "& Year Anniversary Beer"; "Double India Pale Ale".

I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN a slow, gentle C-Line Glug since I did not know what might have happened with the hops in the interim & I did not want to rouse any flocculate that might have settled on the kick. It worked well, forming just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with good retention. Color was a hazy Deep-Amber/Light-Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17). Nose smelled like a bag of sticky dank had been rolled in caramel & served up! Man, the hops were especially piney, herbal with some grapefruit citrus & and undefinable quality as well as a sweet caramel malt backbone. Phew! Mouthfeel was thick & full, like a dollop had been scooped into my mouth & onto my tongue. The intensity of the hops was immediate & unabating, scrubbing the dead, dying & weak taste buds out of the way & then worming its way into my burning tongue! 8=O It is a good thing that I am a self-described, self-avowed hophead or this would have been the equivalent of a hotshot. This should have come with a warning label. Killed By Asteroids? Killed By Hops! Man, my eyes watered, the room swam for a moment & then clarity was restored. Briefly. Just then, I took a deep breath & it was as though a flamethrower had been discharged into my nasal cavity! OMFG. The taste, once I could actually taste anything, was really tropical fruity, especially with pineapple leading the charge, followed by mango & papaya. The heat must have been coming from the caramel malt which was also quite evident. Finish was hot, dry & everything that I would want and expect in a DIPA, sorry, AIIPA. Wow!

 

 

 

 

Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. The End, April 25th 2018.

Rich and frothy, supper tall forming khaki colored head. Nearly fistfull tall but also with light retention as it settles nicely down. Very impressive body, with a nearly crystal clear appearance, and shimmering orange bronze amber hue. Good creamy and solid top and staying power. Bold and aggressive.

Slightly juiced citrus but a more leafy and earthy hop bent that bounce between each other. Kind of a sharp almost stinging neetles pine like going on, with maybe a touch of caramel malt sweetness. Even at this late canning this is still pretty bold, first hop impression good but second one a bit jarring.

Palate does a body good. Soft bodied caramel malt, with a light taffy sweetness complimented with a good hop profile. Sharp herbal bitterness with a touch of obscure citrus to tropical like fruit tendencies. Finishes with a good bitterness, pine and almost wintergreen, with touches fo balancing sweet malt.

Solid old school dipa.

 

 

Poured into a snifter, canned 4/25/18
Look: moderately hazy amber-orange color with a modest off-white head.
Aroma: candied oranges, some earthy notes, some bready malt.
Taste: Robust bready malt with faint caramel. More old school in the malt presence. Fairly clean bitter citrusy hops, some pine, and slight dankness.
Feel: medium bodied and slightly hot on the finish. Slightly dry.
Overall: a nice east coast DIPA.

New anniversary beer from DC Brau with an artist's rendition of Earth getting whacked from a space rock . Handsome copper color and a huge beige head stand out. Nose is citrus and herbal hops with little balance.

Steady tight texture and a little oily in the sip. I do detect a little maple syrup to help counteract the hops that soak through to the aftertaste. A little withering but no alcohol taste to speak of. Pretty clean and basic in flavor for a juiced DIPA, but it works.

This is a very malty example of a DIPA. Despite being pretty fresh (just over a month since the canning date printed on the can) this smelled and tasted like a DIPA that is over 3 months old. Nice levels of bitterness bit the nose is mostly malty. Some piney and floral notes in the aftertaste and only mild carbonation with a medium mouthfeel overall.

 

 

poured amber. aroma of malt with a little citrus. Fine flavor. Nothing special.

 

 

L: Deep Copper/Amber, two fingers foam, minimal lacing. Poured from can with 4/25 brewed on date.
S: Caramel, Pine, Resin... Maple Syrup? A hint of alcohol.
T: Syrup dominates so much I am tempted to pour it on some pancakes. Coats the tongue. Scent of alcohol does not appear in the taste.
O: Absolutely delicious. Maple sugar on my tongue. Brings me back about...well, 7 years and immediately reminded me of Southern Tier Unearthly DIPA. This may be outside the current DIPA trends, but it stands on its own. Another great DC Brau offering.

 

Clear copper with a nice off-white foam. Decent retention and lace.
Smells kinda dank, grapefruity, and caramel malt.
The flavor is more malt than hops, by today's standards. Caramel, some grapefruit in there.
Not too sticky, nice level of carbonation.
Not sure if they were going for a throwback DIPA from 10-15 years ago type thing, but that's what it seems like.

Can dated 4/25:
A deep amber, with a lovely, yellowing papare off white head. The head is lasting and provides curtains of lace, easily making up for the "less pale" aspect of the clear (relative to color) body.

Nose is a bit malty sweet, with an orange influence. Toasted grain bread, orange preserves with an earhty back that has the orange rinds from the opening note strewn about as well. Warmth brings a slight spicy pine note.

Nothing in the taste is a surprise from the nose, but not in the same way the nose led me to believe. Yes, a toasted grain bread with orange marmalade spread across it is the opening note. But fromt he beginning, there's an earthy undercurrent that keeps that from being too sweet. Before mid-taste a pine note can be sensed, and by mid-taste it's starting to take over. The sweetness doesn't exactly leave - though it is pushed back strongly against the walls, as the pine, earth, and wood start to take over my palate. I little candied citrus lingers, even to the lightly spicy 9peppery) final notes.

The main beer I thought of while drinking this was reDANKulous. This is probably a little more sweet up front. Because of this, its bitterness is not as strongly felt. But the spicy ending is a nice switch up. I'd love to do a side-by-side to see how wrong I am, but that seems an unlikely wish. Regardless, despite toeing the line of a hoppy amber, the malt profile avoided the minerally notes I generally don't like mixing with my bitterness. A solidly enjoyable beer for me.