Double Dragon Imperial Red Ale
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.

 

 

 

 

 

Lovely brick-red with a rosy glimmer. Candied grapefruit peel and something like a burnt-sugar/molasses note, but there's a woodsy, earthy hop character here that's thankfully not just a big whack of pine needle. The malty sweetness kicks in on the palate but hops follow with a drying, bitter finish. Grapefruit skin hangs around for a minute. Nice stuff.

Bottle decanted into a tulip glass. Not sure who came up with the Double Dragon references or why but I am on board. This one does indeed slap you around a bit like Abobo on a low reaction time day, but there is certainly some artistry as well, a fruity herbal grace along with the chewy caramel/chocolate malts and spicy hop power. A dark bronze hue with a notably shapely and resilient khaki head greets the drinker, along with a balanced aroma of light caramel syrup, earthy spicy tea, citrus rind, apple, and green aromatic leaf. Initial taste is loads of tangerine, orange, and marijuana hop flavors followed by a dulce de leche type sweetness. Mid way I am getting a huge resinous hop spice, rather like well-steeped orange spice tea, along with some passion fruit and chilli pepper fruity notes, some nice pecan and biscuit flavors to remind you that this is indeed a red ale. The citrus comes back late along with some boozy nectarine and chocolate brownie ... Terrific sequence of flavors here along with that distinctive woody/earthy Phillips yeast signature. Body is perhaps on the thin side for an "imperial" but there's still some heft, moderate carbonation and a juicy, peppery hot finish that again recalls chilli peppers just a little. Phillips is really rolling out the big bottle offerings lately and I am not complaining at all. This one strikes a superb balance between sweet malts and IPA-level hopping.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 650ml bottle. Pours a coppery/mahogany colour. The aromas from the nose are big on the malty caramel and toffee side, with a good swack of lemon/citrus hops in there, too. The flavours are similar. This is like a big NW-style amber ale--nicely balanced between round malt notes and a bit of contrasting herbaceous/fruity hops. It has a nice crispness and finishes with a welcome earthy bite.

 

 

 

 

 

From a 650 ml brown bottle. Pours out a deep yet still transparent amber hue, practically almond in colour. Tall rocky and frothy off-white head with massive retention.

Sweet malt and grapefruit on the nose, some dry earthy notes.

Dry nutty malt up front in the flavour, some toastiness, finishing with spicy, leafy, herbal hops. Grapefruit pith astringency lingers in the aftertaste.

Medium-bodied, has a creamy full texture, mild carbonation.

Decent for a hop fix, the malt manages to balance the hops out well, yet doesn’t really offer much more to the character of the whole brew. It satiates to a degree but doesn’t enchant.

A - clear cedar brown, tall light tan head looks great and retains extremely well, leaving lots of chunky lacing
S - lots of leafy hops with an herbal hint, caramel and nutty malts, a perfumy aroma is unexpected
T - nutty and sweet malts up front, some milder nuttiness, a big perfume and grass hop presence, was expecting more malt domination but it is big and balanced
M - medium body and carbonation, a sticky sweet coating lingers along with some hop bitterness and alcohol dry
O - definitely full flavoured and unique, not quite what I was expecting but thoroughly enjoyed none the less