Crazy 8s Annu-ale
Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.

 

L: Brilliant gold colour, clear. Fluffy white head.
S: Citrusy and piny hop aroma, slighlty toasted biscuit malt notes linger in the background, subtle tropical (pineapple maybe?) notes
T: Piney, resinous hop bitterness, slight bready malt notes with almost no sweetness
F: Medium body, well-carbonated, firm bitter resinous hop finish, dry on the palate
O: Great beer, was expecting more warmth from the alcohol at 8%. Really bitter, a bit more complexity would of been nice.

 

 

 

 

 

341ml bottle, a part of an open (presumably because it was broken) Phillips Snowcase. Nothing like re-celebrating yer 8th anniversary, so soon after your 13th, eh? And no mention of honey employed this time.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium golden yellow hue, with one chubby finger of wanly foamy, and plainly bubbly dirty white head, which leaves some random rock formation lace around the glass as it quickly blows off.

It smells of sharp white grapefruit and orange rind, powdery chalk, gritty, crackery pale malt, and further piney, leafy, and earthy hops. The taste is more of the same - muddled, but heady citrus pith, crackery and biscuity, semi-sweet pale malt, a wet stone path flintiness, and fairly understated pine needle, dried leaf, and weedy hoppiness.

The bubbles are active in their probing, supportive frothy manner, the body an adequate medium weight, and generally smooth, with a burgeoning creaminess trying to get off the ground in the face of a tingling booze astringency. It finishes quite dry, the malt ceding the floor to the lingering citrusy, piney, and mildly perfumed hops.

A pleasant, somewhat amped-up IPA, with the Phillips house character in spades - not a bad thing, just a thing. The alcohol is pretty much entirely integrated, and this one goes down like 'twas no problem at all. Here's to 2009, this time with 5 years' worth of feeling!

A seasonal beer from Phillips that was exceptionally smooth for such a high alchohol beer. Almost like a double IPA.

Copper colour when poured that is like a deep autumn sunset.

I think the honey in this beer made it exceptionally smooth and helped with a mellow bouquet that reminded me of orange, apples and grapefruit.

It was a very delicious beer that made me want more and more. Could not detect the high alchohol content.

To me the honest made it smooth and boosted the alchohol.

One of the best seasonal beers I have had in a long time.

A: Bronze, white head, some retention, excellent lacing.

S: Amarillo hops? Plenty of nectarine & tangerine with some nice cotton-candy fruity esters.

T: Nectarine, tangerine, light biscuit, good bitterness with a little alcohol warmth.

M: Moderate body is quite dry.

D: A good drinker.

Very yellow, rising carbonation bubbles. White foamy head. Some consider it a DIPA. Average mouthfeel.Sweetish, Sweet malts drying finish. Orange citrus in taste, although tastes a bit orange soada 60 plus IBU I think. Rather plain, one hop amarillo ? story. Maybe better fresh.

Bottle: Poured a hazy dirty orangey color ale with a small foamy head with average retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of citrus and grassy hops are dominant. Taste is also dominated by loads of green hops with a grassy feels and some medium citrus notes. Malt is bit shy for the style IMO. Body was quite full with average carbonation and no signs of the alcohol. A notch below some of the best West Coast IIPA but still very enjoyable nonetheless.

cool 8th anniversary beer that fits somewhere between the regular IPA and the DIPA. Great hop profile with lots of fresh hop notes balanced with a solid malt body. Phillips knows how to make good IPA's and this is no exception. Full mouthfeel and lovely finish , this is a welcome special release

Pretty solid IPA from Phillips

Pours a farily standard copper colour for the style maybe alittle bit on the lighter side of that, with a thin head which quickly dissipates.

Lots of citric grapefruit hops here with a bit of a sweeter tropical fruit aroma in the background. Maybe a honey/bread type thing as well but mostly hops.

Hits with quite a bit of sweet fleshy grapefruit taste on the first sip and follows it out by rounding out and getting a little sweeter, finishing with a grassy citrus pith dryness.

Decent mouthfeel but probably a little too much carbonation.

Overall definitely a great drinking beer which carries it's 8% abv very well. Altogether a good beer to celebrate Phillips' Eighth anniversary, one of the better ones I've had from them.

Phillips' "Annu-ale" no. 8, though I don't recall any previous Annu-ales. Regardless, this is Phillips' 8th anniversary ale.

Golden-amber colour with a thin, persisten head. Looks like your standard pale ale or IPA.

Sweet malty, honey smell with a decent hop profile. Fresh, citrus scent.

Not quite as fully-bodied and powerful as a DIPA, and it has a sweeter body from the addition of honey. Grassy, slightly citrus flavour from the "hefty helping of hops."

Carbonation could be toned down a bit, but it fits the flavour and style. Very nice sipper - the 8% ABV is hardly noticeable.