Epitome (Double Dry-Hopped)
Carton Brewing Company
- From:
- Carton Brewing Company
- New Jersey, United States
- Style:
- Black IPA
Ranked #7 - ABV:
- 10.3%
- Score:
- 94
Ranked #3,300 - Avg:
- 4.3 | pDev: 6.28%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 11
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 23, 2025
- Added:
- Oct 26, 2018
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 2
SCORE
94
Outstanding
94
Outstanding
As a general rule, we at Carton Brewing strive for drinkability through balance and harmonization of flavors. But even self-imposed rules are meant to be broken. Double Dry Hyped Epitome embraces the teenage metalhead in each of us and gets discordant with a seriously hoppy, high gravity, black ale. The only notions accepted were to make it bigger, bolder, hotter & faster. A beast. It had to push past 10, literally. The black had to be “none more,” and hops American and piled on like a double bass drum kicking faster and harder. Drink Double Dry Hyped Epitome because we wrote DDH* on a beer.
*On this version of this beer, we multiplied dry hop weight and occurrence by a factor of two of the beer we’ve previously made
*On this version of this beer, we multiplied dry hop weight and occurrence by a factor of two of the beer we’ve previously made
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey
4.56/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
4.56/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
(16 oz can, journey began 11/25/24; purchased cold single... split poured b/w teku and proper nonic)
L: fairly dense, beige foam atop very dark brown liquid; mild influx of sediment along with the last ounces poured... it does lace a little, but the foam eventually falls into a messy, broken cap
S: pine jelly, mashed grapefruit flesh, dark bread crust almost pretzel-like; subtle floral coffee undertone... maintains the overall woodsy, burnt profile till the end
T: ripping, almost capsicum-spicy hopping bursting out upon first contact, with burnt/charred grain merging with acidic lemony hops into a robustly bitter aftertaste, cutting horizontally through the palate, later leaving a vaguely cigar-ashy dominant tone... second sip (this one from the nonic) shows more depth to the powderized black grain; hop spice getting more black peppery, but with an everlasting, underlying lemon peel essence
F: resin-rinsed and relatively light-bodied, a soft swell on each sip then a heated zip away off the palate... little-to-no residual viscosity... the palate feels fumed out by a cool steam, tongue tingly and microscopically plucked... the alcohol and roasted aromatics do find their way into the backs of the nostrils to activate a cold drip... soothing, stunning
O: surprised the degree of dryness undercutting this - lovely!... the punishing char and bitter in the middle is near bracing but moreish as hell... a Black IPA through and through and too damn drinkable... saved another can for my brother but, neh-eh, that one's mine! (2403)
Dec 27, 2024L: fairly dense, beige foam atop very dark brown liquid; mild influx of sediment along with the last ounces poured... it does lace a little, but the foam eventually falls into a messy, broken cap
S: pine jelly, mashed grapefruit flesh, dark bread crust almost pretzel-like; subtle floral coffee undertone... maintains the overall woodsy, burnt profile till the end
T: ripping, almost capsicum-spicy hopping bursting out upon first contact, with burnt/charred grain merging with acidic lemony hops into a robustly bitter aftertaste, cutting horizontally through the palate, later leaving a vaguely cigar-ashy dominant tone... second sip (this one from the nonic) shows more depth to the powderized black grain; hop spice getting more black peppery, but with an everlasting, underlying lemon peel essence
F: resin-rinsed and relatively light-bodied, a soft swell on each sip then a heated zip away off the palate... little-to-no residual viscosity... the palate feels fumed out by a cool steam, tongue tingly and microscopically plucked... the alcohol and roasted aromatics do find their way into the backs of the nostrils to activate a cold drip... soothing, stunning
O: surprised the degree of dryness undercutting this - lovely!... the punishing char and bitter in the middle is near bracing but moreish as hell... a Black IPA through and through and too damn drinkable... saved another can for my brother but, neh-eh, that one's mine! (2403)
Reviewed by muchloveforhops3 from Montana
4.19/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16oz can purchased online from Halftime Beverage; First experience with Carton- Pumped to finally try something from these guys!
Vessel: Ben's Bottle Shop nonic pint
P- black w/ a 2f tan head; looks nice
N- soft-med; light roast and citrus
T- sharp juicy citrus, bakers choc, and peel over a med roasted malt body; roast comes out more toward the fin, profile caps off with plenty of bitterness and light alcohol heat; sweetness is subdued; pretty tasty
MF- smooth; med to med-full bodied; soft-med carb; suits the profile well
O- one solid imperial black ale; could benefit by just a touch more sweetness imo, but still good nonetheless; pleasant first experience with Carton
review date: 03.27.23
can date: 11.23.22
Jun 03, 2023Vessel: Ben's Bottle Shop nonic pint
P- black w/ a 2f tan head; looks nice
N- soft-med; light roast and citrus
T- sharp juicy citrus, bakers choc, and peel over a med roasted malt body; roast comes out more toward the fin, profile caps off with plenty of bitterness and light alcohol heat; sweetness is subdued; pretty tasty
MF- smooth; med to med-full bodied; soft-med carb; suits the profile well
O- one solid imperial black ale; could benefit by just a touch more sweetness imo, but still good nonetheless; pleasant first experience with Carton
review date: 03.27.23
can date: 11.23.22
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York
4.29/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
This one pours a very dark black, with creamy looking white head, and lots of lacing.
This smells like toasted and roasted malt, licorice, resinous hops, grapefruit, and tobacco.
I don’t always get good Black IPAs these days, and this is certainly a very good one. It’s quite resinous, with a pithy grapefruit hop character, and a really burly, roasty, and almost tobacco-like malt backbone. The heavy roast goes quite well with the heavy duty hop character.
This is medium bodied, creamy, and super drinkable.
This harkens back to a time when heavily hopped IPAs and black IPAs and the like were much more popular, and that makes me weirdly hoppy.
Jan 06, 2023This smells like toasted and roasted malt, licorice, resinous hops, grapefruit, and tobacco.
I don’t always get good Black IPAs these days, and this is certainly a very good one. It’s quite resinous, with a pithy grapefruit hop character, and a really burly, roasty, and almost tobacco-like malt backbone. The heavy roast goes quite well with the heavy duty hop character.
This is medium bodied, creamy, and super drinkable.
This harkens back to a time when heavily hopped IPAs and black IPAs and the like were much more popular, and that makes me weirdly hoppy.
Reviewed by DrStiffington from New Jersey
4.81/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.81/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Probably my favorite beer from Carton. Look forward to its release every year at Thanksgiving. Also my favorite black ipa. Black as a stout, aroma of citrus and then pungent citrus hops as you sip it. Great beer.
Nov 25, 2021
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut
4.23/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.23/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Canned on 11/20/20; consumed on 2/14/21
Pours a deep, dark root beer-brown body with soft mahogany accents and is capped with over two fingers of dense, creamy, beige foam; excellent head retention fades steadily to a finger of equally rich cap, a moderate, frothy collar, and an expansive spread of chunky, webby/spotty lacing coating the walls of the glass.
Aroma brings fresh pine and grapefruit rind prickling the nose as the bouquet opens, allowing fruity yeast to evolve into mango sorbet, mushy guava, orange peel, and papaya over the middle as malty char and hints of spent coffee grounds mark the close.
Taste melds chocolate malt and fruity yeast upfront before settling on bitter pine and grapefruit flesh to produce a heavy, conifer-based hop resin coating the mid-palate; mango and pineapple on the back end fade into bittersweet chocolate and roasted coffee laced with orange zest on the finish.
Mouthfeel shows a medium body, incredibly taut and bolstered with an elevated, creamy, moderate-high carbonation; a defined crispness transitions to roastier textures past the mid-palate; the back end has a charry, bitter grit gliding atop a creamy overtone as a hoppy twang brightens the finish with equal parts bitterness, subtle acridity, and underlying juiciness.
A skillful hybridization, marrying elements of NEIPA and its more bitter, West Coast counterpart with a roasty, well-attenuated malt profile, managing contrasts in character expertly for a brew expressive across the flavor spectrum with a deft touch belying its +10% ABV.
Feb 15, 2021Pours a deep, dark root beer-brown body with soft mahogany accents and is capped with over two fingers of dense, creamy, beige foam; excellent head retention fades steadily to a finger of equally rich cap, a moderate, frothy collar, and an expansive spread of chunky, webby/spotty lacing coating the walls of the glass.
Aroma brings fresh pine and grapefruit rind prickling the nose as the bouquet opens, allowing fruity yeast to evolve into mango sorbet, mushy guava, orange peel, and papaya over the middle as malty char and hints of spent coffee grounds mark the close.
Taste melds chocolate malt and fruity yeast upfront before settling on bitter pine and grapefruit flesh to produce a heavy, conifer-based hop resin coating the mid-palate; mango and pineapple on the back end fade into bittersweet chocolate and roasted coffee laced with orange zest on the finish.
Mouthfeel shows a medium body, incredibly taut and bolstered with an elevated, creamy, moderate-high carbonation; a defined crispness transitions to roastier textures past the mid-palate; the back end has a charry, bitter grit gliding atop a creamy overtone as a hoppy twang brightens the finish with equal parts bitterness, subtle acridity, and underlying juiciness.
A skillful hybridization, marrying elements of NEIPA and its more bitter, West Coast counterpart with a roasty, well-attenuated malt profile, managing contrasts in character expertly for a brew expressive across the flavor spectrum with a deft touch belying its +10% ABV.
Rated by BFCarr from New Jersey
4.51/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.51/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A seriously tasty black ale. Hoppy and a bit roasty. Good feel too. No abv burn either.
Nov 29, 2020
Reviewed by Act25 from New Jersey
4.37/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.37/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
6th Review. I'm lucky to be local.
At the brewer, everyone was rejoicing in this deep dark iconoclastic beer.
A: What sets appearance apart are the density of the head, its long duration and its sticky lace. Black density with ruby highlights help out. Among Carton's best.
S: Plentiful nose. Mountain, high altitude wet pine, with roast chocolate, hay, pepper, olive garden notes.
T: Follows smell but BOOM! Dark chocolate and roasted malt underpin masculine, mountain, wet piney hops, with a see-saw battle between bitter and sweet with the peppery, bitter, and almost floral/perfumey hops the winner in a long finish.
Superb with food in this case from neighbor Chef David Burke, who in Covid sheltering makes too much food, Pork Casserole, Scallops Baked, Creme Brulee - all home made!
F: Another creamy dream on top of all the richness.
MIght have to return to rate this higher as it warms.
Apr 25, 2020At the brewer, everyone was rejoicing in this deep dark iconoclastic beer.
A: What sets appearance apart are the density of the head, its long duration and its sticky lace. Black density with ruby highlights help out. Among Carton's best.
S: Plentiful nose. Mountain, high altitude wet pine, with roast chocolate, hay, pepper, olive garden notes.
T: Follows smell but BOOM! Dark chocolate and roasted malt underpin masculine, mountain, wet piney hops, with a see-saw battle between bitter and sweet with the peppery, bitter, and almost floral/perfumey hops the winner in a long finish.
Superb with food in this case from neighbor Chef David Burke, who in Covid sheltering makes too much food, Pork Casserole, Scallops Baked, Creme Brulee - all home made!
F: Another creamy dream on top of all the richness.
MIght have to return to rate this higher as it warms.
Reviewed by deleted_user_995920
3.99/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Looks inky black, with a nice creamy/foamy mocha colored head. Smell is mostly a char scent with remnants of leather and smoke. Taste is a bit of cocoa,coffee,anise,stone fruit,very hoppy. A big roast flavor. Feels quite light bodied for a big ABV beer. Finishes juicy. This DDH American Imperial Black Ale is not for the faint of heart. This beer is all about roasted,toasty,char flavor. This one is Double dry hopped. I think I like the original better. Still very good. This beer was retired and re-released today on Black Friday.
Nov 29, 2019
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