Scuba Steve - Tequila Barrel Aged
Black Bottle Brewery

 

i liked this one a lot, an improvement over the regular scuba steve i think, but it doesnt present itself much like an ipa, i mean, there is so much tequila on this that any real hop presence is hard to pick up on anymore, but the result is amazing. i have always found the scuba steve to be on the maltier side of things for the style, so it has a nice richer grain base for the tequila to cling to, and it certainly does. not as much oak as it is the spirit itself, fleshy agave, a little sweet, a little roasted, a little charred, some bitterness remains, sweet cereals, booze, honey, its interesting for sure, i havent had much like this. the tequila seems to cut the body though, the booze thins it right out, and this seems a little watery as a consequence. very good flavor though, still very fresh, but more bubbles and in fact more hops would really make this better. these guys continue to represent the forefront of experimental brewing here in colorado, they are always up to something new and different. well worth seeking this out, i had it at parrys on 120th.

L: Clear Amber color with a very small head that doesn't stick around for too long.

S: Sweet agave nectar and other tequila. The tequila dominates all of the IPA characteristics.

T: As in the nose, the Tequila dominates, there is a little hop bitterness but that is the only IPA characteristics I taste.

F: Medium body and high carbonation.

O: The tequila overwhelms all the other flavors in this IPA. I ordered a regular Scuba Steve side by side and the base beer is almost completely covered by the Tequila, though it is a very nice tequila taste.