Carpetbagger
Deep River Brewing Co.

Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a hazy, honey-amber color with a very large, frothy, ecru-colored head and thick, clinging lacing. A rather modest nose that balances caramel malt sweetness and tart lemon and grapefruit. Its taste follows the nose but there is also a hint of sweeter fruit including orange. There's almost an English marmalade taste in the background. I'm impressed by the piney bitterness at the finish. I wish the hop bill were better identified. It has a good, rich, creamy mouth feel with moderate carbonation. This year's batch is 10.5% ABV but it doesn't drink that big. In fact, it went down awfully easily. Overall, Carpetbagger is not a typical southern style IPA, i.e., all sweet malt and bitterness. The sweetness of the fruit adds a nice dimension. I'll look for it again.

At home, because of the pandemic one can get a proper pint.
Poured from a 16 ounce can into a pint glass.
Appears hazy, orangish color with a nice head and lacing that lasted.
Smells citrusy orange, grapefruit, piney, floral, strong hoppy aromas.
Taste follows the nose, very light on taste of alcohol for a 9.7 ABV.
Mouth feel is medium for the style.
Overall a delicious hop bomb that I would definitely order again.
Thank you Dieter, cheers to you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picked up a 4-pack cans @ Whole Foods. Poured a copper orange with decent head. Nice hoppy scent with slight pine notes. I really enjoyed this. The 9.70% abv is well-hidden as there was no "boozeiness" even as it warmed. Well done Deep River!

 

On tap at Big Mike's Brew N Que in Cary. Great IPA!

Came in a snifter a deep burnt orange color with a thinner but sticky off white head atop.Sweet overripe citrus fruit and alcohol in the nose,light pine resin as well.Like a few have note it is sticky...feeling and tasting,it's sweet with alcohol dipped fruit and sweet alcohol standing out.A lighter pine and bitter finish does balance the flavors out a little.I'ts not bad but it's a sweeter DIPA for sure,like many out there.

 

 

 

Very dark caramel colored beer that is clear and lets light through. The smell fruity and sweet with citrus, brown sugar and pine scents. The taste is the same as the nose with a deep overripe citrus sweetness and a nice mildly bitter finish. This beer is a really nice DIPA with a great malt backbone that hides the 9.7% with ease.

 

Not as good as 2015 batch. Something changed...

 

A: Pours a lightly hazy ruby copper in color with light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some moderate honey orange highlights. The beer has a three finger tall sudsy foamy tan head that reduces to a mottled medium thick film covering the entire surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of tropical/pineapple, tropical/mango, citrus/grapefruit, and pine hops over the top of moderate aromas of sweet caramel malts.

T: Upfront there are moderate flavors of sweet caramel malts with notes of brown sugar. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of tropical/mango, citrus/grapefruit, tropical/pineapple, and pine hops (in descending order of intensity) which imparts a moderate amounts of lingering bitterness in the finish.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly sticky in the finish.

O: Really nice aroma and flavor from the hops in this brew with a pretty decent balance of malts - not too sweet or too bitter. Drinks easy considering the ABV. Very enjoyable and one that I would be happy to have again.