Dagger Falls
Sockeye Grill & Brewery

 

 

 

 

one of the more popular hoppy beers here locally for sure, i see it around in cans and on tap like crazy, but i am only now trying it for the first time. its a very classic ipa, right out of the 90s, with a crystal malt backing to some piney and bitter hops, not particularly unique in any way at this point, not a big dry hop nose or anything, just kind of a balanced and drinkable brew without any real aggressive elements, this was probably a little more captivating and attention grabbing when it first came out, less so in the context of modern ipa, i have found that with other beers from these guys too, but i still like the beer quite a lot, and cruised right through a pint of it. there is a nice clear light copper color to it and some shine from the tap, a decent inch of white head on it but not great retention in this case. aroma and flavor are balanced, not sweet from the malt but its presence is more robust than is fashionable now. a toasted thing to it. the hops are piney and fresh to me, and come on real late, as much bitter as flavor for me, and there is just a little bit of that mouth full of pennies copper complexion to it, not long lingering metallic or astringent, but it is there for a flash. mellow carbonation and a medium body, i like it as it warms up too, more flavor from the hops all the time, but still just equal with the grain. i guess this is a lot like a whole bunch of others out there in the world, but i get why its popular locally here in boise, and im sure ill drink my share of them. hops are the first and last thing i taste, and there is a heavy feeling balance to this. good, but not as exciting as i hoped it would be though...

edit: this has grown on me to the extent that when you catch it fresh, its one of the best in the area, a little more malty than is trendy now sure, but its not ancient either, its nice and bitter and assertive, and yeah, freshness is everything here, but this is definitely timeless and delicious, raising a few scores to reflect the best possible experience with this...

Poured from can into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear deep amber color with a huge billowy just off white head. The head has an amazing level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave a tons of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is big of fruity sweetness. There is a good showing of tangerine, barriers (blueberry and strawberry), orange, and some grape as well as a rather strong candied sugar smell. Along with these smells comes some light grapefruit and herbal hop as well as some hints of dough.
Tastes – The taste begins very different then I was anticipating… It starts with a rather strong bready and malty flavor which create a backbone taste for the brew. Upfront, there is a decent hop hit, being a mix of pine and grapefruit, which is accompanied by some sweeter flavors of dark fruit and tangerine. As the taste advances, the sweet tastes transition, with the dark fruit almost completely disappearing and the orange lightening, all while flavors of sugar and light tropical fruits come to the tongue. At the end there is a surge in the hop, with lots more grapefruit and a bit more pine coming to the tongue, leaving one with a sweeter and nicely hopped taste to linger in the mouth..
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is on the average side in terms of thickness and carbonation level. For the unique mix of hop, sweet, and malt the feel is rather nice, making for an overall flavorful, yet still easy drinking brew.
Overall – This is an interesting one... It has a nice bready and malty backbone, yet all the while was dank but citrusy in hop, while being sweeter but not overlay so in sugar/fruit. This is interesting and tasty beer! I like it!!!

 

 

 

 

Powerful bold smell and taste. Good beer.

 

 

Can poured into snifter. Deep Amber color the nice carbonation. Soft hops to nose. Dank medium body. Definitely a west coast IPA; 4/22/17

12 oz can courtesy of Rnewt pours a lightly hazed copper color with a nicely sized cap of off white head, retention is decent, but lace is magnifico!

Nose is old school NW IPA, piney and citric with a fair to middling malt base. If I had to guess Id say chinook and maybe cascade...stupid guess Im sure. Pretty good, aroma though.

Flavor is neatly tied to the nose, goes down smooth. Tastes a little old school, the hops used are just not up to snuff with the new varietals. Id drink it again though. Thanks Rachel!

The appearance had a shaded orange to copper color with a glazed over brownish tints closer to the center of the glass. There was a one finger white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute leaving some light lacing here and there. The smell had a sharp grapefruit to citrus (slightly tropical and enticing) with a light pine weaving it’s way in the aroma. The taste was pure bittersweet arranging a nice orange flavoring to come out nicely. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a pretty good acceptable sharpness normally tasted in an AIPA coming from the Northwest. Overall, pretty good AIPA that I would definitely have again.

 

Had this on tap at a Red Lobster in Boise. The waiter told me my beer would be a few minutes. It turns out they were cracking open a new keg; so between that fact and that I was in the city where this beer is produced, I knew this would be fresh.

Look- Just like apple cider with a head. Cloudy, copper-brown. The head was 1/2 " high and white. There was thick lacing that clung to the glass in layers, so you could tell where each sip ended.

Smell- Citrus and pine. Very straightforward, with maybe just a bit of floral.

Taste- Much like the smell. Citrus and pine carried over well. Medium bitterness, very dry. Overall, I thought the taste was really good.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, smooth and creamy finish. The aftertaste persists leaving a bitterness on the sides and back of the tongue.

Overall- I was impressed with this particular IPA. As mentioned regarding the smell, it is a straightforward beer that should be received well by IPA -loving guests.
It paired very nicely with the battered shrimp that I had, as well as with the biscuits. I will definitely buy it again.

Pours a hazy darker amber color with a finger of head and nice lacing. Not much citrus but a good hop bite from start to finish. Aftertaste is pleasing.

 

 

Can poured in Piraat tulip. Dark gold, small off-white head, light scattered lace. Smell is cat pee hopiness, centennials. Taste is pretty nicely balanced between big hops and a little malt backbone, while still keeping the body from being too heavy. Enjoyed this one even though I generally like a lighter, brighter IPA.

 

 

Canned March 31st 2016.

It pours a hazy copper with 2 fingers of foam, long lasting foam. Lacing is good.

Grapefruit aromas up front, bringing a lot of bitterness to my nose. Malt is near zero presence but for a hint of slightly sweet bread.

A bitter IPA with strong citrus grapefruit biting my palate. Slight sweet notes in the middle with some bread and back to that hop bite in the finish which is pretty long lasting.

Medium body and carbonation.

Solid if one dimension like. I do like it.

 

 

Nice light orange appearance, good 3/4" white head. Lots of pine, lesser citrus, they really dropped a lot of c hops into this one at many stages I would surmise.

Bitterness is amped up, but it isn't all that, it has some hop flavors, green, fresh. Some crystal malt, not overdone thankfully. Great canned beer to take fishing, or pair with eating fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was poured into a nonic pint glass.
The appearance was a dark semi-colored amber with a decent transparency about it. Carbonation could be seen rising to fill a frothy white head. Lacing seemed to roll around slyly in a sticky sort of slim foamy sort of way.
The smell started with a sly caramel malt running into some bitter citrus hops. Piney hops grace in and around a light herbal quality about it.
The taste was moderately sweet with a stellar bitter rind-like citrus to collide into the aftertaste slightly. The finish is quick and somewhat sweet yet bitter.
The mouthfeel was about a light to medium on the body with a slight sessionability about it. Carbonation runs somewhat light allowing the malts and hops to blend nicely and make a really great harsh to smooth feel in and around this beer.
Overall, I'd say this was a very nice AIPA that I could have again.

From the 12oz can to my FW Imperial Nonic glass
Notes taken on 05/25/2015

Thanks to my bro for bringing this back from a recent Boise trip.

A: Crystal malt is evident on the pour as it reveals a much darker amber colored IPA. Nice clarity to it however and super heady. A mammoth amount of khaki tan froth walls up over head. Great retention noted and tons of sticky webbed lacing left tattered to my glass.

S: Smells fairly pungent with some resinous pine sap and a healthy dose of bready malt sugars with some light caramel sweetness. I get a trailer of leafy herbals and some floral action on the back side. Alcohol is noticeable and slightly stinging at the nostrils. Fairly well laced with pine …more so than expected.

T: The flavor has a nice pungent pop of piney hops up front and backed up with some mild herbals and a faint citrus twist. Plenty of malt action to go around with a spread of bread and caramel. Brings some good balance to the brew actually. There is a moderate amount of hop bitters to help dry and clean up the finish which has a kick of herbs and spices. Some pretty fair drink here.

M: Moderate filling body and a touch on the lighter side. Nice frothy spritz on the palate provided by the carbonation. A touch drying and crispness felt in the finish. Fairly clean with a small amount of resinous linger to it.

D: On point with the PNW style IPA. Not a whole lot to write home about but a nice little brew none the less. Light abv, easy drinking. I can see packing in a few of these on your fishing trip for sure.