Juniperus Imperial IPA
Barrels & Bottles Brewery

 

 

 

a well made beer, but extremely weird, and totally overpowered by the juniper berry. a pale blonde ipa, heady and fine looking, nothing out of the ordinary as far as appearance is concerned. the nose is crazy, loaded with that piney gin-like juniper berry character, pine bough soft of smell, with the hops trying to get through but contributing only bitterness i think. the flavor is a lot like the nose, a little disagreeable to me, even as someone who likes juniper, the flavor is overdone i think, very dominant. it is however one of the better expressions of juniper in beer ive seen, and i think the hoppy format of the big ipa is a nice choice for it, but the proportions are just off. the hops dont come through as well as they should, and perhaps the grain profile is a little too light and could be fleshed out with some 60 crystal or something for better balance. im not trying to rework this recipe here, just thinking of ways to settle down the juniper and keep the beer as lively and bright and interesting as it is. not something i really loved, but something i must respect because the idea is great and the quality supreme. i would be curious to hear how others are liking this, i found it challenging and bizarre, but in a way i kind of liked.

edit: just had this barrel aged in agave gin barrels, and wow does it bring it all together. really special stuff, enormously better than the base beer itself.