Samuel Adams Double IPA
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put a pint of this down at the Cask fest at Copperfields, Temp. was perfect, low carbonation, loose bubble head, with tiny bubbles rising slowly to the top. Leaving loads of blotchy lacing. Poured a dark, murky and cloudy rich amber. Nose of sweet malt was a bell weather of what was to come. Strong sweet malt up front, supremely chewy and rich mouthfeel. Flowery hops noticable but in the back ground. This is the sweetest and least hoppy double IPA that I can recall drinking. Its lovely stuff, but would need much more Hop bitterness to be a double IPA, this tastes more like a double ALT or double O'fest to me. Worth seeking out even if they misnamed it/under dry hopped it.

Sampled on tap.

This double IPA poured a clear, deep chestnut color with tan foam that settled. The smell was malty with some caramel and with a hint of grassy hops. The taste was malty and slightly sweet with grassy, Cascade hops. The flavor was skewed towards the malt, not the hops. The mouthfeel was smooth with medium body and strong carbonation feel. The lingering aftertaste was malty. This was a decent IPA, but for a Double IPA the hops seem a bit lacking.

The beer pours a deep reddish brown, topped with a thin whisp of almond head. Decent retention, a thick collar last throughout, leaving large patches of sticky lace.
The aroma is not quite what I expected. Almost bock like, with a big toasty caramel maltiness. The hops are a bit timid, although presentin themselves with an earthy, herbal sort of underlying pungency. Some fruitiness, with a fig and raisin sweetness that bolsters the malt even further. Very odd, with a german hop feel that's pleasant, but fails to provide any punch characteristic of a big-ass IPA.
The flavor starts with a solid caramel maltiness. A bit chewy, moving into a heavy estery fruitiness. Fig and raisin, mostly, with perhaps a touch of tutti-frutti. The hopping doesn't make an appearance until late in the sip, with a substantial earthy, herbal finish. It tastes like a whole lot of lower alpha hops, contributing a thick muddiness to the flavor. Not unplesant at all, but the muddy quality fails to provide any mouth puckering bitterness. Somewhat oily, blending with a slight alcohol presence in the finish. The malt maintains it's foothold throughout, keeping the hops in line. I personally feel they should be allowed to break free and wreak a little havok. A touch of heat in the swallow, leaving with a lingering herbal hop flavor and caramel. A big, chewy body is supported by an excellent small bubbled carbonation, with enough bouyancy to carry the flavor across the palate.
Tasty? Absolutely. Double IPA? Not a chance. I've drank american pale ales with more hop presence than this. This is the first time I've been less than thrilled with an experimental Jamaica Plain offering. It's a good beer, but not what I was hoping for.

Had this beer on tap at Anam Cara.

It poured a clear dark amber/brown body with a small white/tan head.

The nose was big and malty with softer hops in the background.

The taste was medium to full bodied. Very clean and smooth going down. A nice rich malt flavor. Definitely a nice caramel malt flavor. The hops were soft and earthy and balanced well against the big malt taste. Not as drastic and bitter as you might expect from a double IPA.

Basically it’s a decent beer. Sort of a combination of Sam Boston Ale and double bock. A little too strong to be a good session beer, but not over the top enough to be something that impresses the hop fanatics. Still a good beer from SA.

Pours a light brown/dark amber with red highlights, huge tan head.
The aroma is well balanced between malt and hops, but thats not what I want in a Douple IPA, I want hops hops and more HOPS!
Sweet malt, mixed with floral and earthy (dirt and grass) scented hops. More like a strong brown ale, or maybe a Scottish ale that had some hops added to it.
The bitterness is good, and up to par for the style. Medium body.

Not assertive enough for the style, would be too malty for a normal IPA

First sampled at EBF, but as it was only 4oz, I decided to wait for a larger "sample". Anyway, Genaro and I ventured over to Star's, a local better beer restaurant (see BeerFly reviews) and asked for a Dogfish Head Indian Brown. The waitress explained that they were out it, but had SA Double IPA as a special for the week...must be living right!
It pours a dark amber with a firm medium-sized off-white head and loads of sticky lace - Genaro's glass contained very little lacing (a future Forum Post about lace in bar glasses will be coming). A nice blend of sweet malt and a variety of fragrant hops, along with a bit of alcohol fuminess rises up and lasts a good while. An abundantly rich and sweet, full-bodied caramel maltiness is quite a surprise. It's not as hoppy as I expected, but fairly hoppy, nonetheless, with some grapefruit bitterness and peppery spiciness. The warming alcohol taste remains through. This is a fairly assertive brew with a very balanced and harmonious mix of ingredients. I hope SA continues to brew this fine ale.
BTW – Because Stars is celebrating their 15th anniversary; we got 16oz glasses for only $1.50 per!

This was tasted at EBF... Pours a lot darker than most IPA's, yet still a very attractive dark copper color. It possessed a creamy tan head which opted to stick around a while, as well as stick the sides of the glass nicely. Nose was rather mild, exhibiting hops but much less than even a regular IPA never mind a double IPA. The bier was quite smooth on the palate, with a decent body too. Medium hops are present here but nothing to write home about. I also picked up a touch of what seemed to be a chocolatey flavor at the outset of drinking, but some card-boardish aspects near the finish. Rather disappointed, overall, with this Sammy effort.

overall: 3.8
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | mouthfeel: 4.5 | drinkability: 3.5

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