Blood Orange Imperial IPA
Bent Hill Brewery

 

 

 

From the very old bottle tucked away in my fridge, it pours a hazy, faintly orange amber color with a modest head that soon diminishes to a thin ring. In the nose, it is orange and citrus and smells nice (per my friend). In the mouth, it is slightly bitter orange in taste, with a malt base.

 

 

16oz. can served in a tulip. Pours a lovely bright orange hue with a fluffy, 1.5 inch bright white head embedded with pinpricks and craters. Clarity is slightly hazy. Nose expresses bright citrus notes with a slightly candied character at the back. Taste is a bit dull and muted. Citrus as well as some pith and biscuit malts. Mouthfeel is light-medium (closer to light) in body with a mild acidity. Overall, a decent offering. Alcohol is well-hidden and it's not heavy or cloying, but it's difficult to standout with all competition in the IPA market right now.

 

Lil’ disappointed....

Smells super good, but the orange leaves a lasting bitterness. Still a good drink.

While tasty, it could use a bit more body and hops. The appearance was quite beautiful.

L - opaque golden bronze. Nice jiggly fluffy head.

S - acrid orange peel: the juices that barely ooze out when you really squeeze that rind. Dank and spicy mosaic with bitey malts. Lemon and grapefruit--the rinds of course!

T - it does nail the blood orange. Deep, penetrating bitter orange flavor with toasted grapefruit twang. Malty, rich, and heavy. Citrus is the name of the game, with lots of earthy bitterness, especially on the finish.

F - 8.2% definitely lends some heaviness with a hint of syrup. Robust enough.

O - I always enjoy blood orange in a beer and this is no exception. Maybe a tad too bitter and aggressive, but at least it delivers what it claims.

Badass DIPA. Very tasty and smooth. Definitely worth trying. It has become one of my leading favorites !

 

 

Poured from fresh can received last Friday (6/22.)
No date, but I know it's fresh because the brewer didn't offer this to our store until last week. Moderate to vigorous pour yields 3/4 inch slightly off white head over a cloudy golden body with some sticky lacing. Head is down to a ring after more than a few minutes and comes back nicely after a swirl or two. Nice nose of sweet citrus (blood orange!) and a bit of floral notes as well. Not bad at all. Taste of more citrus with a citrus pith bitterness on the finish. Feel is pretty good for any juice bomb, which is normally lacking in carbonation. Overall, this is much better than most of the previous reviews would have you believe. Cheers!

 

Cans from Alex. Taste in October, full can in March. Not huge on blood orange in general. Can feel the 8.2%, but also haven't eaten in 5 hours.

 

Poured into a tulip, the appearance was a ruddy burnt orange juice color. Quickly dissipating head fizzles into a oblivion. No lacing. The aroma has a ton of overly sweet orange juice features flowing into a sugary malt. Light grassy hops. The flavor sticks to the orange juice sweetness, sugary malt comes back pouncing in the aftertaste and finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a cloying stickiness to my tongue. No grip, just heavy sugars coating my tongue. Carbonation feels fine, though. Overall, another bomb out by Bent Hill. Don’t think I would come back to this.