Fresh Triple IIPA
Hubbard's Cave Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a deepy hazy yellow. A half of a finger of rocky head appears a starts to fade rapidly.

Nose is that bitter white grape, some melon, and some citrus. Smells sweet like candy too. Get some mild grass notes from the hops as well.

Taste is similar. White grape and melon predominantly. Bitterness is quite mild. No hop burn either. A very smooth drinker. A good amount of sweetness present. Very reminiscent of candy. Alcohol is a little present. Its hard to mask 10% ABV in an IPA and even if you do its recognizable in how it shapes the brew. More common to mask high ABV in Stouts.

Mouthfeel is smooth as hell. There's almost no carbonation here. There is a brief touch of carbonation in the center of your tongue on the initial part of the pull and then gone. Leaving you with a nice full-bodied, soft, just short of pillowy, brew. There is a tiny bit of cloying quality. Not much though.

Overall, another enjoyable IPA from Hubbard's Cave. A big one and definitely on the sweeter side. If 120 Minute was a dark emperor, this brew would be his acolyte, trying to impress him and gain his favor.

 

Deep golden color of honey with a sweet, candy shop aroma that is intoxicating in and of itself. Packs a punch of aroma, flavor, hops, & ABV. If you like an intensified hoppy IPA, this is for you.

These guys have really nailed a lot of beer styles and sub-styles over the past couple years, and I find them consistently underhyped on this site. I tend to love their stronger flavored stouts and their Fresh IPA series, so to find them bringing their hoppy beer into the even-more-intense realm definitely piqued my interest.

Pours a medium amber color with some orange overtones, topped off with a big, chunky head of slightly-off-white foam that leaves behind excellent, consistent lace. Now, the body of this beer may be almost 100% opaque, but that color makes me think of West Coast-style "triple IPAs" before those were even a thing. You know, the bruisers clocking in at 9 or 10%, sometimes even more, that featured a touch of caramel malt alongside heaping helpings of American hops? Yeah, I know you know what I'm talking about. Gorgeous pour.

Now, as opposed to the typical "Fresh IPA" stuff from HC, this does not list hops, but some research on last year's batches of this indicate that those utilized Centennial, El Dorado, and Simcoe varietals. Kind of a cool "bridging-the-gap" approach from old to new school American hops in there, which is cool. The nose is mango sorbet, kiwi, tangelo, syrupy pineapple, and orange rind with a touch of grapefruit peel and papaya as well. Kinda hitting a lot of different fruity notes, but that's a solid approach to this type of beer. Not much in the way of pine or resin, but it has some light floral and even herbal elements, along with a gratuitous sniff of ethanol cuz, ya know, 10%.

Ooh, malty. I like. This one has big flavors of rustic grains and golden oats combined with some fun, juicy flavors of papaya and mango in the mid-palate. Super well-balanced, yet quite obviously a "big beer." Maybe this is more of an American Strong Ale? Who knows, it's quite enjoyable though. Maybe a touch of honey malt or Golden Promise in here bringing out some nice honeyed sweetness which, combined with the pineapple notes and other tropical fruits, just feels decadent. Feel is medium-heavy with a dense palate and only slight prickly carbonation. Smooth and lingering hoppy finish without much ethanol presence. Dangerous. Good. Pick it up.

 

 

 

Presentation: 16 oz. can with the canning and freshness dates printed on the label. Served in a Willi Becher Glass.

Appearance: The half finger head stays around for a while and leaves behind a lot of lacing that covers the entire glass. It's a murky, bright orange gold color.

Smell: It's a fruity smell at first, mostly of cantaloupe, papaya, tangerine and melon. That's followed by some strong floral and herbal scents as well.

Taste: It starts fruity, juicy and sweet with some cantaloupe, orange, papaya, honey and refined sugar. There's a moderate alcohol presence in the background with even more sweetness from the malts and a slightly bitter, dank pine note in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: It's smooth, pillowy and medium bodied with some crispness from the medium-high carbonation.

Overall: It's very good and at times it feels like an orange and vodka cocktail thanks to that hefty 10% ABV. That said, it's mostly just a fruity, hoppy, hard hitting beer.

 

Absolutely rediculous. You guys should be incarcerated for producing a product of this caliber... almost illegal. Virtually perfect beer. If I HAD to criticize it in ANY way I would say it could use a touch more carbonation. Otherwise, thanks for making this beer. It is perfection.