Incredibly Pretentious Ale
Cottrell Brewing Co.

This was the second beer from Cottrell that I had and the first in quite some time as I found it on the singles rack this week at Total Wine in West Orange. Had no idea why anyone would consider this to be a New England IPA as this was dark, full of caramel, and not unfiltered or soft on the palate. Hopheads may like the burn that they feel from this although I never quite got the hang of this beer.

Such a dark, coppery pour to this as there was a ton of dark sediment floating around in it That never really settled down as none of it never ended up at the bottom of the liquid. The The offsetting head was sufficient enough as there was a nice amount of suds in the middle of my pint glass in a rocky layer that thinned out in the middle. Loads of caramel, pine, and sharp citrus in the nose as the taste followed suit. Warming, leathery, and quite sticky, all of the booze in this was easily felt as there seemed to be some scallion and garlic spice underneath everything. Oily and full of resin, this was reminiscent of a beer from the left coast mixed with Sixpoint's Resin, as someone below wonderfully referenced. The aftertaste was like dry flowers and a ton of earthy citrus rind, as I needed a chaser of water to fully get this down.

No, this wasn't strong as it just felt it. More carbonation would have kept this light as this was an Imperial IPA with a medium body and enough of the arrogance that was self-described on the can. Canned on 1/22 or 7/22 of last year, this wasn't new but held up fine given how long it sat on a shelf for. Not my favorite beer but something this bold and potentially standoffish deserves to be labeled pretentious, even if it's bark was worse than it's bite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: cloudy; bronze in color 2 finger khaki head that receded to a splotchy cap; OK lacing;

S: not especially aromatic; what's there is citrus with earthiness behind it;

T: all earthy up front; garlic and onion get added in from the middle through the finish; mild to moderate bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; lightly dry finish;

O: Other than being cloudy, there's nothing "New England style" about this DIPA; not the flavor or aroma I expect from a DIPA; it's well made, but not my style;

Solid NE DIPA. Robust bitterness that is not overbearing. Some earthy notes in the smell, and finishes with a raspy bite. Nice offering, and one that I'd think hopheads would like.

22oz bottle. Pours a semi hazy copper color with an inch of head. Tons of lacing. The aroma is floral hops with some citrus peel and pine. Sweet bready notes. The taste is sweet toasted malts followed by bitter pine and citrus rind. More floral and piney at the finish. Resinous. Pretty good balance of the bready malt flavor and the bitter hops, namely pine. Medium bodied with a very oily mouthfeel. I'm surprised this one is only 7.5%, I would have thought it was higher. Kind of tastes like a blend of Stony Creek Big Cranky and Sixpoint Resin. Overall, a solid Imperial IPA I'll be buying again.