IIMAXX Imperial IPA
Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse

Here's another old gem that first appeared at the Bistro's 10th annual double ipa fest on February 6, 2010 for the first time I had it. Much like many of the reviews from this era, the liquid involved has a darker, orange appearance compared to double ipas from 2019. Crystal malt screams. They managed to get an almost Nelson like hop aroma out of here, had all the typical grapefruit blast for its time, but there was something more danky and humid down under in this one, it stood out aromatically comparatively for sure.

Taste was a nice caramel and bitter mixture. All the C hops providing the grapefruit and pine all the way down. They keep making this beer, which helps you know its still good stuff after all these years. Really tastes like one of those 6 lbs of Centennial and Cascade hops per gallon type of beers. When you wanna rock the party with traditional hops and make 9% come off as relatively easily drinkable, this is a good choice.

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Triple Rock. Pours a clear golden amber with a small white head that settles to a ring and leaves some light lacing on the glass. The aroma is pine and grapefruit hops as well as some sweet candy sugar and caramel. The taste is sweet with caramel malt and some pine and grapefruit hops. The finish is boozy with a decent bitterness. Medium body. Medium carbonation. A bit too sweet with a decent amount of alcohol coming through.

A - Pours a clear copper-orange color with a thin finger of frothy white head atop. The head fades down fairly quickly leaving behind a bit of lace.

S - Aroma is full of pine and citrus hops. Lots of grapefruit. There is a bit of sweet caramel malt alongside.

T - Starts off with lots of pine and herbal hops with lots of bitterness and some light caramel malts. Through the middle, the citrus grapefruit hops start to come through with even more bitterness. The finish is a mix of pine hops and strong bitterness with a touch of booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a very dry finish.

D - Very drinkable. Huge hop flavor here with some really nice strong bitterness. Really nice big hoppy DIPA.

 

This is just a flat-out, delicious beer.

A: Nice head retention, beautiful light copper.

S: Some grapefruit for citrus. There's also a huge "pot" aroma, even more-so than your average AIPA.

T: That grapefruit flavor lingers around in the taste with some sweetness...lends maybe a guava note. It makes me wonder if Nelson Sauvin are one of the six hop varietals, 'cause that's the most relevant flavor profile. There's absolutely no trace of the 9.1% ABV. There's also not a ton of malt, but I'm quite okay with that. It lends the beer a surprising lightness, and while the bitterness is present and sticks around, it's not at all of the one-note, punch-you-in-your-face variety. It's just a nice, pleasant tongue tickle.

M: There is still enough malt to balance the texture and lend a little body, but despite the 9.1%, there's no real heaviness.

D: High. It's lighter than most DIPAs, IMO. I would highly recommend this to any IPA lover, especially if you're a fan of the west coast, unbalanced IPAs.

O: Definitely recommended to any hop-head, and I have no clue how this beer can be 9.1% and be that refreshing.

Poured a deep murky orange with about a one finger head of offwhite head that laced decently.

Nose was incredibly leafy, with tons of plant aromas and aromatic oils along with some sticky, plain sugar malts. Citrus was faint and dominated by the plants and also floral scents. Herbal scent is almost like Vick's.

Taste was the nose to a t, with weediness approaching excess, but never getting there. Citrus offers a little contrast along with the sugary malt. There's a stickiness that doesn't ever take over, which is nice, as it lets the leafiness continue. Finish is herbal is contains lots of fragrant oils, eucalyptus especially.

Mouthfeel is full bodied and smooth. Dry finish is very nice, considering for this style it is usually much sweeter and stickier. Drinkability is fantastic, this one is way too easy to throw back for being 9-9.5% abv. Loved it.

Re-review. It seems this beer changes quite a bit...

On tap at the brewpub.

A: Poured an unfiltered, copper-orange body with a finger's worth of off-white head. Retention is fairly good, collapsing into a ring around the brew and leaving some lacing down the glass.

S: The last time I drank this, I remember it being really weedy; this is much more on the citrus and floral side, with some caramel / sugar in there that gives the overall impression of candied grapefruit.

T: Follows the nose pretty well. Up front floral bitterness, progressing into a blast of citrus (orange, mostly, though I pick up grapefruit, tangerine, and some pineapple). The finish is dominated by pine hop flavor and a strong bittering hop presence. Some malt shines through (caramel, it seems, but there is a general sugar cookie presence as well). No ABV detected.

M: Medium-full. On the chewy side, well disguised ABV. Good carbonation for the style. I like that it isn't too sticky.

D: Definitely in the upper tier of imperial IPAs. I get this every time I see it. It's apparent they are still playing around with the beer, though; last time I had it, it was 9%, while this time it is 9.5%.

Note: this is draft only (no growlers).

On tap at the brewpub. Served in a small snifter, the beer is a pale golden-amber color with a dense white head that dissipates slowly, reducing to a crown.

It smells fresh and floral with a trace of mandarin orange. The signature floral character of centennial hops is overwhelming, but there's a hint of honey-like sweetness beneath. One of the most floral beers I've smelled, this is impressive and distinct.

A huge floral hop flavor is the first thing to hit the palate, backed by a light honey and biscuit sweetness. Centennial hops abound. A crisp and crackery medium body supports the huge hop flavor nicely, with light to moderate bitterness in the finish. This drinks easy for it's ABV, and the alcohol hides itself well on the palate.

Another beer on tap at Bistro's 10th Annual Double IPA Festival. Hazy apricot pour with a major grapefruit aroma. It's an almost pungent smell...which is great! Wakes you up. Very smooth taste with a lot of the grapefruit and citrus tastes up front and nice malty backbone on the swallow, which evens it out nicely. At 9% this beer went down fast. Dangerously fast. Great tasting beer. Another excellent beer from the Berkeley crew and I am very happy to have tried this. Now only if it could be bottled.