All Along The Hop Tower
DuClaw Brewing Co.

I was not kidding, during New DelMarVa (+ DC) DuClaw Sunday ( Week 778), when I said that my diving into my DuClaw backlog would be like diving into the depths of the Marianas Trench! I am going to be with them for a while to come, all in support of The CANQuest (tm). This is simply CANother in this ongoing madness.

From the CAN: "Brewed and CANned by DuClaw Brewing Co. Baltimore, Maryland"; "Citra/Centennial/ Amarillo Double IPA"; "The 8th release in our Double IPA series: 'All Along The Hop Tower' is loaded with carefully selected Citra, Centennial, and Amarillo hops. Notes of citrus, melon, and grapefruit linger from first sip to its lasting finish. Get some relief with this hazy, juicy and tropical flavor bomb sure to take you on a journey as smooth as your favorite riff."; "Craft Be Cherished. Rules Be Damned."

I was damned if I was going to let the earlier mishap deter me from pressing on as originally planned! I beCAN with a Crack! of the vent, followed by a slow, steady C-Line Glug into the awaiting glass. The foaming action quickly created two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with very good retention. leaving a load of lacing as it slowly fell away. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy solid Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9). Nose was highly tropical & melon-fruity, like CANtaloupe and/or honeydew had been added to tropical fruit salad, CANsisting of papaya, mango, guava and passionfruit. 8=O Yum! Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. The taste was as riotous as the nose, with a blast of tropical fruit & melon leading the way, followed by orange/tangerine & acCANponied with grapefruit! Phew. They weren't kidding or exaggerating with the verbiage on the CAN. Finish, however, was only semi-dry due to its intense fruitiness & I was once again left jonesing for some bitter hoppiness. Oh, well, CAN't win em all. YMMV.

Overall decent, but extremely sweet and syrupy.

 

Very nice DIPA! The malts were milder than previous DuClaw doubles I have had, which works for me.

 

 

 

 

Pours a mostly clear lighter amber with lots of lighter amber in suspension, thin offwhite head, a few dots down the glass. Smell: pine, grapefruit, orange rind, biscuit drenched in syrup. Taste: grapefruit, lemon-lime, grass, pine, syrupy with lots of overripe stone fruit and a note of something papaya-ish. Sweet with pretty aggro hop flavors and alcohol. Quite tasty but rough around the edges (this you could say about a lot of these DuClaw 4 pack DIPAs).

 

 

 

A: The beer is hazy golden yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head consisting of medium-sized bubbles that faded away, leaving only a thin collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of citrusy hops are present in the nose along with notes of biscuit and caramel malts.
T: The taste has flavors of biscuit malts and toasted oak along with hints of grapefruit in the finish. There is a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This Imperial IPA is a little maltier compared to other beers in the style, but manages to hide most of its alcohol very well.

Serving type: can