CB's XV Anniversary Ale
CB Craft Brewers

 

 

Thanks to sliverX for this one!
A: Golden with an orange tint to it, pours a 2 finger head and leaves behind great lacing. A little hazy like most highly hopped beers.

S: Nice hop aroma that is mostly pine but citrus and some earthiness are ther as well. I was expecting a little more hop aroma based on the description, but still good.

T: Piney and citrus hops up front that turn into a gentle lingering bitterness that doesn't fade. Solid maltiness without being sweet, finishes dry and leaves your mouth tingling with hops.

M: Excellent mouthfeel for the style as the carbonation is just right, medium bodied.

O: Very nice DIPA, would recommend.

 

This is a hard choice American Srong Ale or American DIPA...I say American DIPA with this hop onslaught.Poured into an imperial nonic a burnt orange infused medium golden with a well defined one finger head that never really leaves.Whoa the hops jump out at ya in a big way,grapefruit rind is so fresh it's like it's right there,tropical fruits linger with only a faint sniff of caramel/biscuit malt.The hop complexity is amazing here with its sharp aspirin and grapefruit-like flavors mixed with big fruity juicy notes,a bit of alcohol sweetness makes it very DIPA in nature.It's like drinking a grapefruit/tropical fruit smoothie with a kick.I have been drinking Custom Brewcrafters stuff for over six years and this takes the cake,you can't do much better than this for an anniversary ale...in my opinion.The 4 hop variety's all stand out and make for a serious top notch beer here.Western NY BA's get this beer.

 

 

 

We serve this beer into our CB’s Signature Series chalices. It glows a golden honey coloring. It holds a massive two finger head of creamy beige bubbles. This shows excellent retention, leaving chunky, sheety lacing around the glass. Haze is thick, but no sediment is noted. Carbonation appears minimal. The nose explodes with juicy grapefruity and piney hops!! There is balancing sweetness from pineapple and mango, with some fusel booze, light herbal spice, and black pepper on the back. The malts are soft and pale. The nose is biting, sweet, and cooling all at once. Our first impression is that it is quiet bittering, and nicely hoppy, while the body remains softer yet full. As we sip, sweet and greatly bittering hops hit first. These blend with metallic and watery grain that does little to tame this hoppy beast. The middle peaks with more wheaty grain, that fruity pineapple sweetness, and more of those bright, bittering citric hops. The fruit mixes with the latter, adding a mouthwatering juiciness right before the puckering bitterness of the finish. Booze comes in hard, adding fusel sting and peppery twang. As they do throughout, the grapefruit remains robust, bittering, and lightly sweet. The aftertaste breathes of fresh mint leaf, huge fusel booze, grapefruit, mineral, paler malts, and medicinal phenols with warmth. The body is medium to full, but soft, and carbonation is average. There is gentle slurp, cream, froth, and pop to each sip, while the mouth is left initially coated and satiated. This quickly dries, leaving a bitter and puckering astringency. The abv is appropriate for the style, and the beer drinks on the slower side.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the beautiful head, fresh hop aroma, and the prominent fruity hops throughout the flavoring. Everything leading up to the sip is super inviting. The coloring is nice, the head retained amazingly, and the smell nearly knocks you down with the first couple whiffs. The taste blends huge juicy hoppiness with strong boozy and phenolic bitter, walking a tough line. For some this beer will be over the top bitter and fusel, but for others they will find great harmony between two monsters.