Imperial IPA
Granville Island Brewery

 

 

Strong hops, but finishes with a bit of caramel and sweetness that surprised me. Actually quite nice -- I'm not usually a fan of the style.

 

A - mostly clear bubbly dark golden, two fingers of fluffy head retained very nicely with random wisps of lacing
S - bubble gum, light florals, mild earthy tones, all very gentle aromas
T - butterscotch, bubble gum, and floral flavours dominate, milder earthy and leafy greens, again generally gentle flavours but definitely tasty
M - relatively light with nice carbonation, silky smooth with just a touch of hop bitterness, but again mellow making this extremely drinkable
O - the flavours are an interesting mix, more balanced and mellow than I typically like in my DIPA's, but the drinkability is so outstanding at this level of alcohol that I have to tip my hat along with another glass

 

 

 

Bomber poured into big round beer glass.

A-orange, copper. Two fingers of head pours out easily. Good head retention with ok, but rather spotty lacing.

S-citrus, soap, and light bread malts.

T-pine, citrus, and sweet melons. A good bitter kick.

M-moderate to high carbonation, creamy with moderate mouthfeel. Finishes crisp and astringent from the hops.

O- Nothing wrong with this ale, but not making me do backflips here.

 

650ml bottle, GIB's 2013 limited release, 8.6% ABV.

This beer pours a hazy medium golden amber hue, with three fingers of densely packed, cake frosting off-white head, which leaves some nice bonsai tree patterned lace around the glass as it slowly seeps away.

It smells of bready, pastry-esque caramel malt, orange cream, pine needles, grapefruit and pineapple fruitiness, and a small musty character. The taste is somewhat bitter grapefruit, tangerine, and orange rind, sugary caramel/toffee malt, washed-out pine resin, and further leafy, herbal hops.

The carbonation is even, and relatively laid back, the body a decent medium weight, and fairly smooth, the airy creaminess hitting hard from the get-go. It finishes off-dry, the baker's delight malt holding tight, as the hops give it one last sharply fruity wallop.

A pretty enjoyable DIPA, one with certain cream ale leanings, and a rather restrained bitterness for that nice round 100 IBU rating subtly proclaimed on the label. Right in line with the rest of this brewery's offerings, in its gateway friendliness for the style. I would gladly have this again, perhaps on tap, this time?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Props to my bro for shipping this one from Kelowna.

A - Pours a hazy copper colour, finger of beige head, solid retention and some nice sheeting lacing.

S - Earthy cedar and pine, musty caramel, bready cereal and some musty hop notes.

T - The earthy cedar dominates, hops are a tad subdued but shine through with a citrus peel bitterness that lingers. The caramel malt balance out the bitterness and a touch of ABV heat brings it all together nicely.

M - Medium bodied and smooth but the finish is a tad overly dry for my liking.

O - A tasty DIPA and certainly worth a try, that being said it's by no means my favourite DIPA out there. Lots of flavour, though I would prefer something with less bitterness and more of a citrus hop.

(From a hollow-stemmed goblet)

Granville Island - Imperial IPA

Appearance: Imperial IPA pours a perfectly clear rufous, with a fluffy, white two-finger head which lingers awhile.

Smell: The nose reminds me of Granville Island's regular IPA, Brockton IPA, with the piney hops and slightly spicy caramel, but this one smells fresher and less musky. Pineapple and grapefruit are big too once the head makes way for it.

Taste: I can really taste that pineapple as I get into the beer. Throughout is a sense of the caramel and the spice builds into the finish. The hops are lovely.

Mouthfeel: Imperial IPA feels slightly on the thick side of medium-bodied. I feel like the beer coats my mouth as it makes its journey. The carbonation is on the light side.

Overall: In general I'm not a fan of Granville Island, but this is a very solid IPA. I like it. Hopefully the brewery will continue with these ballsier brews.

Bottle shared by Steve, 650ml into a tulip. 2012 bottling, supposedly in late January.

Pours a golden orange, just off-white coloured head. Light in terms of retention, lacing and legs. Filtered body. Pine and some light citrus on the nose, and some fairly prominent malt notes as well. Some sweetness, and a bit of breadiness. Lightly tropical on the palate, more pine in large amounts. Strong bitterness, over a nice malt base providing a bit more breadiness and some sweetness. Full feel, again the bitterness is prominent but the malt sweetness attempts to keep this in check. Nice, fairly bold and enjoyable.