Captain Ron's Imperial IPA
Brew It Up!

 

Had on tap at Brew It Up, served in a pint glass.

A - Bright cloudy orangish amber in color with a pretty small head - mostly due to the careful pour. Lot of little bubbles could be seen though, along with a nice amount of lacing.

S - Not as strong as I was expecting for a DIPA. Nice citrisy wafts along a bit of pine and a hidden roasted sweetness.

T - Pretty good. It seems that the citrisy hops were used in more of a finishing role here instead of bittering. Pine is what stands out here, but it finishes off candy candy sweet and biting at the same time.

M - Meduim bodied with a nice amount of carbonation.

D - Very good. I ordered another right after I finished the first.

I didn't take detailed notes on this beer when I visited Sacramento last May, but I did take a few notes, and I remember it pretty well. I was excited to see a DIPA, and I really wanted to try it. When I did, I was really disappointed. There was something just wrong in the aroma and flavor profile. Usually I may not like a hoppy beer because of the hop choices (I don't know what they are, but I don't care for oily pine hops and I love flowery/fruity hops)- this one not only had the oilyness factor up, but then there were some other fuel-oil/jetfuel like aromas/flavors that just ruined it for me. I didn't even finish it.

It was poured into a footed beer glass. It was a darker amber - only the head really suggested it to be a DIPA. The scent was ok - not too hoppy when I wanted too hoppy. The taste also suggested a bitter of a Red/Amber in it - something similar to the Winter 05 Yulesmith though not nearly as tasty.

It was enjoyable, but eager to try some of Brew It Up's other offerings, I moved on.

Received after waiting for the barmaid to pour out the head multiple times a hazy dark amber-red with a one-finger white head, poured into a footed and medium-tall beer glass.

Smell... Mmhmm, this smells like a good DIPA in the making. Floral, grapefruity hops dominate the nose, but there's a sleek malty and slightly yeasty scent in the background.

Taking my first sip, I hold the reddish beer in my mouth and wait.... and nothing happens. Concerned after several seconds, I swallow, and am treated to a nice strangling by the oily, pungent hops, seriously flavorful with a tight bitterness to back them up. Subsequent, concentrating sips reveal a creamy malt cowering under those citrusy hops, but the hops are really the star here. Very yummy.

Mouthfeel's good, enough carbonation for the style; it made me happy, nothing else to note. Alcohol plays a key role in this beer; it is high enough to get me pondering as to its exact number, which remains a mystery (at least twice that of the Nitro Porter, I'm sure, which could also explain why this cost twice as much). It was very well mingled with the hops - present to notice and appreciate, but not aggressive - and left my cheeks nice and tingly.

While this was somewhat expensive to try, it's a great brewpub DIPA. Brew It Up! definitely didn't go the pussy route - they weren't afraid to make a real example of a DIPA.

This is a big, swaggering, completely NW-style DIPA, and I love it for that...

Arrived in a 14 oz, slender goblet, one finger of creamy, white head atop a slightly hazy, dark amber. Retention was excellent.

The aroma was of pronounced, resinous pine with a touch of grapefruit.

In the flavor, oily pine syrup melded with slightly nutty caramel. Really a masterful balance of absolutley overwhelming NW-style hops with a firm, asstertive maltiness. A substantial body complimented the massive flavor. Exactly what I'm looking for in a DIPA.