Lupé
The Vermont Pub & Brewery

Served a nice clear amber color with some white headskie on top. Alas, no pints allowed for an 8% beer? That's a strike against. Guess what... hoppy hop is in effect with a 120 ibu reported. Not perfectly balanced as one may expect from a dipa, but I think this works in its favor as this beer outperforms the regular IPA in my opinion. I'll have another.

Pale color, with virtually no head. Fantastic hop aroma, pine and citrus notes blend well. Hits the tongue with lots of hops and alcohol. Malt seems to be absent. The alcohol and hops duet continues upon swallowing and the finish is very smooth and all hops. This brew certainly presents its hops very well but seems like more of a hop flavored liqueur than a beer.

Listed as an Imperial IPA on the menu, Lupé claims to contain 120 IBUs with the help of Simcoe and EKG hops. The smell was not as intensley hop-orientated as I expected and hoped for. There was something that likened to wet dog in the aroma- not a big turnoff, but not pleasant either. I'm thinking that maybe it came from the glass? Head was fairly minimal, as is usually the case with VPB brews. The color of the beer was a rich, clear, golden yellow. The taste was good, but not as good as some others in this category. Unbalanced due to the huge hop content, just like it should be, but it could use some other subtle complexities. Alcohol is covered well by the hops but still fairly evident at the finish. Could use a bit more carbonation in the mouthfeel, but otherwise is quite well refined.

Overall a very good beer- now one of my favorites at VPB. Kudos to the brewers for daring to take on a challenging style and for making it even bigger than most.