Decadent Imperial IPA
Ska Brewing Co.

outdoor7or24 from Georgia

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

12 oz can poured into pint glass, thanks to Kyle for the brew.
A: pours a cloudy golden body, frothy one finger dull white foam head, heavy wisps of lace, carbonation
S: sweet malt, citrus, grapefruit rind, orange
M: medium heavy body, juicy finish
T: citrus fruit, orange, grapefruit pith, herbal earthy hop resin, some dankness, the herbal green hop resin lingers in the finish and sticks to the tongue
O: heavy hitter at 10%, this DIPA is an okay brew, heavy hops and the finish seems a little off balance

Jun 17, 2018

GoBearsWalter34 from Illinois

3.31/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Pours a clear, electric orange with a two-finger, fluffy white head.
Candies citrus hop smell with some malt.
Very subdued hop for an imperial IPA. SOME DANKNESS and pepper spice. This one is 8 now old so probably not fair to rate.

Jun 14, 2018

AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

3.61/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear honey orange with a full head that leaves great lacing. Smells like a peach with some citrus fruits in the background. Taste is sweet without much bitterness from the hops. Full mouthfeel with adequate carbonation. Overall an okay brew.

Feb 17, 2018

ZAP from Minnesota

3.71/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

L-Orange colored..light white head and nice lacing as you drink.

S-Sweet fruits...peaches, sweetened grapefruit, some floral notes...caramel malts..

T-Sweet fruits and caramel malts. Kind of an old school DIPA in flavor. It does have a touch of bitterness on the finish.

F-Medium to full bodied. Lower carbonation. Drinks pretty easy. Has a touch of rum like booziness but is not sharp at all for the ABV.

O-Almost like a trip back in time with this DIPA. I like it. While not a great beer it is well made and enjoyable.

Jan 06, 2018

NeilSilber1 from California

4.03/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours with thick frothy and molded head - slow fading. Yellow amber color with slow rising micro bubbles of tiny love. Drinks like a smooth and silky DIPA with notes of citrus, clove and rich and sharp floral hops. Good IPA w/ Cory on Thanksgiving!

Nov 25, 2017

UWDAWG from Washington

3.82/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz can into a snifter.
Look- amber, hazy-no sediment, moderate head, good lacing.
Smell- boozy, fruity.
Taste- piney, well balanced, smooth finish, slight grapefruit notes, slightly sweet finish.
Feel- good body, slightly lower than average carbonation-but I like it.
Overall- smell very underwhelming, but I was pleasantly surprised upon my first taste.

Oct 12, 2017

matcris from Arizona

3.3/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A light amber with a big white foam, and lots of carbonation rising. Fair amount of lacing down the glass. The aroma has a little alcohol, a little caramel malt, and mild citrus. The flavor is about the same. Some nondescript citrus and caramel. The feel is average carbonation, fairly dry, and medium full body. Doesn't pop at all, just kind of blah. I wouldn't buy it again.

Oct 12, 2017

DenverHopHead from Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12oz can with a best by date of 6/30/2018; into a pint glass.
Appearance- very cloudy sunset orange with a lot of floating sediment and a few bubbles. Head is a medium thick, foamy, dirty white and leaves a curtain of lacing along the back of the glass!
Smell - mango, oil and booze.
Taste - boozy and oily with more earthy hop tones.
Feel - medium body with a solid bitter punch; 10% ABV is apparent, but not overly aggressive!
Overall - a formidable beer for sure, especially in look and feel. This IPA lacks a bit in both smell and taste for me, so I likely won't return to this one.

Sep 03, 2017

Beaver13 from Colorado

3.88/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz can. Pours hazy golden orange with a big fluffy white head that retains well and leaves some lacing.

The aroma is sweet sugary fruit with dank piney hops and some alcohol.

The flavor is sweet fruity citrus and caramel malt with dank resiny, slightly ashy, hops and some alcohol. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, better than I remembered.

Jul 26, 2017

Czequershuus from Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a pale amber with a large head. The aroma is very dank, with notes of cannabis, pine, mango, guava, pineapple, grapefruit peel, caramel, and some booziness. The flavor starts with mango and grapefruit peel, then caramel, pine, cannabis, and very strong bitterness. The mouthfeel is full and relieved by fizzy carbonation. Overall this is a classic lupulin bomb, very bitter, strong malt presence, and enormour flavors. A classic enamel stripper that I just love.

Jul 14, 2017

R_i_P from California

4.24/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I picked up a bomber of Decadent Imperial IPA from BevMo on 06/01/2017. No "bottled on" or "best by" date. 10% ABV. Very cool-looking (skeleton) label. I also like the red wax seal over the top of the bottle. Ska Brewing hails from Durango, Colorado.

Decadent Imperial IPA pours a cloudy, murky amber/orange with moderate carbonation. 2 fingers of ecru foam. Good head retention. Excellent lacing. The smell is hop dankness, citrus zest (orange), grass, pine, tropical fruits, and hints of caramel malt. The taste starts with a very smooth orange zest and pine, followed immediately by tangerine zest, tropical fruits and grass, all supported by a moderate malt backbone with a caramel taste. Despite the 10% ABV, the alcohol is well-hidden behind the malt backbone.

This Imperial IPA is exceedingly better than its current B.A. rating of 82. Several reviewers from 5 to 10 yrs ago disparaged this beer as pig swill -- such obtuseness is nearly incomprehensible. Nevertheless, in defense of these philistines, brewing and hops have improved these past 5 to 10 years -- and so have our tastes. The current Decadent Imperial IPA is decidedly very good and worth the money. I'll be adding Decadent on occasion to my weekly rotation of daily DIPAs.

Jun 04, 2017

Thomas_Wikman from Texas

3.85/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Decadent Imperial IPA is not the best DIPA I’ve ever had but I thought it was pretty good.

Look: semi-clear dark golden/orange with an inch white head.
Aroma: bisquit, orange and grapefruit.

Taste: Malty for an IPA, caramel, grains, but there is also a good grape fruit and pine flavor.

Feel: It has a medium mouthfeel

May 23, 2017

gatornation from Minnesota

3.52/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark golden color with a grey /white head. Smell is sweet malts and dank citrus . Taste follows nose with the hops getting lost in the malts there are some citrus and garden hops, that show up. A sweet and creamy mouth feel with a boozy dry finish. One dimensional DIPA and very sweet.

Feb 02, 2017

Ciocanelu from Romania

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Slightly hazy yellow color with off-white head. Aroma is hoppy with earthy, resiny notes. Taste is hoppy with nice resin notes and quite dry overall. Not bad but it's quite simple.

Aug 20, 2016

Harrison8 from Missouri

3.43/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours an opaque orange, with a white bubbly head. Head retention is alright, with good lacing left behind early in the glass. Aroma is mostly citrus, orange peel, with a biscuit malt background. The flavor profile is in line with the aroma, with notes of citrus, orange peel, with a little more biscuit malt presence. Mouth feel is medium-thick, and a bit bubbly. Overall, it's okay. The flavor profile bounces all over the place, and the mouth feel is so-so.

Served in a 12oz snifter.

Jun 13, 2016

stevoj from Idaho

3.79/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottle from Union Wine & Spirits. Pours out a nice deep golden, creamy head, rings of lacing. So far, so good. Musty, hoppy aroma. Taste completes the aroma, nice sharp, bitter hoppiness, some pine, some soap, some citrus. Finishes with the right amount of bitterness, lingering just long enough. NO hint at the 10% ABV.

Jun 09, 2016

rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.59/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice sexy looking orange color, 3/4" white head, deft retention. Aroma hit the citrus notes. Not just grapefruit, there was a tangerine/orange vibe going on here as well.

Taste was a head scratcher, dropped tons of caramel and toffee malt heft and flavor. Still around 90ibu impressions, very bitter, but not as flavorful. I like their pale and ipa better. Sticky, hides the alcohol well. Such a trade off with that amount of malt, can't be dry, but can hide alcohol well.

Could do without the bomber format though.

Jun 01, 2016

Ricelikesbeer from Colorado

3.31/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

L: rating high because the artwork is great! poured straight from the can into my mouth.

S: bitter grapefruit, with some slight pine and resin.

T: Lots of grapefruit and orange up front. Very bitter and a bit astringent. Could use much more balance and the harshness detracts. Some boozy alcohol which may throw off some of the bitterness as well.

f: fairly creamy, not much carbonation. average.

O: Overall not a very memorable DIPA. its just too harsh/bitter without many redeeming factors. Not horrible by any means, but I wouldn't seek this out again.

May 27, 2016

craftbeersweden from Sweden

3.75/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Clear, amber color with a three finger high, white head that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass.

The glass - That’s right! I got som glass from @orrefors Sweden to try with my beers.
So here it is - Orrefors IPA glass with SKA Decadent Imperial IPA in it.

After Spigelau released the IPA glass I think the "glass-makers" in the world suddenly woke up - There is so much more than just a "beer"

I would with my experience of 30 year in wine- and whisky-tasting that there is so much more flavors in a craftbeer to find than in a great whine or single malt... I KNOW all you whine and whisky-lovers out there - Now it’s war! ;)

The glass has the "Tulip" shape of a beer-tasting glass so the aromas of the beer will increase to your nose.
I think it’s easy to hold the glass, at least with my hands. It’s easy to swirl the beer and get the most out of the nose.
Saying that I must say that I love the craftmanship of Orrefors!
if you love craft beer you probably love craftmanship in any area (at least I do!)

Oh! I think I’m going far, far away from the beer review now!

Where was I....

Nose: Orange marmalade, citrus, caramel malt, grapefruit, pine, honey and syrup - A LOT of sweetness!
Taste: Orange marmalade again, orange zest, caramel, sweet caramel malt.
Mouth: Sweet, round, soft body. Bitter ending. Light to medium carbonation.

I like this beer but it’s too sweet for me (and I like sweet beers!)

May 21, 2016

vickersspitfire from Texas

3.44/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: crystal clear body that’s a light golden/ burnt orange color with no noticeable bubbles. The head is thick and frothy and there’s medium lacing around the glass.
Smell: grapefruit, lemon zest and mixed spices, mild apple and pine.
Taste: The hops are fresh, up front but not over powering. The grapefruit hits you first followed by the lemon zest and a little pepper too.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, smooth and creamy.
Overall: Not bad overall, this IPA is well worth the try.

Mar 22, 2016

tsmith1nu from Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I can't figure out when this beer was bottled but considering its brewed in CO and I am in NC and purchased it from a place that doesn't have the highest product turn over I am guessing that this beer isn't exactly fresh. With that being said i still think it a delicious beer. Would love to have this from the source. Has a great balance between the hops and a nice boozy flavor. Solid beer.

Nov 22, 2015

Hopine from Georgia

4.48/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is delicious. Deadly and delicious! It's actually sessionable at 10.00%, that means watch to out. I loved this beer nut had to stop at one to save my dignity.
Dark orange in color and a sweet floral, citrus nose give this beer huge appeal. Add to that the light mouthfeel, lack of boozy aroma or taste and you have a delicious sessionable double. Get it if you can.

Oct 22, 2015

timontheroad from Colorado

3.81/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap at the Ska Brewery. Nice gold/Amber color, pretty minimal head,but nice lacing. The aroma was pretty malty, but had some hints of pine and citrus. The flavor was also pretty sweet and malty, with some light grapefruit and tropical fruit flavors. This beer was really full bodied, with just a hint of bitterness to tingle the tongue, and a touch of burn from the ABV. Overall, wish this beer was a little more balanced, expected more hops from an Imperial IPA.

Jul 30, 2015

Sobered from Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Decent enough, but nothing special. I'm a hophead, and this simply isn't enough for a high mark for me. The ABV and packaging are a nice touch, admittedly. Overall, it is a well balanced beer, but I prefer less balance and more hops.

Jul 19, 2015

stevenreinard

3.79/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Overall, it seems like this imperial fulfills the needs of anyone who enjoys IPA brews. It has a great hoppy nose and a small note of fruit is mixed in with it, but upon the first sip, it seems more mild and bland than expected. The flavor is good, but not grand. When the word decadent comes to mind, this falls short. It is a good, smooth, drinkable beer and deserving of the marks I have given it. Is it a great beer? Not so much.

Mar 11, 2015