Elysian Brewing Company Full Contact Imperial Hazy IPA

Posted on by Evan

This beer, brewed in Seattle, Washington, is Full Contact Imperial Hazy IPA. This beer is brewed by Elysian Brewing Company and comes in at 8.8% ABV. This big IPA has 2-Row, Malted Wheat, and Unsalted Wheat malts. This beer also has Centennial, Simcoe, Strata, and more. Elysian didn’t say what more is. But I think there may be Citra hops too. This IPA pours a yellow color with a two-finger white head. The aroma is fruity, citrusy, dank, boozy, and bitter. The taste is alcoholic, and fruity with tangerine and orange. There is a dankness to this beer with bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium. This beer finishes with a dank, bitter, citrus flavor. The aftertaste is bitter, orange/tangerine, and boozy. I found Full Contact to be average and not that strong. I would give it a C. It wasn’t bad, but nothing was memorable. I would pass on this beer next time. Please stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Redhook Ale Brewery Big Ballard Imperial IPA

Posted on by Evan

This beer from Seattle, Washington, is Big Ballard Imperial IPA. This IPA weighs 8.6% ABV. This IPA comes from Rehook Ale Brewery. It has malts that consist of Pale, Munich, and Carmel 40. It has hops such as Alchemy, Chinook, Cascade, HBC-431, Centennial, Mosaic, and Eureka. This big IPA pours a deep orange color with a slightly off-white two and quarter head that is slow to fade. The aroma is bitter. There also is slight caramel, sweetness, and dankness. The beer’s flavor is grass, bitter, hops, somewhat sweet, and citrus (grapefruit). The mouthfeel is full. Then this IPA finishes with a bitterness and a faint sweetness. Then you’ll get an aftertaste of hoppy, grassy, citrus, and bitter note. This IPA is a classic Imperial IPA. This beer gets a B-. This IPA is strong on alcohol. But that doesn’t dominate the flavor profile or take away from it. But you know it is 8.7%. It shows in the aftertaste. That does hold it back. I would recommend Big Ballard Imperial IPA. It was solid, tasty, and classic. Please stay safe, be kind, and remember to enjoy responsibly! 

NoDa Brewing Company Big Slurp Juicy Imperial IPA

Posted on by Evan

This beer Big Slurp is a juicy imperial IPA that is part of the Superior Lupulin Utilization Research Project, AKA Big Slurp (an acronym) from NoDa Brewing Company here in Charlotte, North Carolina. This IPA is 8.5% ABV. This IPA has Galaxy, Cascade, Ekuanot, and Centennial hops. This IPA also has tangerine and orange zest. This beer pours a hazy, juicy orange with a three-and-a-half finger white head. The head is slow to dissipate. The aroma is juicy with citrus orange, hoppy notes, and bitterness. The flavor doesn’t stay far from the smell. There are juicy citrus orange, tangerine, and bitter/hoppy flavors. This beer has a medium, soft mouthfeel. Then Big Slurp finishes with a juicy citrus flavor that is nicely bitter and pleasantly hoppy. Then you’ll come to an aftertaste of fresh orange soft tangerines. This beer is delicious. I give this beer an A. The overall flavor does pack a punch and lets you know that it’s 8.5% ABV. But it is flavorful and delicious. I highly recommend Big Slurp from NoDa Brewing Company. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

Oskar Blues Brewery Double Dale’s American Double India pale ale

Posted on by Evan

Double Dale’s came to me from a local grocery store, “build your own” mixed six-pack. This beer is an American Double India Pale Ale from Oskar Blues Brewery. This beer is a Double or Imperial version of the brewery’s Dale’s IPA. This IPA is 9% ABV. Oskar Blues has three locations of brewing. The original is over in Longmont, Colorado. There is another in Austin, Texas, and one near me in Brevard, North Carolina. This IPA probably came from Brevard. Thar is where most of the east coast beer of Oskar Blues comes out. This IPA pours a darker yellow with a five-finger white head. It slowly dissipates into nice lacing around the glass. The aroma is piney, dank, hoppy, and bitter. The flavor follows the nose with piney flavors and is smooth with light citrus. The mouthfeel is smooth and semi-full. Then this double IPA finishes bitter, hoppy, and piney. The aftertaste is smooth and bitter with nice hoppy notes. This IPA does not taste or drink like a 9% ABV beer. This beer has a delicious flavor. I give this an A. The piney notes are strong. You notice that piney flavor throughout. It’s good and one that I highly recommend. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

NoDa Brewing Company Fusion Series Vol. III with Passion Fruit

Posted on by Evan

A while back on this blog, I reviewed Vol. II from this NoDa Brewing Company Fusion Series. This beer is Vol. III with Passion Fruit, 9.4% ABV. This beer is an imperial, hazy IPA brewed here in Charlotte, North Carolina. This IPA pours a hazy yellow with a two-finger white steady head. The aroma is tropical (passion fruit) and bitter. The flavor or taste is tropical passion fruit, bitter/hoppy, and more alcoholic tasting than some imperial IPAs. It has a smoothness to it, along with a resting quality. The mouthfeel is on the fuller side, but I would say that it is fuller. Then this big IPA finishes with bitterness but is slightly smooth and tropical. The aftertaste is tropical with bitterness. This beer is tasty for high alcohol hazed IPA. I would recommend it! The overall beer flavor reminded me of a tropical orange juice if there is a thing. Please be kind, stay safe, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Southern Pines Brewing Company Open Toe Casket Imperial Black IPA

Posted on by Evan

This dark pint is from Southern Pines Brewing Company in Southern Pines, North Carolina. This beer is Open Toe Casket Imperial Black IPA, 9.3% ABV, and it has an IBU (International Bittering Unit) of 73. This dark IPA has Citra, Galaxy, and Zythos hops. Now you might be familiar with Citra and Galaxy hops if you are following Best Beer Blog here. Now Zythos, created by Hopunion LLC, is a proprietary hop blend created specifically with IPA’s in mind. It has citrus notes, pineapple, and pine. It is a Bittering and aroma type hop. This dark IPA pours a deep oil black with a tow finger steady beige head. The nose on this IPA is tropical with pine, bitterness, and lite roasted notes. It reminds me of a coffee grown in a more tropical climate. The taste is citrusy and fruity with a lite pine note. There is a nice amount of roasted flavors and bitter notes. The mouthfeel is s full. This IPA finishes with a bitter-roasted note. It also has a bit of citrus to it. Then this dark IPA gives you an aftertaste that is bitter and roasted with a citrus pine flavor. I found that as the beer rises in temperature, the bitter flavor becomes stronger, as does the alcohol. This IPA started good but went downhill halfway through the pint. This IPA barely gets a B- here. Halfway it becomes bold and bitter. But it’s okay. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers! 

NoDa Brewing Company Fusion Series Vol. II Imperial Hazy IPA with Grapefruit

Posted on by Evan

I was gifted this beer for my birthday, NoDa Brewing Fusion Series Vol. II Imperial Hazy IPA with grapefruit, 9.4% is part of a series, the first being Vol. I was with tangerine. This imperial IPA is with Centennial, Galaxy, Ekuanot, Cascade, and Azacca hops. It’s rested on grapefruit zest. This local IPA pours a bright hazy yellow with a two-finger fizzy off-white head. The aroma is citrusy with grapefruit, hoppy bitter notes. It has a citrusy grapefruit bitter hoppy flavor with pine notes. It has a thick mouthfeel. This IPA is a full-bodied imperial IPA. It has a bitter citrus finish, and that carries over to the aftertaste. That aftertaste is bitter and juicy. It lingers for a while. This beer is a big IPA and strong as well. NoDa Brewing Fusion Series Vol. II Imperial Hazy IPA with grapefruit is a B. It is bold and strong with a big juicy citrus flavor. I couldn’t see myself having more than one of these. Your tastebuds would get destroyed by the end of the second beer. But one was good. If you like this type of beer, then here’s a beer with your name on it. I’d try it. Please be kind, stay safe, and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Wilmington Brewing Company Tropical Frightening

Posted on by Evan

I am a sucker for blood orange. So when I saw Wilmington Brewing Company Tropical Frightening, 10% ABV, I had to get it. This is an imperial IPA with blood orange and raspberries. This big IPA pours a reddish blood orange color with a two-finger white head with great retention. It has a nice fruity sweetness from the blood orange faint raspberry. There is a little bitter hoppy note on the aroma too. The taste is sweet with blood orange and light raspberry. I also found a lithe bitter hoppy flavor that was masked by the fruity flavors, but it is there. The fruit flavors are on the thinker side but the mouthfeel has a medium fruity feel to it. Topical Frightening finishes with a fruity touch of blood orangey raspberry with a hint of bitterness. The aftertaste is blood orange sweet with bits of faint hop bitterness. I feel that the blood orange does give it a bittersweet flavor, and the raspberry keeps that from becoming too bitter and gives the sweetness a slight boost. Overall I liked Wilmington Brewing company Tropical Frightening, and I give it an A-. The label said raspberry and I got just a tiny bit. That is the only gripe I have with this imperial IPA. It’s worth a try. Please be kind, stay safe and enjoy responsibly! Cheers!