285. Hill Farmstead Double Citra

This is a the only beer I have had from Hill Farmstead's single hop series. In this series they bitter, flavor and dry hop the beer with a single type of hop. It would be very interesting to taste the entire series to see how the hop varieties change the aroma and flavor of the beer. The series includes both single and double IPAs.

This is a double IPA which again is my favorite style of beer and the citra hops give it tons of citrus aromas. Taste has a bit of sweet malts in the beginning that quickly give way to loads of citrus and grapefruit or pineapple flavors. Taste is crisp and clean, very easy to drink for a double IPA and very enjoyable. You truly cannot go wrong with Hill Farmstead beer. 
Pros: Everything 
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 8.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead
Brewers Description: An American Imperial Pale Ale bittered, flavored, and dry hopped exclusively with Citra hops from the American Pacific Northwest. 8% abv.

283. Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude #4

Another superb beer from Hill Farmstead. Everything about the beer from this brewery is as close to perfect as I have found. Every beer is different but still has the huge aroma, beautiful color, unfiltered look and amazing taste. 

This is a double IPA which happens to be my favorite style of beer and as you can see has a bright orange color, thick white head and just looks amazing in the stem glass that I purchased from the brewery. Lots of citrus and tropical fruits in the aroma and a bit of pine. Flavor follows with loads of hops and a hint of  sweetness. This beer has an excellent feel to it and is very drinkable for an 8% ABV double IPA. Only one more bottle of Hill Farmstead left but I am planning another trip to Vermont in a couple of months. Will be stocking up again and looking forward to anything new from Hill in the coming months. 

Pros: Everything 

Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 8.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Hill Farmstead
Brewers Description: Our experimental Double IPA experience continues. Hybrid Imperial IPA... Think Double Citra Meets Double Galaxy.

282. Zero Gravity Ale Communication

This is an interesting beer from Zero Gravity which is part of the American Flatbread family in Burlington, VT. On my recent trip to Vermont we had lunch at American Flatbread, had several of the beers that were available and ultimately left with a growler of their Ale Communication double IPA.


This is a big beer even though the ABV is only 7.3%. Pours a deep orange with a thick off white head. Aroma of pine resin and a bit of sweet malt. Unlike many other big IPAs there is almost no citrus or tropical fruit smell coming from this one. Taste is quite complex and follows the nose with lots of pine resin hops and a nice kick of sweet malts. This one finished somewhere between a double IPA and a barley wine as the hop presence is almost lost in the power of this beer. I was surprised as the ABV is lower than many other hoppy double IPAs but the taste is much more complex. A very good beer from Zero Gravity. 
Pros: Complex flavor
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 7.3% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): Lots
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Zero Gravity

Brewers Description: None

259. Smuttynose Big A IPA

After my very poor choice with the Hopnotic IPA in the prior post I needed to find something good so I turned to Smuttynose. Some brewers simply brew great beer and you know going in the beer will be a good representation of the style, using quality ingredients and be consistently good. Smuttynose is one of those breweries.


The Big A IPA is their double/imperial IPA and it does not disappoint. Great orange color with thin white head. Lots of grapefruit in the smell with some malt sweetness as well. Taste is excellent with more grapefruit and citrus hops well balanced with some sweet caramel malts. I had no idea this was a 9.7% ABV beer until I went to their website to grab the data for the blog, no alcohol taste or burn. 


A very good beer and easier to find than many of the rare big IPAs.
Pros: Hop taste, well balanced
Cons: 
Alcohol Content: 9.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 120
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Smuttynose

Brewers Description: Ever since Stash Wojciechowski, the “Killer Kielbasa,” created this Imperial IPA for our Big Beer Series, Big A IPA has gotten a lot of attention. Lauded by the New York Times and Men's Journal Magazine, it’s been one of the most talked-about beers around. Brewed in very small quantities, it has also been one of the hardest-to-find. Until now.

Big A IPA has everything you’d want in an India Pale Ale, only more: more hops, more malt & more flavor. Na zdrowie!

241. Widmer Brothers Nelson Imperial IPA

Picked this one up at RSVP a couple of weeks ago and was not sure where the name Nelson Imperial IPA came from. Assumed it was named after the brewer but in fact it is named after a variety of hop from New Zealand.


Beer pours a dark orange almost amber color with a nice white head. Lots of grapefruit and citrus aromas coming from this one. The taste is all hops to start but evened out nicely by the sweet malts Complex flavor which changes a bit as the beer warms. Easy to drink for the amount of alcohol in and leaves little to no aftertaste. Very well done. 
Pros: Complex flavor

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 8.6% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 70Rating:
Brewers Website: Widmer Brothers

Brewers Description: Take your taste buds on a journey to the far side of the world. New Zealand's legendary Nelson Sauvin hop gives us a powerful hoppy character, but none of the heaviness you sometimes find in imperials IPAs. The result is a big brew with a sweet, malty character that perfectly balances the intense hop aroma and flavor.

235. Alameda Brewing Yellow Wolf Imperial IPA

This is the last of the Imperial IPAs from my LetsPour.com order. If you have not checked out their site yet you should. Lots of great West Coast brews at reasonable prices and free shipping when you order 6 or more bottle. I have placed 2 orders with them already and both arrived quickly, well packed and the beer was top quality. I really enjoyed the 6-Imperial/Double IPAs from my first order. All from brewers I would not otherwise be able to get in Maine.


This was probably my least favorite of the 6 but still a quality beer. Pours an unfiltered orange with solid white head. Picture is a good representation of the beer's color. Aroma is almost all hops; pine and fruity and very pleasant. Taste is just OK with some citrus notes that lingers. Beer is easy to drink for an 8.2% ABV beer and was certainly refreshing. Overall a quality beer but not up to the high standards of other West Coast Imperial IPAs.
Pros: Easy to drink

Cons: Mediocre taste

Alcohol Content: 8.2% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 103
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Alameda Brewing Co

Brewers Description: With over 100 IBUs Yellow Wolf has enough eye-popping intensity to satisfy even the most ardent hopheads. It has bright piney nose and light golden color. We suggest pairing it with sunshine.

234. Stone Ruination IPA

I had this beer on tap a few weeks at Ebenezer's Pub and really enjoyed it. Came across a bottle at a local store and decided I should have it again. Very little change from having it on tap so it still gets high marks from me. 

Pour is a nice orange with two finger white head. Tons of aromas coming from this one; mostly hops - pine, tropical fruit and only a hint of sweet malts. Taste mirrors the smell with the sweet malts up front and then the hops kick in and do no stop. Loads of fruity hop flavors here and a nice dry finish which only makes you want more. Alcohol content is hidden well in the complexity of the beer. This is a very easy to drink DIPA with an alcohol content that is not overpowering.  Stone did an excellent job with this one and I would recommend anyone give it a try. 

Pros: Well balanced with lots of hops

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 7.7% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 100+
Rating:  

Brewers Website: Stone

Brewers Description: So called because of the "ruinous" effect on your palate! This massive hop monster has a wonderfully delicious and intensely bitter flavor on a refreshing malt base. One taste and you can easily see why we call this brew "a liquid poem to the glory of the hop!" Those who seek, crave and rejoice in beers with big, bold, bitter character will find true nirvana in Stone Ruination IPA!

232. Sixpoint Resin

This is my first beer from Sixpoint and it was a good place to start. They have a very uniquely styled can - very tall and thin sold in 4-pack boxes. They also have a very interesting website (see link below) including videos for their beers - Sixpoint Resin Video here. 

Beer pours a nice deep red color with impressive head that leaves a lot of lacing on the glass. Smells mostly of pine but some citrus and sweet malts. Taste is what I would expect from the aroma, pine hops, sweet malts and some grapefruit. Easy to drink for a 9.1% ABV beer. This will not be the last beer I drink by Sixpoint. 

Pros: Easy to drink - lots of flavor - well balanced

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 9.1% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 103
Rating:  
Brewers Website: Sixpoint

Brewers Description: Whatever flames upon the night. Man's own resinous heart has fed. A beer that celebrates the extraction of hop resin for a concentrated yet balanced brew. 

229. Marshall Wharf Cant Dog Imperial IPA

I tried a beer from Marshall Wharf a few weeks ago at Frontier in Brunswick and since then I have been trying to find a way to get to brewery for a growler. I had a meeting in Camden last week and took the extra few minutes to get to Belfast. Fortunately my timing was good and I caught someone in the brewery as they are not usually open on Wednesday. I decided to get a growler of Cant Dog Imperial IPA as I like big IPAs.

The growler is one of the nicest I have purchased with the logo on the front and an About the Brewery on the back. The beer was a bit disappointing. Actually I should be more specific the beer was not bad but it certainly did not look, smell or taste like a double IPA.

Back of Growler

Color is very dark for an IPA and certainly not the normal bright orange you see in most. Aroma was minimal but had some sweet malts but almost no hop aroma which was a bit surprising. Taste followed with lots of malt, a fair amount of alcohol and a slight bite towards the end. Again no citrus, pine or floral tastes you typically get with IPAs. The first day I tried this I thought maybe something I ate was throwing off my palate so I tried again the next day and the next and it was the same. 

Overall this was not a bad beer but I had to give it a fairly low rating as it does not compare well with the other double IPAs I have reviewed. Marshall Wharf will be canning their beers this summer and I look forward to trying more from them. 

Pros: Strong

Cons: Lack of hops 

Alcohol Content: 10% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 

 Brewers Website: Marshall Wharf

Brewers Description: This beer is the one beer that our brewers and I would take to that mythical deserted island if we could only bring one Marshall Wharf beer. Huge malt backbone matched with huge amounts of hops.