Heady Topper IIPA

Heady Topper
The Alchemist Pub & Brewery
Waterbury, Vermont
8.00% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C: Clear as can be
H: Liquiddddd Golddddddd
N: Loving the Citrus Hop Notes on this, hints of pine, and sweet sugar

The Ferm: Well this was a beer I was hunting down for a long long time. The Alchemist is a small brew pub in Vermont. As most of you know, I hold a special place in my heart for breweries out of Vermont. The Cerveza Chica and I spent our honeymoon 3 years ago, almost to date, up in Vermont doing brewery tours.

Heady Topper was just placed in cans as well, and we all know how much I love a craft beer in a can. This beer specifically did extremely well out of the can. The beer was super fresh. Citrus hops shine in this 8% beauty. Hints of pine and caramel dance on the back of the palate. Overall a great beer, and one I will happily search out again.

Ohh yeah and like the can reads; "Don't be a D-Bag, recycle this can"

Big thanks to Seth for sharing this treat with me.

Pick it up off the shelf (if you live in VT)? OHH YEAH!

Note: Some have asked me where the ratings are for my posts....well lets see if you start to see a pattern in my reviews. ;)

Apocalypse Cow

Apocalypse Cow
Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Munster, IN
9.50% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C. Liquid GOLLDDDDD
H. Slightly Hazy
N. Floral Hops, Light Citrus, Grapefruit, Hints of Sugary Sweetness

The Ferm: Big thanks to EvilTwin for landing a bottle of this and sharing it with me. This beer was one that I have wanted to try for a very long time.
It is an Imperial IPA brewed with lactose to add some additional sweetness. The nose of this beer brought me back to the beginnings of my quest for the best IPA. I remember pulling all kinds of crazy citrus odors from the beers, and loving every second of it. While this beer wasn't quite as hoppy as I would have liked, I have to say the flavor of it was extremely well balanced. If I was to have reviewed this beer early on I have a feeling it would be a near perfect score. The beer's taste has a strong hop presence, followed by nice malt notes, and then like a slap upside the head an unexpected sweetness (HELLLOOO LACTOSE!). I will try to get this again!

Score: 4.20

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

Hoptimum
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Chico, California
10.40% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C: Clear
H: Amber-ish in color
N: Strong floral and earthy hop qualities. A hint of sweetness is also present (I assume the malt build).

The Ferm: So far the coolest label this year has to go to the boys in Chico California. Typically Sierra Nevada is boring with their marketing and labels. Hey what works for them works. They are one of the largest craft breweries to date, and they put out some damn fine beers. Hoptimum is a bit of a different story though. Just look at the label art....How Cool!
OK, well the label can help sell the beer but the taste will be what brings people back. It is the season of Imperial IPAs first it was HopSlam & Nugget Nector, then it was Hoptimum and Pliny the Younger. All are amazing (haven't had PtY yet, but I can imagine) but they are all different. So without trying to compare Hoptimum directly to the other three that I have had....yeah that won't happen.
Hoptimum unlike Nugget Nector and Hop Slam seems to be more earthy hop bitterness in the aroma and taste. Very piney and viscous, not nearly as sweet as HopSlam (which I like) and not as malty as Nugget Nector (which I like as well). At 10.4% this beer will kick you on your ass, as it only comes in bombers, and the 12oz. bottles would be a perfect severing of this beer.
Overall a very well brewed beer with a kick ass label.

Score: 4.752

Bell's Hopslam Ale 2011

HopSlam
Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Kalamazoo, Michigan
10.00% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C: Clear
H: Golden Yellow/Light Amber in Color
N: TONS of Hop Citrus Notes, Hints of Honey, Very Faint Pineapple?

The Ferm: Well I think I struck gold! I have a six pack of this beer in South Florida! WOW!
Can you sense my sarcasm?
I just visited a local liquor store to see if they received their shipment as I would like to have some more of this fine beer, and I was laughed at. Yes, a customer laughed at by a manager of a very large liquor store chain.

OK, lets get one thing down....this is a VERY GOOD IIPA, in fact a GREAT IIPA. Last year I think I even threw a 5/5 to this beer. Is it that good....well pretty damn close. This years version seems to have a stronger honey/malt backing to it. The hop aroma is strong and present but is not as potent as last years batch.

What really gets me is that people in South Florida and all over the US are going crazy over this beer. Really?!? OK, this is a good beer again, but this is not Pliney the Younger....this beer is nationally distributed (or atleast close to it), and is just hard to get. Once good thing to the "craze" of this beer is that people will hopefully drink this limited release fresh, as it does not do well with age.

Overall, welcome to really the first edition of "Beer Hype" in South Florida. It's a DAMN good beer, grab it while you can, if you can. But please don't get into a fight with someone in a local store over a six pack. There are many other Imperial IPA's that you can pick up year round that are as good if not better. And remember DRINK IT FRESH!!!

Score: 4.956

Terrapin Hopzilla

Side Project 12: Hopzilla
Terrapin Beer Company
Athens, Georgia
10.80% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C: Pale Orange in Color
H: Cloudy
N: Tons of Citrus (Grapefruit & Orange), Some Sweet Hard Candy Hints = HEAVEN IN A BOTTLE FOR AN IPA LOVER!

The Ferm: Well I was lucky enough to share a bottle of this with several of my beer buddies, and I was glad I did. Why?! Well in my experience Terrapin does a fantastic job with big malt forward beers the IPA has not been their strong point though. Hopsecutioner was a good beer, but nothing to write home about. "The Zilla" is something completely different. YEP, I KNOW IT'S AN IMPERIAL!
Well the fact of the matter is that you have to be able to make a good base IPA to make a good Imperial IPA. Sometime you can get lucky and strike Gold with an Imperial without the other.
I do not think Terrapin got lucky on this beer, I just think this is more of the lines that they were looking for out of their base IPA.
The beer is filled with Hop Aroma, and taste characters, though the beer is not hop bitter. The malt backing is strong and solid. This honestly is one of the better IIPA's that I have had. Perfectly balanced! Please make this a seasonal!
Score: 4.6032

BTW Please Don't forget to sign the petition to Save the Cigar City Tasting Room! http://dosbeerigos.com/sign-the-cigar-city-online-petition

AleSmith YuleSmith (Summer)

YuleSmith (Summer)
AleSmith Brewing Company
San Diego, CA
8.50% ABV
Style: Imperial IPA

C: Cloudy
H: Yellow/Gold
N: Sweet Honey, Fruity-Hops, Hint of Caramel

Eduardo: This beer looks like it was an old Christmas beer since it is labeled holiday. However the holiday it is apparently referring to is the 4th of July.
Wow. Impressive carbonation. I’m not sure I’m going to be in the majority here but I get vanilla yogurt here. That’s not a bad thing.
Nice balance. Very smooth. Nice fruity hopiness presence.
Very dangerously drinkable at 8.5%
Drink fresh if you can get one.
Score: 4.43

The Ferm: Big thanks to Eduardo for sharing this bad boy.....Christmas Beer...NOPE! This is the Summer Version of the beer that does have a Winter Sibling.
The Beer poured with a ton of carbonation, in fact it was almost too much carbonation for an Imperial IPA. Regardless of the amount of head that came out on a "proper pour", the nose was dominated by sweet hops, sweet citrus fruits punch you in the face, and then laugh at you as they do not settle down. The flavor follows right through, and is a pleasant blend of citrus hops, light malt build that balances well with the sweetness. Fantastic Imperial IPA. This is a GREAT SUMMER IIPA. Drink now though!
Score: 4.41

Overall: 4.42

Mikkeller I Beat U

I Beat U
Mikkeller
Denmark
ABV 9.75%
Style: Imperial IPA

C: Clear
H: Golden Amber
N: SUPER Hoppy Citrus Notes, Sweet Malt....Honey

KirkDiggler:
A: Poured golden amber with an off white foamy head w/ quick dissipation.
A: Sweet malts upfront (honey) with a medium herbal hop aroma.
F: Same as the aroma. I think this beer was pretty straightforward: honey malt sweetness with accompanying herbal hop bitterness. The balance is pretty equal between the two, when the hops IMO should be the dominant factor in a IIPA.
M: Drinks smooth but lacking carbonation. Medium across: body, carb, and mouthfeel. No creaminess or alcohol warmth.
O: This is a tasty drinkable IIPA, but minor flaws in regards to malt and hop balance and carbonation / lacing. I think the hops were balanced with the malt rather than the focus of the beer. I'm glad I got to try it but probably would not purchase again or recommend for cellaring.
Score 3.40

The Ferm: Toss your head in a hop bag and enjoy this cleverly named beer I Beat U....get it I.B.U.! That Mikkeller, he is a smart one! The beer is a hop mess.....straight hop bitterness. Luckily there is a good malt build to the back end that does not allow the beer to be hop-dimensional flavor wise. The malt build brings some nice hints of honey which pairs fantastic with the INSANE amount of hops in this beer.
Compared to the 1,000 IBU from Mikkeller, this beer is better IMO. Then again what do I really know?!?!
Score: 3.61

Overall: 3.505

Smuttynose Big A IPA

Big A IPA
Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Portsmouth, NH (USA)
9.60% ABV

C. Slightly Hazy
H. Dark Orange/Light Amber in Color
N. Hops, Hops and More Hops. Citus, Floral, Piney, and Some Honey Notes

El Guapo; Damn, I have a hard time reviewing some IPA's... unless they stand out like my favorites (Maharaja, Hopslam, CCB Humidor, Pliny, Gubna, etc), they tend to be hard for me to really describe... sure they are hop forward, but what else?
anyways, I don't remember much about this beer, but according to my notes I thought the nose was a bit boozy and a little sweet. Of course hops dominated with some citrusy and lemony notes to it... maybe a little grassy. The beer was hoppy but still balanced by some sweetness. It wasn't anything special... It did not stand out and I have no clue what else to say about this beer. I think I am kind of picky with my IPA's and double IPA's. I know what I want and many don't impress me anymore. Oh well, I've been spoiled by some amazing IPA's I guess...
Score: 3

The Ferm; First I will ask the question, what is the deal with the guy wearing underwear on this bottle? Anyone else get mildly turned off by this? Like when your shopping for beer and looking for something new, you would be like "ohh hey look a man in underwear on a bottle...lets buy this one!" I have talked about Smuttynose's labels before and how I thought they all looked like Stone Temple Pilot Album Covers. This one is just odd.
The beer inside was good, but not great. It seemed like a straight forward IPA, there was a nice hop presence with a solid malt backing. The 9.6% ABV was hidden well in this one though....maybe that's what the guy is smuggling in his underwear...(sorry that was bad, and I will even admit it). Thing is with IPA's its really show up big or go home. Average just won't cut it. I think it is time for Big A to go home and put some pants on.
Score: 2.60

Overall: 2.8