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Last Monday night, I went to my homebrew club monthly meeting. I met up with my friend Travis, as I do most meetings, and he surprised me with a mixed six pack from his vacation to Virginia Beach. I’m extremely thankful, especially since almost all of the beers he brought me were big, flavorful brews.
The bottle says, “Our Imperial IPA is brewed to challenge the senses. The vibrant aroma rushes out of the glass with a blend of piney and tropical fruit notes. At first sip, this big beer yields a powerful bitterness, and continues with an aggressive hop flavor and character throughout. A strong, malty backbone balances this massively hopped beer. Our Leviathan Imperial IPA is loaded with big, juicy American hop character and balanced by a strong, multi-backbone. A massive hop profile dominates.”
Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 10% ABV, ~ 300 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s light copper in color and very clear, with a decent amount of carbonation in it. The head was thin, with just a creamy white layer across the top. The aroma is piney and juicyfruit-like.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is slightly creamy from the head, but has a bit of a bite from the carbonation and hoppiness. The flavor up front is sweet with a mix of honey and bready maltiness. In the middle, the honey sweetness becomes a bit more bitter and juicyfruit-like and is joined by some piney hop flavors. The piney hop flavors and bitterness grows and peaks in the finish, and lasts for a while in the aftertaste. After a few minutes, a gentle, pleasant alcohol warmth was detectable in my throat.
Food Pairing: This is a bigger beer with some sweetness and a good amount of piney and juicyfruit bitterness and flavor. With all the bitterness and hoppy flavors, this really needs something bold that can stand up to it. I’d go with a big juicy burger or steak on the grill on a night like this. Just for fun, I’d add some pepperjack cheese or seasoning to counteract the sweetness and hop flavors.
Overall Impression: There was no doubt this was a double IPA, with a good amount of body and sweetness and a huge hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness. I enjoyed the mix of piney and juicyfruit hop flavors and bitterness, along with the alcohol warming sensation as I drank it. Hopheads would definitely enjoy this beer, but it wouldn’t be so easy drinking for others. However, true to style, it was big with bold hoppiness. I certainly wouldn’t down one of these if someone wanted to bring me back some more. Thanks again to my friend Travis for giving me this one.
My Rating: 
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