275. Destihl Restaurant & Brew Works – Hoperation Overload Double IPA

Posted By kkozlen on Feb 21, 2011 | 0 comments

I had a late afternoon doctor’s appointment and had to run some errands.  While running errands, I had remembered my friend Fred, the assistant brewmaster at Destihl, saying how much he liked this beer.  So, I decided to stop by.  Unexpectedly, I ran into Fred and his wife Heather, along with 4-5 other members of our homebrew club, the ABNormal Brewers.  Fred was there to unclog the lines which had filled with hop sediment, and the rest of us were there to try this beer.

Numbers: 8.5% ABV

Appearance & Aroma: It was slightly hazy and had a reddish/amber/copper color.  There were some soapy bubbles around the ring of the glass, but not what I would call a head.  However, there did appear to be a little bit of carbonation in it.  There was a grassy, earthy hop aroma with some citrus, which reminded me quite a bit of how Avery’s Maharaja smells.

Taste & Feel: The body was medium to full, and it had a lightly smooth mouthfeel.  The flavors up front were very sweet with a bit of a slightly honey-like bitterness up front.  In the middle and finish, the hop bitterness was extremely grapefruity and citrusy.  The citrusy hop bitterness stayed there in the finish, with a very slight alcohol warmth coming in my throat.

Food Pairing: This is a big, citrusy beer, and aside from Destihl’s Kobe beef burger, this would probably go well with one of their brick oven pizzas.  In particular, it might go well with a pizza with pineapple on it, making the citrusy flavors even more unique.  However, it might also go well with a pizza with lots of cheese, and perhaps goat cheese, adding a bit of creaminess to it.

Overall Impression: This was a very drinkable beer for a double IPA, and I probably wouldn’t have guess it to be so high in ABV with it’s smoothness.  The hops were fairly citrusy, but not cloying, and came in strong only at the finish.  There was a honey-like sweetness up front, making it smooth drinking, which reminded me a bit of Bell’s Hopslam with a different hop bill.  Overall, I thought this was a good beer.  Nice work Fred!

My Rating:

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