Posted By kkozlen on Feb 25, 2012 | 1 comment

As I mentioned in my last couple posts, we’re in Indianapolis, Indiana for my wife’s birthday.  She wanted to take the kids on a roadtrip to the Children’s Museum here.  Before heading to the museum, we stopped at a local pizza joint – Bazbeaux’s Pizza – for a pizza and a couple of local brews.  I started with the Upland Dragonfly IPA and she and I shared the Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale.  As we finished up the pizza, I decided to go for the Double Dragonfly they had on tap before heading into kiddie craziness at the museum.

Location: Enjoyed a pint glass of the draft beer, at Bazbeaux Pizza in downtown Indianapolis, IN.

Numbers: 9.1% ABV, 80 IBUs, 22 SG, 11.7 SRM, ~ 297 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s slightly hazy and has a dark copper/amber color.  It’s also got a soapy/foamy head on it that almost looks like it was poured from the cask.  There’s a bit of an earthy hop aroma with hints of citrus and floral hops.

Taste & Feel: The mouthfeel is fairly creamy, thanks to the foamy head, and the body is full.  There was a little bit of caramel malt flavor up front, but very quickly, an earthy and spicy hop bitterness kicked in.  The earthy and slightly spicy hop bitterness grew in the finish, much like the Dragonfly IPA, but this one had a much more pronounced citrusy hop flavor, that lasted into the finish.  In the aftertaste, the citrusy hop flavor was strong, and lingered for quite a bit.

Food Pairing: One of the pizza’s we ordered had onions and basil on it, which went nicely with this beer.  I think the big bitterness this beer finishes with, needs something sweet (and maybe a bit salty) to help balance out the flavors a bit.  I think this could also be balanced nicely with a sweet summer salad with fruit and a nice vinegrette. 

Overall Impression: I enjoyed the front of this beer, with the caramel maltiness and earthy/slightly spicey hop bitterness.  I also enjoyed the start of the citrusy hops in the finish.  However, I think they went a bit overboard with the citrus hop addition, as it grew significantly in the finish and aftertaste.  I normally like big hop bombs, but there was something about the citrusy hops in the finish that made it a bit cloying.

My Rating: