545. Uinta Brewing – Crooked Line Detour Double India Pale Ale

Posted By kkozlen on Feb 27, 2013 | 0 comments

A few months ago I was in Seattle for work, and picked up a bunch of beers that I couldn’t get back here in Illinois to bring home in my suitcase. I hadn’t heard of this brewery before, or seen any of their beers, so I was excited to give it a try. However, I went to the liquor store the other day, and saw this beer on the shelf. I’m still excited to give it a try though. The bottle says, “ Detour blazes the trail for fresh and bold double IPAs. Four varieties of hops combine to step up the flavor profile. A happy adventure that finishes dry. Big in character. Venture to pair with other spirited flavors such as those found in spicy ethnic foods.” The date on the bottle is 4/20/12.

Location: Poured into a curved pint glass from the corked 750ml bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 9.5% ABV, 310 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s amber-reddish in color and pretty hazy. The head was huge, with soap-like bubble, and stuck around for a few minutes. The lacing it left on the glass was incredible. The aroma is a resinous piney hops with some earthy and citrusy hop smells in the background.

Taste & Feel: The body is full and the mouthfeel is very smooth and viscous, almost creamy. The flavor up front is a bready-malty base in the background with a citrusy hoppiness on top. In the middle, the citrusy hop flavor grows a bit and is joined by a mix of hop flavors ranging from pine, resin, floral, earthy, and citrusy. The citrusy and piney-resinous flavor come though even more in the finish, and last for a while in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: This is a very hoppy, big, flavorful beer and requires and equally flavorful meal to match. As I’v mentioned several times, I love pairing a big, hoppy IPA with a cheeseburger or a steak.

Overall Impression: There was a good mix of hoppy flavor and bitterness in this beer that reminds me a lot of Avery Maharaja. There was a good bready-malty base that was noticeable behind all this hoppiness. I also really liked the presentation of this beer, in a corked 750ml bottle, which makes it perfect to share with friends. Overall, this was a great beer, and I’m sure I’ll be picking up another bottle now that I can get it locally.

My Rating: