Sunday, July 3, 2011

Hops and malt and malt and hops and malt...

Here is a review of Anderson Valley Brewing Company Imperial IPA. This is a big beer. Not just big in your face hops, but a big balanced beer. That is a BBB in the world of TLA (three letter acronyms). Simply put, this beer is delicious. I would pair it up with some zesty cheese or spicy pulled pork or ribs. Anyway, here is the review:

8.7% abv. First made for the 20th anniversary of the brewery. Pours a deep and rich dark copper color with a big fluffy white head. Fresh cascade and centennial hop aroma with a fruity sweet smell to boot. Brewed with tons of malt to balance the hops that are added 20 times during the brewing process. This is all Imperial IPA, but it is very well balanced by all the malt. Sweet caramel backbone with flecks of honey and maybe even pineapple. Complex blending of flavors fade in and out. Spicy hop flavors build with each sip and add touches of pepper, pine, and herbs. More alcohol presence than expected, but this is a smooth and drinkable big beer. Bottle conditioning helps add to the complexity of this beer. Too bad this is a limited edition offering, I could get used to having this one around.

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