First off. Here is the story behind this hoppy Cigar City beer.
“This 60 IBU Caribbean-style IPA was brewed at the Cervezas del Sur Brewery in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The mango tree-lined streets of Ponce put us in a tropical mood and Hopped on the High Seas is the result of that Caribbean feeling. High Seas is a 7% ABV IPA dry-hopped exclusively with one variety of hop; 165 lbs of them in fact! And since we wanted to put this beer in our favorite container, the 12 oz can, a sea journey was required to get the beer back to Tampa for canning. We took the opportunity to add the dry-hops to the refrigerated shipping container prior to racking. Which means this beer truly was Hopped on the High Seas. As the beer made its way home, the gentle motion of the ocean worked to infuse the luscious aromatics of the hops. The result is big tropical aromas and flavors, light balancing malt backbone and a clean bitter finish.”
I will be reviewing the sixth different version….
- Batch #1: Simcoe
- Batch #2: Ahtanum
- Batch #3: Citra
- Batch #4: Experimental Hop #529 (I would love to see this one in my ‘fridge)
- Batch #5: Kohatu
- Batch #6: Calypso
It pours a clear and strong dark orange with tints of red to it. Quite a head on this one. Like a cloud. Leaves quite the chunky lace pattern on the glass.
My initial aroma is musty fruit leather. Citrus notes in the back. The flavor is powerful. It sits on the palate heavily. It is quite bitter but with an odd metallic note to it. It was canned on 3/14/14 so it is not super old. There is a slight jellied fruit taste at the beginning of the sip that fades into that big hop presence.
I would like to see this on a less aggressive base beer. Maybe a pale base with lighter malts to accentuate the dry hop. As it stands, it tastes more like a double IPA and the Calypso hop does not shine in the forefront. I would love to have gotten some tea and lime notes that that hop is known to sometimes impart.
