Review – Odyssey from Sly Fox

90 IBUs!

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According to the back of the can, Sly Fox has made “well over” 40 pales and IPAs using different hop combinations and varietals and Odyssey is the capstone to that project. An 8.4% ABV Imperial IPA.

It pours a dark orange color with fast swirling bubbles that quickly recede along with the head. I get a strong dried orange smell alongside some dankness.

It does taste Imperial. The slightly metallic bitterness is sharp at first then really sticks to the roof of the mouth. And it stays there. There is a touch of spice (maybe pepper) in the mix but that dried fruit aroma is mirrored in the taste too. Along with a tiny hint of lemon.

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This is certainly one of the happier East Coast IPAs that I have encountered.

Review – Molten Lava from Double Mountain

9% and 90 BU’s in this Imperial IPA from Double Mountain that is new to L.A. This is the “embiggened” version of Hop Lava and it is hot.

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That heat is a slight burn of both hop bitterness and that ABV. The aroma is a mixture of dried tropical fruit and the bad sounding but not always bad, cat pee with a tinge of white wine barrel.

It pours a burnished orange color with lots of bubbles rising upward. Bitterness is strong but does fade out before it wears out its welcome. The end is quite dry and continues with the wine character. Plus a touch of dried orange and wheat.

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This is a unique Imperial that is more subtle than other muddled palate wreckers.

Review – Imperial IPA from Worthy Brewing

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Worthy Brewing has graced my ‘fridge (courtesy of my mother who found this in the PDX airport) on two occasions now and both have been pretty good and I would certainly pick the Imperial IPA again. It has lots of citrus taste but with a twist. Tangerine is dominant to me but it is more dried fruit notes. And it is not too heavy for an imperial which usually clock in much higher and put you under the table.  I also noticed a background of mango and stone fruit as well which again is usually masked by more bitterness than you find here.

Can’t wait to have more from their line in the future.

 

A Hitch in my Giddy Up

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Hands down winner of best beer label design and also winner of (the probably) most costly label award to (for cutting out the arrows) are from Crux Fermentation Project and another cool label is ready for the Mosaic IPA (imperialized) which they describe as….”Hops climb up twine that’s just loosely tied to the trellis with a half hitch knot— and this Imperial IPA is just loosely tied to tradition. The Mosaic hop imparts surprisingly floral aromas instead of the more expected grapefruit-y notes. On the palate, complex layers of flavors might remind you of guava, mango, stone fruit and lemon, unraveling your idea of what an Imperial IPA should be.”