Spring Break
Brew's Clues: Drexel's #1 Beer Review
THIS WEEK: The American Double IPA
By: Dennis Mongello
Issue date: 8/10/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Originally published: 8/10/07 at 3:21 AM EST
Last update: 8/10/07 at 3:20 AM EST
Originally published: 8/10/07 at 3:21 AM EST
Last update: 8/10/07 at 3:20 AM EST
- Page 1 of 1
The American Double IPA (DIPA is truly a uniquely American style beer. It is a beer that represents the "bigger is better" mantra more than any other. Like America herself, it is based off an English style, the IPA, but it goes one better. There are more hops and much more alcohol. Even more American is the spirit in which Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale was first brewed.
You see a few years ago, the Lagunitas brewery was shut down for twenty days after an undercover narc saw that they were throwing parties at the brewery and selling marijuana. So, instead of dumping hops into the East Bay like our rebellious forefathers would have done, Tony Magee decided to brew a special bitter beer to let everyone taste the bitterness about this shutdown that passing time has not erased. Thus we have this week's brew.
The first thing I noticed about this was the label. It is busy but very well designed. It gives a nice biased account of the history of this particular beer and the incident around its creation, referred to as the "2005 St. Patrick's Day Massacre." This account reads like a memoir from a patsy in a film noir. It has great quotes like "Ale is thicker than even blood" and "Here come the bastards… Here they come…" It even lists the ABV as 9.29%, the original gravity as "unforgiven" and the IBU as "unrepentant." Of course, you don't care about the label. You just care about the beer, don't you?
Well, the beer pours a beautiful rich copper with a two finger thick pillowy white head, which dissipates into an overly apparent lacing. Honestly, this is one of the better looking beers out there. It has a robust hop aroma overpowering light, sweet floral notes. The alcohol is also quite prominent. It is a pleasant aroma though. It doesn't smell too boozy.
The taste is a little watered down. This is an American DIPA. The hoppy bitterness is supposed to be in your face like an American tourist going to England and asking a bobby why Scotland Yard isn't in, well, Scotland. Instead it's more like an American going to England and asking for some spotted dick with a straight face instead of giggling over the fact that that's what they eat for dessert over there.
This isn't to say the taste is bad; in fact, it is quite balanced overall. This is not supposed to be a balanced beer though. This is supposed to be a noticeably dry, bitter beer. That said, the alcohol is masked incredibly well and the beer drinks very smoothly. While the bitterness isn't there while you are drinking it, there is a bit of a slightly bitter aftertaste. The beer is also perfectly carbonated for its style. Honestly though, most regular IPA's are more full flavored, like Flying Fish's Hopfish IPA. This beer just lacks in flavor overall.
Everything about this beer is big but the taste. It represents a big defiant moment in the Lagunitas legacy. It has big alcohol content, good carbonation, a full, rich aroma and a great color. It even has a nice aftertaste, it's just the during taste is not up to par,. What can I say? That's the most important factor.
You see a few years ago, the Lagunitas brewery was shut down for twenty days after an undercover narc saw that they were throwing parties at the brewery and selling marijuana. So, instead of dumping hops into the East Bay like our rebellious forefathers would have done, Tony Magee decided to brew a special bitter beer to let everyone taste the bitterness about this shutdown that passing time has not erased. Thus we have this week's brew.
The first thing I noticed about this was the label. It is busy but very well designed. It gives a nice biased account of the history of this particular beer and the incident around its creation, referred to as the "2005 St. Patrick's Day Massacre." This account reads like a memoir from a patsy in a film noir. It has great quotes like "Ale is thicker than even blood" and "Here come the bastards… Here they come…" It even lists the ABV as 9.29%, the original gravity as "unforgiven" and the IBU as "unrepentant." Of course, you don't care about the label. You just care about the beer, don't you?
Well, the beer pours a beautiful rich copper with a two finger thick pillowy white head, which dissipates into an overly apparent lacing. Honestly, this is one of the better looking beers out there. It has a robust hop aroma overpowering light, sweet floral notes. The alcohol is also quite prominent. It is a pleasant aroma though. It doesn't smell too boozy.
The taste is a little watered down. This is an American DIPA. The hoppy bitterness is supposed to be in your face like an American tourist going to England and asking a bobby why Scotland Yard isn't in, well, Scotland. Instead it's more like an American going to England and asking for some spotted dick with a straight face instead of giggling over the fact that that's what they eat for dessert over there.
This isn't to say the taste is bad; in fact, it is quite balanced overall. This is not supposed to be a balanced beer though. This is supposed to be a noticeably dry, bitter beer. That said, the alcohol is masked incredibly well and the beer drinks very smoothly. While the bitterness isn't there while you are drinking it, there is a bit of a slightly bitter aftertaste. The beer is also perfectly carbonated for its style. Honestly though, most regular IPA's are more full flavored, like Flying Fish's Hopfish IPA. This beer just lacks in flavor overall.
Everything about this beer is big but the taste. It represents a big defiant moment in the Lagunitas legacy. It has big alcohol content, good carbonation, a full, rich aroma and a great color. It even has a nice aftertaste, it's just the during taste is not up to par,. What can I say? That's the most important factor.
