Long Trail Double IPA
The last beer I had from Long Trail’s Brewmaster Series line was their Imperial Porter, which I actually just happened to be enjoying last night, as well. That porter is unlike any other porter I’ve had — it’s strong hoppy character is a pleasant surprise each time I have it.
Would this Double IPA be just as unique in terms of its own style?
Sadly, no. But, while this Double IPA is not terribly unique, it’s still a hell of an excellent beer.
Brewed with a combination of Chinook and Cascade, the beer is well rounded despite weighing in at 8.6% ABV and 86 IBU. The hop varietiess give the beer a floral nose and pleasant fruit character with just the right amount of bitterness. As far as imperial IPAs go, this one may not challenge the throne as my favorite, but it’s right up there.
Love the glow to this beer.
Appearance
The brew sits in the glass with a slightly hazy golden color and a light, yellow-tinted cap that faded to an impressive bit of lacing.
Aroma
Grassy, piny, floral hops fill the nose with hints of light citrus and honey. It smells damn good.
Taste
Wow. I’m amazed that there are just two hop varieties in this brew. It packs a punch! A medium bodied mouthfeel smoothly pushes tropical citrus across the tongue toward a moderate hop bitterness in the finish. Hints of grass, pine and honey come together with a mild malt sweetness for a well balanced brew that was both refreshing and easy drinking despite the higher ABV. It’s a big beer for sure, but it goes down so well.
Overall
It seems (aside from the recent single hop trend) that brewers are throwing a greater combination of hops — several varieties for bittering, several for dry hopping — at their larger ABV IPAs in order to out do one another and appease an ever growing demand for more and more hops.
This Long Trail Double IPA, however, is a prime example of going the opposite direction. It’s a solid case for what can be done with just a couple of hop species. There’s a great balance between those hops and a solid malt backbone that really goes to show what Long Trail is capable of producing with this Brewmaster Series. So far, with the Imperial Porter, they are two for two in the series. I must get more of this IPA.
Rating: 4.25/5