I had first heard about this beer sometime last year and have been eagerly awaiting its arrival to my area.

Originally brewed with a limited release for Rogue Gallery in Portland, ME, Squall IPA is essentially an unfiltered, bottle-conditioned version of the brewery’s highly touted 90 Minute IPA . This year, however, the beer is seeing a much larger release which is why I was able to finally grab a couple of bottles.

Ideally, it would have been smart of me to have purchased a bottle of the standard 90 Minute IPA as well for a little side-by-side tasting. But, as you can see, I ain’t too bright. At any rate, I’m relying on memory and past notes to add comparisons between the two when I can.

Appearance

Squall pours pretty clear for an unfiltered beer. It’s copperish amber in color with a small white head that left some lacing on the glass.

Aroma

The dry hopping on the 90 Minute and Squall give both beers a big hop nose with plenty of pine and resin that mixes nicely with a slightly sweet malt presence. The Squally, however, has the added touch of a little yeast character to the aroma.

Taste

The biggest difference between the two beers can be found in the taste. It’s not a dramatic difference mind you. The Squall is much smoother on the palate with a bit more sweetness. The beer starts off sweet and malty with a light fruitiness before giving way to a more bitter and biting hop character. This medium bodied brew finishes with a slightly warming alcohol presence along with lingering hop bitterness.

Overall

I’m not entirely sure if I could pick a favorite between the two beers. The 90 Minute is definitely the more assertive of the two, but I do enjoy the yeast notes found in the Squall. Either way, you’re in for a treat if you’re into hoppier beer. I’ve got one remaining bottle that I’m hoping to set aside for some time — I’m hoping the bottle conditioning will allow this IPA to age gracefully. Only time will tell.

Rating: 3.5/5

Well, my stint with session brews was rather short-lived, wasn’t it.

It didn’t jump ship because I wanted something bigger (not that there’s anything wrong with that), it’s just that I ran out of sessionable beers and had to resort to something that would quench my thirst and desire for something truly hoppy on a hot, humid Summer day. Great Divide’s Hercules Double IPA was just such a beer.

Appearance

Hercules pours a clear amber with a one finger white head that clung to the glass nicely.

Aroma

Oh yeah. That’s just what I need. There is a good amount of piny hops in this beer with tinges of citrus and orange peel. There’s also a surprising bit of malt sweetness as the beer’s 10% ABV sits quietly in the background of the nose.

Taste

Super tasty beer. The hops are big and bitter with a very up front presence that starts off with some orange peel before transitioning to a more resinous pine characteristic. This a medium bodied beer with a slightly syrupy feel on the tongue as it makes its way to a biting, piny finish. The alcohol is hidden nicely in the beer, making for a deceptively drinkable beer.

Overall

My need for hops was quickly fulfilled with this big brew from Great Divide. The piny, citrus hops mixed perfectly with the more subtle sweet malts. Be careful with this one, the higher ABV will sneak up on you if you’re not prepared.

Rating: 4/5

For Immediate Release

San Diego, CA – April 8, 2010 – After the successful launch of Big Barrel Double IPA last October (my review here), Karl Strauss fans have been clamoring for more. As the first installment of the company’s 22oz Coastal Reserve Series, Big Barrel allowed people to experience the edgier side of Karl Strauss’ beer offerings. The spring version of Big Barrel will hit shelves across Southern California in early April.

“It was great to see people respond so positively to Big Barrel. This is a huge, hoppy beer with a quickly growing fan base,” says Brewmaster Paul Segura. Big Barrel Double IPA has earned a loyal following with solid “A” scores on popular beer rating websites BeerAdvocate.com and Ratebeer.com.

Big Barrel is a bold double IPA characterized by the use of New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops, known for their tropical fruit flavor and aroma. “It is interesting to see how the hop character changes with each batch we brew. Hop varietals can vary based on weather and soil conditions and this batch leans more towards an earthy fruitiness,” says Paul. The finished beer has an intensely hoppy nose with hints of mango, pine, grapefruit, and orange.

Big Barrel Double IPA comes in at 9.0% ABV and over 90 IBUS. A blend of Marris Otter and Caramel malts provide the perfect balance to the bitterness. Fermented with Chico yeast, this beer finishes smooth and dry with a pleasant, fruity bitterness.

A limited run of Big Barrel Double IPA will be available in 22oz bottles and on draft across Southern California in early April. Look for the next installment of the Coastal Reserve Series, Whistler Imperial Pils, in July. For more information and a video about Big Barrel Double IPA, visit www.karlstrauss.com.

Specs:
9.0% ABV
90 IBU
15.4 SRM

Label Copy:
“To kick off this series of intense hoppy beers, we wanted to go big. Imported New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops provide a vibrant tropical aroma that raises eyebrows and expectations. Aggressive amounts of Warrior and Ahtanum hops produce an assertive bitterness that stands out against a firm malt backbone. Balanced even at 90 IBUs, Big Barrel leaves a considerable first impression that serves as a prelude of things to come.”

Needing to fill a spot in the beer roster between their standard IPA and Maharaja (DIPA @ 10.58% ABV), Avery released this 8.5% ABV double IPA this past October. I’ve never had the brewery’s standard IPA, but I have had their bigger double IPA. It was a while ago, but I do recall Maharaja being one hell of a beer.

A complete comparison between the three beers is obviously not going to happen, so let’s focus on DuganA — perhaps I can get lucky enough in the future to procure all three for a side-by-side tasting.

Appearance

DuganA pours with a massive, off-white head that faded slowly to an excellent lacing. It’s a clear, golden amber in color.

Aroma

The nose is dominated by big hops and big grapefruit as one would expect. It’s quite aromatic with lots of resiny pine, peppery spices and light fruits (apricot and pear perhaps). The alcohol is also in the mix, but certainly not that overbearing.

Taste

Quite simply, DuganA is everything you would expect from a double IPA. It’s big and bold with plenty of hops, bitterness and all. Grapefruit is the primary fruit presence, but there is also a mix of lighter fruits in there, as well. The flavors are very immediate and full only faded to a strong, biting bitterness in the finish. For as big as this beer is in terms of alcohol, it’s well masked and doesn’t really show up until the beer begins to warm to room temperature.

Overall

For as hopped up as this beer is, it’s still quite drinkable — that is if you like yourself a healthy dose of bitter hops. I enjoyed this one and can see why the brewery felt the need to fill in the void within their roster, but if I’m personally going to get a double IPA, I’m going to find the biggest one the brewery has to offer. That said, I will most definitely buy this beer again.

Rating: 3.5/5

Normally, when I read marketing or press sheets describing a beer, I rarely if ever come away sensing the things I’m supposed to in the brew’s nose or taste. I usually pick up the basic characteristics of the beer, but rarely do I pickup all the nuances and tidbits — until now.

Appearance

Bid Barrel pours a light golden amber in color with a large fluffy head that faded nice and slowly.

Aroma

Much like the press sheet, this one is very aromatic with a large citrus presence and a wonderful hop resinous character. There’s also a light spice in there, but no real hint of the 9% ABV.

Taste

This double IPA is quite hoppy and bitter as you would expect. The hops carry a strong piny nature with an awesome dry, tart finish — not unlike the white wine notes marketed. There’s a bit of the alcohol warmth lingering in the finish, but it’s well masked by the hoppiness of the brew.

Overall

This is a very upfront brew. You know after the first sip exactly what’s in store for your palate. The hops dominate, but aren’t overly or brutally bitter. They carry a wonderful and natural pininess mingling with light citrus fruits. Now all I have to do is wait for it to make its way to the East coast and I’ll be snagging several bottles.

Rating: 4/5

While the ladies ran out to the store for some quick shopping, my father-in-law and I took advantage of the lull before the cooking began to split the beer — which was a good thing as the 9.25% ABV left us feeling quite mellow and “soft.”.

According to the label, the XXXX signifies the use of four hops and four malts in the brewing process. Had I enjoyed the entire bottle myself, it would have stood for something else entirely. The combination of the variety of hops (Cascade, Warrior, Summit and Glacier) along with the malts (Malted Wheat, Pale Ale, Crustal and Caramalt) left both of us enjoying a well balanced and enjoyable brew.

Appearance

The XXXX IPA pours a rich amber in color with a good sized, off-white head that faded to decent lacing.

Aroma

Initially the floral hops dominate the nose, but the malts make their way in at the end creating a well balanced aroma. There are subtle citrus notes from the hops as well as caramels from the malt, but they play well together. A light peppery spice also tickled the nose a bit.

Taste

Talk about a great ride. The hops hit up front quickly with a pleasant blend of light bitterness and citrus while the malts transition in for a smooth finish. There’s not much of a hop bitter dryness in the finish, but just enough to let you know they were there. The hop combination has a nice buttery and piny character, as well. The malts really come out nicely as the beer warms.

Overall

The folks at Shipyard have found the perfect blend of hops and malt to create one of the more balanced Double IPAs I’ve ever enjoyed. It’s not overly hoppy or bitter, but has just the right amount of punch in combination with the mellow, sweet malts. The higher alcohol level is well masked and will certainly sneak up on you as it did the both of us — it’s quite warming for an IPA.

Rating: 4/5