Epic Brewing Imperial IPA
Utah-based Epic Brewing has a higher end arena of releases they call the Exponential Series. It’s a limited run of beers that are, like most limited runs, bigger and bolder than their flagship products. This particular Imperial IPA, originally brewed in November of last year was spotted on the shelves of my local shop early last month (I’m playing catch-up on a few older reviews again) and enjoyed a few days later.
Weighing in at 9.5% ABV the brew is crafted with a blend of Columbus, Simcoe, Centennial, and Amarillo hops to provide a floral nose and a fairly complex palate. I wish I had found this brew earlier when it was a bit more fresh, but the hop character after five months in the bottle still packed a pretty solid punch.
Appearance
Crystal clear golden amber in color this IPA sits in the glass with a large, rocky head that was off-white in color (with the slightest orange tinge).
Aroma
For a brew that’s not particularly “fresh,” it still packs a massive amount of floral hops. There is a huge hop component on the nose that is heavy with grapefruit, a little grassy and a bit spicy.
Taste
Spicy, piny hops with a large citrus backbone fill the mouth with an up-front demeanor. There’s a solid sweetness to the beer up front that transitions maddeningly slow to a lingering hop bitterness. The brew is a bit viscous as is the nature with larger bodied IPAs of this nature. There’s also a good deal of alcohol in the finish that’s a little warming.
Overall
I loved the floral nature to this beer’s aroma, but felt it didn’t quite live up to that promise once I started drinking. The piny nature of the hops really came out more while drinking and I enjoyed that earthy aspect to the brew. I’d really like to try this one a bit closer to its bottling date, but as far as big IPAs go, this one was pretty darn tasty.
Rating:4/5