Tree Brewing HopHead Double IPA
From the Brewery:
“With five different varieties of superior hops, Hop Head Double IPA (8.0% ABV) packs in the hoppy bitterness like no other. Similar to its award-winning, best-selling little brother, Hop Head IPA, Hop Head Double IPA also boasts citrus aromas and sweet malt undertones with a slightly darker, copper colour. This strong hops taste pairs well with a flavourful meal or sweet dessert.”
My initial impressions:
Pours with a very dense off-white head. Deep copper/orange color. Decent initial hop aroma, very grassy and piney. Not picking up the citrus boasted of by the brewery. Slight alcoholic/phenolic tinge to the aroma. Very malty body, as evidenced by the deep copper color. Bathes the tongue in a resiny mouthfeel. Again, lots of grass and pine, very little citrus if any. The aftertaste is not what I would expect from a DIPA. Not a lot of lingering hop bitterness, more of a metallic, briney taste that lingers for quite some time.
Like many Canadian IPA’s and Double IPA’s, it has a much more English character than a true “West Coast” IPA. Slightly sweet and malt heavy, with a body that doesn’t allow the hops to truly shine.
After all of the hype, including a Canadian Beer Award, I’m left decidedly underwhelmed.
Compared to most Canadian IPA’s and Double IPA’s it’s a strong effort. When compared to benchmarks like Central City Red Racer IPA (and it’s DIPA brother) and Phillips Amnesiac, this DIPA pales in comparison.
On a 1-100 scale I would rate Tree Brewing HopHead Double IPA no more than 86-88.
Not to say this is a bad beer, it’s just not what I’m looking for in my DIPA. If you want a turbocharged English IPA, this is your beer. If you’re looking for a West Coast style “Hop Bomb”, there are other alternatives.
Cheers,
Andy The Beerman
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[...] Andy The Beerman wrote about it as well. Read what he said here. [...]
Pingback by BC Beer: Tree Hop Head Double IPA « BC Beers | January 24, 2010 |
Really? Budweiser? If you had bothered to read my posts, you would know that Macro crap never passes my lips.
Just because the English invented the IPA style, doesn’t make their version the be-all and end-all. They also ‘invented’ the Russian Imperial Stout, but I can’t think of an English brewery today that makes a decent one. I never said it was traditional IPA was bad, I just said it wasn’t my preference.