Hop2 Double IPA

Thanks to Justen Parris for giving me this beer last week. Tasted following another 10 miler through Davenport. Enjoyed with pita chips made from Great Rivers 483 pale ale yeast and re-used/half mashed red wheat grains that were re-baked and blended into flour. At first I was unimpressed with Millstreams beer selection because in the summer Jen and I had bought a craft pack that ONLY contained different variants of wheat beers. Lets see a change in variety...

Appearance: Strong stick off white head that is incredibly sustained with varying peaks and sticky lacing along the sides of the glass. The beer itself contributes a rubied color with semi clarity and some bubbled carbonation within. Lacing looks Styrofoamy and crystallized from drying out.

Aroma: Strong malt bill with a resinous fruit hop character to accommodate. Some vinous elements to it along with plum, raisin and grape when combined with a toasted biscuity malt that boasts a large profile in the aroma. Subtle herbal undertones and spicing. Pine and woody bittering scent. Quite earthy.

Taste: Huge malt profile at the front making for a necessity in hopage to balance. The sweetness consists of caramel and biscuit malt with a hint of dark fruit by the midtaste where the sweetness meets bitterness. Bitterness is a bit spicy consisting in combination of pine and herbal flavors with earthy elements and some citrus notes. It leaves a rather sweet but dry flavor in the mouth for quite a while. Some grapefruit and orange elements incorporate themselves, but aren't dominating characters in the bittering half of the beer.
Mouthfeel: Large hefty body from the tremendous base malt. Similarly the mouthfeel is cloying in the aftertaste as it leaves a salvinous film to the roof of the mouth. It is also tacky to the lips. Carbonation is medium as it micro fizzes the tongue after a prolonged stagnation in the mouth. Very filling.
Overall Impression: Kind of on the sweeter side of an IPA including a huge body and a big malt profile. I think Millstream could have lightened the load, gone for more barrels without sacrificing the beer by leveling out the malt bill. It was just too big for an IPA.


80/100