Hop Slayer Double IPA

Tasted Friday evening in Glenview with a home delivered pizza from D'agastino's. Reviewed following a 10 miler with 3 x mile pick-ups. Thanks to John, the brewer at Wild Onion for giving me a couple cans to review while we were at the Great Taste of the Midwest.

Appearance: Copper colored with a bit of a rubied hue. There is an evenly distributed haze which means the beer was unfiltered, preserving much of the hop and organic flavors. Head nicely sustained  and is off white with somewhat of a speckled lacing. Still looking.

Aroma: Tangerine and tropical citrus! Fruity smelling with citrusy undertone and herbal scent. Oranges and mellowed coriander. Big time fruity presence.

Taste: Very balanced. Malt backbone maintains a biscuity sweetness with even a vanilla earthy character Caramel and a robust citrus punch right at the finish of the beer that is prominent throughout finishing with a rich orange flavor. Pine comes through to me as the beer warms, but only to make me realize that it was present throughout. Zesty!

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a bit of carbonation at the end, good for a DIPA. Finish is dry but not overly resinous. Palatably textured and smooth tasting.

Overall Impression: Tasty! I like the unfiltered organic taste that this beer preserves, especially with the pine citrus alpha acids that collectively balance the malt profile. Well crafted. I think a lot of breweries could achieve something similar to this if they didn't waste their time filtering. Oh well.

92/100