The Beer Wrangler » Double IPA http://www.beerwrangler.com Beer reviews, styles, food pairings and more Thu, 15 Jul 2010 04:28:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Howe Sound Total Eclipse Of The Hop http://www.beerwrangler.com/howe-sound-total-eclipse-of-the-hop/ http://www.beerwrangler.com/howe-sound-total-eclipse-of-the-hop/#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 05:51:50 +0000 Wrangler http://www.beerwrangler.com/?p=1242

Wrangler Rating:

tankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpgtankard.jpg (Excellent)

Howe Sound’s Imperial IPA has a nice name that some of its younger drinkers might not get. I am not sure if Bonnie Tyler is a fan of this beer, but she should be. Imperial or double IPAs are usually a mouthful of hops with a hit of alcohol, but the brewers at Howe Sound have managed to brew in a style that the original creators of the IPA in the 18th Century would recognise and hopefully approve of.

This is a supremely well balanced beer that has 9o IBUs and 8% alcohol, but manages to be so drinkable, you could have two or three pints without any effort – quite an achievement for such a well flavoured and strong beer! The hops are very noticeable on the nose, and as there are six varieties it’s not surprising; the flavours that follow are a nice relief for those palates that are tired of naked hop explosions. The rich malt is there supporting all those hop flavours giving a balanced and very enjoyable beer. This is what a traditional IPA becomes when it is ‘Imperialised’, and for me achieves a great benchmark for the style.

*

ABV: 8%

Best Served: 9°C

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