Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
A 350ml bottle with a BB of Sept 2012. Purchased recently at Waitrose - a new addition to their beer line-up. Poured into a Duvel chalice. A hazy orange-amber colour with medium carbonation. Yields a large head of white foam that lasts for a few minutes before subsiding to a surface layer. An intense hoppy aroma with notes of grapefruit, citrus and pine, accompanied by a background whiff of alcohol. Tastes intensely hoppy with a overpowering bitter finish. Notes of tropical fruits, citrus and pine underpinned by a barely discernible malt backbone. A flavour like refreshers (a fizzy sherbert sweet from the UK), and a hint of booze upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, prickly and spicy - a very astringent brew that dries the palate. Very bitter aromatic hop aftertaste. Intense - this one knocks you for six. I've tried it before on tap, but it's more bitter than I remember - powerful stuff. Tons of aroma and flavour, but the bitterness is almost too much and drowns out some of the other flavour components. Nonetheless, I like my hops so it gets a thumbs up from me. A well-crafted American IPA.