Stoudt's Double IPA (India Pale Ale)
Big thanks to NittanyBeerFan for this one. I have had great experiences with Stoudts so far, so I was looking forward to this one. Poured it into a pint glass... A: Pours a hazy light copper with some nice, very slow carbonation creeping up the glass. When held up to a light you cannot see through this, only mere shadows on the other side of the glass. This creates a big, fluffy, creamy eggshell white head that is extremely sticky and glues to the side of the glass. S: As I type this the glass is a good two feet away from me and the blast of the hop scent is all around me. Very floral intense hop scents. Tons of citrus hops and grapefruit along with some light fruit scents as well. T: Very flavorful hop presence! Wow big blast of orange and grapefruit in the mouth. Really sticks to your taste buds and doesn't let go. A lot of caramel in the taste too, which is great to see this spectacular blend of hops and malt done so well. For 10% ABV, this is unbelievable how well hidden it is. I'm not saying the alcohol isn't notices, because there is a slice peppery alcohol finish, but it really only helps this beer. M,D: The mouthfeel is pretty heavy as expected. The carbonation is a bit low, but that reveals a nice, creamy DIPA. The drinkability, at 10% ABV, is about as good as you can get for a 10% ABV beer. An exceptional beer by Stoudts...they have yet to disappoint me!