2XIPA
2XIPA is an attractive gold color. It's very clear, and has a faint orange hue when held to light. A soft vanilla colored head covers the top. It stands about a finger and a half tall, but falls to a surface covering quickly. Lacing was sticky and moderate. The nose is alright. It kicks off with a bit of a sweet, caramel malty scent. There's a hint of toasted malt, as well. Not my favorite things. Hops are certainly notable. They're citrusy sweet and contribute scents of grapefruit and orange to the mix. It smells pretty well balanced to me. Neither the hops nor the malty notes seem to overpower the other. Alcohol is noticeable, but doesn't smell overbearing. Not bad. The flavor's a little better than the nose. Enough to trigger a score bump. It does have a caramel and pale malt base. It's definitely sweet and sugary, but ultimately holds things together pretty well. The hop flavor is pretty good. Grapefruit and orange flavors are present. Tastes like there's a bit of a floral element as well. There's not much hop bitterness though. That seems to be eaten up by the wealth of malt. It tastes pretty good overall. It's definitely well balanced for a DIPA. Alcohol is a little stronger in flavor than it should be, but not by much. It finishes sweet and fruity. 2XIPA has an impressive feel. The body is medium and is very smooth and creamy. This is easily its strongest feature. Drinkability is good. The flavor is good overall, and it goes down easy for an 8.2% beer. I'm good with a single bottle though. Southern Tier did a credible job with 2XIPA. It's a solid release. Personally, I believe it plays it a little too safe. It's very balanced and nothing about it leaps out at me. I like it, but don't quite love it. I'd like more hop bitterness. That could probably be accomplished with a little less malt in the mix. A tad less alcohol in flavor wouldn't hurt either. All in all, if you're into balanced, safe DIPAs, this one's for you.