NINKASI TRICERAHOPS

And thus ends the Summer of Tasting Notes. It’s September 22nd, the Fall Equinox, which means Summer has officially ended. 94 Tasting Notes reviewing 95 beers came your way this summer (plus many dozens of other, much better posts, of course).

Were the Tasting Notes interesting? No. Were they well-written? Not particularly. Were they at least enlightening and entertaining? Probably not. So what were they? They were a thing that happened. And let’s leave it at that. For the final Summer Tasting Note, here’s a lovely Imperial IPA from the beer mecca of Oregon.

NOTES: Bomber @ McHops Monastery courtesy of Beerford McBrewin’

STYLE: Imperial IPA

ABV: 8.8%

APPEARANCE: Hazy, bright orange with golden highlights. The color of a summer sunset.

HEAD: Short, but extremely tight-knit, white, and very long-lasting

LACING: Nothing special, but a few splotches lingered high on the glass

NOSE: Different than other Imperials, but I loved it nonetheless. Instead of the nose-crushing assault of hops that you’d expect, you get the big, bold aroma of citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines), a sweet, biscuity, pale malt profile, and a nice undercurrent of pine trees and spice.

TASTE: Fruit up front…the aforementioned grapefruit and orange, but also the sweetness of ripe peaches and pears. The middle is all bread dough and biscuits. The finish is pine resin and enough hop bitterness to leave you thirsting for more. Again, not your prototypical Imperial IPA, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with gentle, smooth carbonation that made the mouthfeel beautifully creamy.

DRINKABILITY: Well…the bomber was gone in less than 5 minutes and this was a solo effort, so I’d say the Tricerahops is pretty damn drinkable. Particularly for an Imperial IPA.

RATING: Normally I try to rate beers by mentally comparing them to other offerings in the same style. The Tricerahops is very different than other Imperial IPAs…much fruitier and sweeter than others in the style. I suppose I should dock points for that, but I really, really liked this beer. What can I say? Subjectivity, thy name is Brother Barley. 3.5 Hops.