Origin: Boulder, CO
Price: 8.99/22oz
ABV: 9.7%
NSP: 7.01
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When I think of IPA, I don't think of Avery. Their IPA offerings are never what I go after when I'm in an Avery mood, even though I find Maharaja deliciously overpowering. Hell, I can't think of a Colorado brewery that makes really high-level IPA, except maybe Odell. So I don't know what to expect here, though my hopes are high because I'm partial to Avery and I want them to be a serious player in the IPA market.
The nose is pretty impressive- it brings Pure Hoppiness to mind, and that's never a bad thing. Good amount of pine and grapefruit, the former being more prominent than the latter. Pretty inviting, and very San Diego-y. Not tongue-destroyingly hoppy as Dorado or Green Flash Imperial, just a nicely citrusy, well-hopped (and boozy as fuck-all for a DIPA, keeping with Avery's get-you-shitfaced policy) SOB.
Flavor-wise, the citrus doesn't keep up with Pure, but that doesn't mean it falls short. This is a good, San Diego-style double IPA made in a business park on Arapahoe where they also have a nice banh mi and really tasty sweet potato fries. Sorry, bit of a digression, but I'm hungry. It's nicely balanced to start, and there's a bit of a quandary as it warms- it gets more and more orange-y, but it also gets more boozy, so do you drink it really cold and have both citrus and booze somewhat suppressed, or do you let it warm a touch to get more of both?
To sum up, Avery should probably make something like this as a regular offering. Because I might move back to Colorado at some point, and if I do I'm going to need something Alpine-y. And this would suffice until Alpine decides to send me Pure. That's a bunch of hypothetical BS, but I'm concerned about being Alpine-less so I have to plan ahead a bit.
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