Avery Maharajah IPA

Avery Brewing Company
Boulder, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Clear. Orange-brown color. Thick, white head with fine bubbles.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Sweet, perfumey, floral, lemony. Candy smell, like Skittles. Unexpected.

TASTE: 6.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 2.75/4: Licorice, brown sugar. Dark Belgian candy. Borders on cloying, but hop bitterness pulls it back from the brink.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Residual sweetness stays with you. Hop bitterness present, maltiness lasts.
Mouth-Feel: 1.75/3: Very full, alcohol present and warming. Coats the tongue.

OVERALL: 1.75/3: Almost like a barleywine. Sweet and powerful, a really big beer. Like, almost too big.

TOTAL: 14/20–I'll Try A Pint

NOTES:
Matt: There's a lot going on here—big, distinct, in your face. Not bad, but awfully sweet.
Ben: Licorice, syrupy. Could use more hop bitterness to offset cloyingness. I like big beers, but geez.

Great Divide 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Great Divide Brewing Company
Denver, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Deep orange-brown color. Hazy. Nice big creamy head that laces the glass. Pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Hop! Citrus, woody, piney hop aromas. Bready/malty sugary notes. Vanilla.

TASTE: 7/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3/4: Woody and grassy hop flavors up front. Some prune, raisin. Vanilla and licorice. A bit grainy. Lots of hop bitterness.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Bitter from start to finish. Woody notes. Vanilla at the end. Alcohol present.
Mouth-Feel: 2/3: Dry. Big and full. Weakly carbonated.

OVERALL: 2.25/3: A good aged woody IPA. Big, full and nicely complex. I (Ben) like it more than Matt.

TOTAL: 15/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Pretty good but it didn't knock me out. I can get better beers cheaper. So nicely enough done, but not something I'd buy again.
Ben: A really nice example of a wood aged beer. Vanilla notes with nice grassy hop flavors. Good bitterness. I really like this beer (but I didn't buy it - Matt did - and at a pretty high price point probably not worth what Matt paid hence his disappointment).

Odell Mountain Standard Double Black IPA

Odell Brewing Company
Fort Collins, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3
Thick, rocky, almond colored head. Big bubbles. Black almost opaque color. Head lasts.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Roasted aromas dominant - coffee, subtle chocolate. Grassy hop notes. Some malty caramel sweetness.

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Roasted flavors - burnt coffee, burnt toast, nutty. Also sweet malty notes. Molasses and dark candy sugar flavors. Woody hop flavors ans some hop bitterness. Balanced.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Roasted flavors and bitterness lasts. Some residual malty sweetness. Slight alcohol but masked well.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Fizzy. Full. Alcohol warming. Very smooth.

OVERALL: 2.5/3
A solid black IPA. Big, roasty, and coffee flavors. A good solid offering from a great brewery.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Tasty - really silky smooth, I like it. A nice balance of bitter and sweet. Nicely done.
Ben: A solid black IPA. Nice and roasty with good coffee notes. I like it.

Firestone Walker Double Jack Double IPA

Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Paso Robles, CA

APPEARANCE: 2.75/3
Deep-gold to light brown. Nice creamy head that lasts. Lots of bubbles. Very pretty.

AROMA: 3.25/4
Very hoppy. Grapefruit, citrus, pine. Sweet, malty, bready undertones.

TASTE: 9.25/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.75/4: Big, lots of hop flavor. Citrus, pine, grassy. Really nicely balanced, appropriately malty.
Aftertaste: 2.75/3: Hop bitterness from start to finish. Sweet, malt to lasting bitter. Alcohol is masked well.
Mouth-Feel: 2.75/3: Full, big, but balanced nicely. Very drinkable.

OVERALL: 2.75/3: This is a good beer—far better than we expected. World Beer Cup in '04/'06/'10, and we can see why.

TOTAL: 18/20–Keep 'Em Comin'

NOTES:
Matt: Really very good. Big, filling, but not boozy. Definitely worth a try or 10 (but at 9.5% ABV, watch out!).
Ben: This is right up there with Stone, Green Flash, etc. A very good DIPA. If you can find it on tap, don't pass it up!

Odell Myrcenary Double IPA

Odell Brewing Company

Fort Collins, Colorado

APPEARANCE: 2.5/3

Gold color, surprisingly light for a double IPA. White head, big bubbles. Clear, steady stream of bubbles.

AROMA: 3.5/4

Tropical-floral, citrus hop aroma. Grapefruit, orange, passion fruit. Smells promising!

TASTE: 7.5/10
Hop/Malt Balance: 3.25/4: Lots of hop—grapefruit, citrus, hint of pine. Very malty, offset by hop bitterness.
Aftertaste: 2/3: Malty-bitter mix that lingers. Alcohol present.
Mouth-Feel: 2.25/3: Big. Alcohol. Very full, filling.

OVERALL: 2.25/3

Lighter than expected, absent the nuttiness common to many double IPAs. Alcohol needs to be masked better, but good.

TOTAL: 15.75/20–Pour Me Another

NOTES:
Matt: Nice—a bigger version of the Odell IPA, a nice addition to the already impressive Odell line. A bit boozy, needs better masking, but good.

Ben: Too much light malt, maybe a 40°-60° malt, roastiness would benefit, but okay. Not the best DIPA out there, but definitely not bad.