The first India pale ales originated in Great Britain as a modestly hopped pale ale, with just a little bit more hops flavor than other beer. Then American brewers started using newfangled hops such as Cascade, which Anchor’s Liberty Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale use to great effect, giving the beer big citrus aromas and flavor. Then Lagunitas Brewing founder Tony Magee brewed his Lagunitas IPA in the mid-1990s, invented the West Coast IPA, which is all about the hops. Next came Vinnie Cilurzo — who went on to co-found Russian River Brewing — who brewed the first double IPA at his Blind Pig Brewing in Temecula in 1994. Bam! The double IPA was a thing. Also known as an imperial IPA, this style seeks to take both alcoholic strength and hop intensity to new levels. These big, bold IPAs have a strong hop profile with resiny, piney and/or citrus tones, depending upon the type of hops in the recipe. There should be some maltiness that lends balance and flavor complexity. Strength may range from 7.5 percent to 10 percent ABV. Many hop-centric brews seem to be in a race to out-bitter each other. Peaks and Pints is more reserved in what we like in a hoppy beer — we look for something solidly hopped with a bit of malt sweetness for balance, which we highlight today with our Craft Beer Crosscut 7.28.18: A Flight of Double IPA.
Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA
8% ABV, 84 IBU
Ninkasi, the mythical god of beer, would be afraid of Ninkasi Brewing‘s double IPA. Hops explode in the nose, cascading pithy grapefruit, sticky pinesap and floral notes atop a caramel foundation. It hits the tongue hard with sweet caramel before a blend of Chinook, Cascade, Summit, Centennial and Palisade hops offer floral, fruity, and earthy notes, yet with a malt background. It’s hop-forward, full-bodied and strong. Yet the balance with the malt lends enough depth and a spicy complexity to make it very interesting. Resinous, citrusy, woody, and powerfully bitter, the hop flavors slowly unfold and last well into the aftertaste.
Evil Twin I’ve Always Felt Closer to IPAs Than I Did To People
9% ABV
Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, the founder and man behind Evil Twin Brewing, was a physics and English teacher in his native Denmark before starting Copenhagen’s Ølbutikken, a highly regarded beer store. He’s also an evil twin himself. His brother, Mikkel Borg Bergsø, brews under the Mikkeller label. Jarnit-Bjergsø, however, has done his best to outshine the good twin. He founded Evil Twin in 2010 as a nomadic brewery. In 2012, Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø gave up his nomadic brewing days and opened Evil Twin in Brooklyn. His I’ve Always Felt Closer to IPAs Than I Did To People is double dry hopped with tons of Galaxy, Citra, Simcoe and Falconer‘s Flight. The IPA has a bitter taste with sweet, fruity caramel malt, resinous piney floral hops, grapefruit pulp, light tropical fruits and light alcohol warmth.
Track 7 Left Eye Right Eye (Double Dry Hopped)
9.5% ABV, 65 IBU
Sacramento-based brewery Track 7 blends five hop varieties — Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Mosaic and Magnum — in its intensively hoppy but smooth double IPA, Left Eye Right Eye. Expect grapefruit, orange, pineapple and pine to flood your senses as you sip this whopper brew.
Shmaltz Bittersweet Lenny’s RIPA on Rye
10% ABV, 85 IBU
Shmaltz Brewing‘s Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. on Rye IPA was brewed in honor of foul-mouthed comic Lenny Bruce’s death in 1966 with an obscene amount of malts and hops. Citrusy herbal hops, caramel malt and tropical fruit fill the mouth. Finish is long, huge and dry.
Avery The Maharaja
10% ABV, 102 IBU
Avery Brewing’s The Maharaja is derived from the sanskrit words mahat, meaning “great,” and rajan, meaning “king.” Much like its namesake, this imperial IPA is regal, intense and mighty. With hops and malts as his servants, he rules both with a heavy hand. The Maharaja flaunts his authority over a deranged amount of hops (Columbus, Centennial, Chinook, Simcoe and Amarillo): tangy, vibrant and pungent along with an insane amount of malted barley — fashioning a dark amber hue and exquisite malt essence.
