Beer Review: Double Dose IPA

Reviewing the Double Dose IPA, a collaboration between Vermont breweries Lawson's Finest Liquids and Otter Creek Brewing.

Score: 93

Bottle 09/20/13. Served in a Doom faux-teku and enjoyed on 10/08/13.

Appearance: Pours a lovely orange color with a finger-plus of seafoamy cream-colored head that slowly settles to a thick ring around the glass and wispy coating. Awesome lacing, unreal retention. The residual head sticks to the side of the glass like white on rice. 5/5

Smell: Fresh and juicy citrus! Grapefruit, orange, pineapple and a hint of lemon zest too. Mild, but noticeably present, earthy green, slightly dank hops aroma. A little maltiness towards the end of the whiff. The nose is big on the juiciness. 4.5/5

Taste: Although a juicy tropical citrus flavors hit the tongue first, a strong, bitter pine flavor quickly creeps up and takes over, lingering in the finish. Bitter orange rind is the primary citrus character, but there's some pineapple juice juiciness present too. Tastes a lot hoppier/pine-ier and less juicy than the nose led on. Big, juicy malt backbone, overlaid with a bigger hops and citrus character. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Medium light bodied, good carbonation for the style and profile. Has a slightly biting bitterness that lingers and layers on the front half of the tongue. Very dry on the finish. High level of bitterness impedes the drinkability some. 4.25/5

Overall: Reminds me a lot of an Alpine IPA. Fans of bitter, west coast style IPA's will love this one. I enjoyed this one thoroughly, but would be hesitant to purchase more at a cost of $5 per bottle.

Cost: $20 for a four pack.