Thursday, February 16, 2012

Beer Review: Diabolical India Pale Ale - North Peak Brewing, Traverse City, MI.


So the other day I decided to grab a mixed sixer of some beers I had either never tried, or hardly drink. I had always seen North Peak's stubby little bottles and wondered how it was. Knowing I like IPA's, I thought this one would be a good try.

A- The appearance is amazing. The pours a hazy, bright yet deep amber color. The haze hangs around in the beer wonderfully clotting the clarity. The head pours huge! This thing started at four-fingers tall and took forever to fall. A huge, pillowy, white head with great retention stuck around forever!

S- The aroma is nice, but not overly done. I get a lot of citrus and floral smells, and it's light on the pine. Is that the presence of Cascade hops? This thing smells quite juicy, let's see.

T- One word; Yum. This IPA has a "juiciness" about it that is right up front and lasts right through the after-taste. I get a lot of orange citrus, some grapefruits start popping immediatly too. It's sweet, with a definite bite. Then the grassy flavors start coming mid-palate, ooooh and theres the pine/earthiness. What a good flavor, this one is pretty well balanced as I do get some malts in there too, but you know it's an IPA. Delicious.

M- Very coating mouthfeel. The beer is in no way cloying and you can certainly tell there is body to this beer. You can also get a sense for the creamy head in the mouthfeel of the beer.

D- Very drinkable beer. 6.66% ABV and 66.6 IBU's of bitterness (hence the name??)ensure this IPA packs flavor while allowing you to session it.

Overall this is quite an impressive "ordinary" American IPA. It's certainly not watered down, and they know what they're doing with this beer. I would recommend finding some for yourself and giving it a whirl!

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