Imperial IPA round-up No. 1 - Firestone Walker Double Jack

The FatCat crew ventured into the unknown and came back with treasure.  The type of treasure that would make Jack Sparrow swim to the bottom of the ocean to retrieve.  No not gold coins, more like liquid gold.  Liquid gold called Firestone Walker Double Jack.

The Double Jack poured with a fluffy two fingered white head and the nose exploded with huge grapefruit notes.  The taste mimics the nose with big grapefruit flavor and beautifully blended malt character.  It begins with brief malt and caramel before the hops swing into action.  The hop character starts with a brief sour grapefruit flavor and then gives way to a sweeter mellower citrus note.  The finish is big with deep grapefruit much like Founder's Double Trouble and the seemingly open fire grilled caramelized sugar flavor.  The mouthfeel was a bit thicker than the other brews in the shootout but super drinkable nonetheless.  What sets Double Jack apart from the other competitors is the complexity of the hop character.  Instead of the Double Jack just having one aspect of the grapefruit/citrus note with either sour, medium citrus/grapefruit, or deep grapefruit, it has them all. 

So whether you are Jack Sparrow or some other less famous pirate, you should sail your way to the nearest Missouri liquor store and claim your booty.  Double Jack dominated our shootout for good reason, it's freakin awesome.  This is another brew I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. 

Arrrggggggggg!  Wait I mean,

Cheers!

Imperial IPA round-up No. 3 - Odell Myrcenary

The Myrcenary is the only brew that I had tried prior to our shootout and I had high expectation for it.  The Myrcenary did not disappoint! 

9.3% ABV

The Odell Myrcenary poured a pale straw color with a two finger head.  The aroma was big in pine and citrus.  For an Imperial IPA this is a very balanced offering with wonderful grapefruit flavor.  It was not aggressively bitter but very refreshing instead.  This is another one of those dangerous brews because the 9.3% ABV is disguised very well.  The Myrcenary was a subdued competitor compared to the Ruination but used it’s subtlety brilliantly.  I would not hesitate to suggest this brew to anyone.

FatCat's 2011 Imperial IPA shootout results!

The shootout is complete and everyone survived. Our palates were subjected to untold brutality, but we sent a message to our Imperial IPA’s. That message is, “This aggression will not stand, man”. So we fought back, tallied our scores, and we have a winner!


As with the other shootout, this was a blind tasting. We had no idea which beers we were drinking. The Mrs was again gracious enough to pour our brews into tasting cups and serve them to us on the back porch. We tasted each of our 7 samples and then rated them 1-5, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. We are by no means beer judges and rated them simply on taste and smell. This shootout was performed in the pursuit of fun and the results should be interpreted as such. I will be detailing the reviews of some of the top performers in later posts.

And the winner is:

1. Firestone Walker Double Jack    18.5pts

2. Founder’s Double Trouble          17.5pts

3. Odell Myrcenary                         15.0pts

4. Stone Ruination                           14.0pts

5. Avery Maharaja                          10.5pts

6. Boulevard Double Wide                9.5pts

7. Moylan’s Hopsickle                      7.0pts


FatCat’s Favorites:

Firestone Walker Double Jack 5.0pts
Founder’s Double Trouble 4.5pts
Stone Ruination 4.0pts


Super Dave’s Favorites:

Stone Ruination 5.0pts
Firestone Walker Double Jack 4.5pts
Founder’s Double Trouble 4.0pts


Greg’s Favorites:

Firestone Walker Double Jack 5.0pts
Founder’s Double Trouble 4.5pts
Stone Ruination 4.0pts


Alex’s Favorites:

Odell Myrcenary 5.0pts
Founder’s Double Trouble 4.5pts
Firestone Walker Double Jack 4.0pts


Conclusion:

Prior to the shootout, I had tried the Myrcenary and Super Dave had tried the Double Wide. Other than that, we were in virgin territory (giggity). I did some research and the Double Jack was rated rather highly along with the Hopsickle rating of A+ by the bros on BeerAdvocate. In many of the forums the Maharajah was touted highly as well. So we basically had no clue who the winner was going to be.

At the conclusion of this test, I really wished we had the Stone IPA in the previous IPA shootout. The Ruination was a kick in the face. It’s like a 9v battery, you know not to put your tongue on it but eventually you know you will do it again. Awesome. Was surprised the Hopsickle took last after the bros A+ rating. This brings up the point JJSKCK mentioned in the previous shootout’s epilogue comments. IPAs and Imperial IPAs are susceptible to aging and losing their hop presence. I assume this is what happened to the Hopsickle.

I’ll give a special shoutout to Bridgeport’s The Czarr. Super Dave had a torrid love affair with the Czarr in the past and still pledges his undying love for it. It was tentatively scheduled for the shootout but was not cold enough in time. I have serious doubts it would have fared well , but Super Dave said it would have won (it wouldn’t). This is another kick in the teeth type imperial, so if you’re a hop head the Czarr could be your next mistress as well.

FatCat's Epic brews page has been updated with these results.  Check it out.

Thanks for reading and as always...

Cheers!

Where we got’em:

Founder’s Double Trouble – Gomer’s Midtown    Firestone Walker – Gomer’s Midtown
Stone Ruination – Gomer’s Midtown                     Moylan’s Hopsickle – Constentinos downtown
Odell Myrcenary – Gomer’s Midtown                   Avery Maharaja – Missy’s Discount Liquor
Boulevard Double Wide – Gomer’s North