I got this bottle of Double Jack from my buddy Greg in New Jersey about a month ago in a fairly large trade. We don't get Firestone Walker stuff in Maryland and he raves about them. I could not pass on a chance to get a bottle of their imperial India pale ale, one of my favorite styles. My wife and I split this bottle one fine evening.
I poured mine in to a Weyerbacher tulip. It appears clear faded copper with a foamy white head and some super sticky lacing. It smells of piny resinous hops with a touch of citrus tart sweetness. The nose is huge. Typical for Jersey, right?
The up front flavor is of huge grassy hops. It settles in piney and gooey with a touch of cane sugary sweetness in the middle balanced out by a somewhat dark malt backbone. It's got a long fading bitter finish. To me it feels pretty well balanced considering the potential sweetness of this brew The is a very sensory beer. It wakes up your palate and subsequently kicks the shit out of it.
This is an excellent beer. I'd put this just a notch above Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA simply because this is more balanced for the hop profile. At close to 10% in alcohol content it will weigh heavy on your balance and judgement. It's a borderline palate killer with it's huge flavor profiles. But, if you're going to have one craft brew for an evening this is certainly an excellent choice.
I'm looking forward to trying the other stuff from Firestone Walker that I've got sitting here, Abacus and Robust Porter.
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