Seeing Double IPA

I’ve known this beer for many, many years and usually I’ve enjoyed it immensely, but this is the first time I’ve had it in the bottle and seems like a very different experience than all of my previous draught encounters. The color looks fine, but there are a HUGE amount of yeasties in the pour. Bottle-conditioned in the extreme, apparently! Really nice, mid-golden color once the beer clears and I can actually see what’s going on. A nice sized head and some very good lace and retention when considering the ABV.

The pour leads to a VERY grassy and yeasty experience in the nose and initial tastes. Now, I have no particular problem with that feature per se, but it seems completely out of place in an American DIPA. The beer literally smells like a brewery, with that incredible grain mash smell that often strikes the nose when you open the doors on brew day. It’s absolutely POTENT! Again, this is smell that I am generally all in favor of, with some childhood memories of English breweries even being conjured, but against the backdrop of what I have come to enjoy about Seeing Double, this seems rather odd.

The beer does maintain its relatively low-impact hop profile (compared to so many other American DIPAs), and it is also remains very drinkable considering the ABV, but there is a cleanliness and an edge that is missing in the bottle that was always there on draught. The alcohol remains a fairly restrained visitor (given the 9.5%), and the malts support everything very nicely, but there’s an element missing here that has always rounded out my keg experience.

Smooth and very creamy in the mouth, with a long (but very rounded and gentle) finish. Almost feels ‘nitro’ like, BUT in a good way (if that is possible).

It’s perhaps difficult to be entirely objective, but when I look back on all my notes on Seeing Double on tap, I find happier reviews, cleaner beer, sharper edges and more ‘true to style’ experiences. This beer score MUCH higher for me on draught. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the bottle version, but something isn’t quite adding up for me. I used to love this beer unreservedly, now I feel a tad confused.

SRM 9.4, IBU 126.

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11/24/2013
Format:
bottle
ABV: 9.5 %
Appearance: 3.5
Taste: 3.5
Mouthfeel: 4.0
Smell: 4.5
Overall: 4.0
Total:
Series Name:
Year:

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