Double IPAs — Dick's Brewing Co. vs. Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB)

Dick's Brewing Co.
Imperial IPA
ABV 8.6%

Color: Bright, clear orange.
Aroma: Sharp pine with some sweet fruitiness.
Flavor: Big, bitter pine at first, then floral honey sweetness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Hoppy honey, moderate bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

HUB Ace of Spades
Imperial IPA
ABV 9.5%

Color: Murky, dirty orange.
Aroma: Clean, soapy, with spicy pine.
Flavor: Acidic, grassy, piny with slight fruity sweetness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Extremely bitter. Burnt grapefruit rind with intense tannins.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

Blow by Blow
OK, with this being the third double IPA battle in the last five weeks, we're officially in the midst of a serious hop binge. Trying the likes of Pliny the Elder, Widmer Nelson (formerly Deadlift), and Double Jack has us craving that balance of extreme hops and sweet malts that can create bottled bliss.

This time around we battled the highly regarded Ace of Spades from the popular and successful Hopworks Urban Brewery in Portland against the new Imperial IPA from Dick's Brewing Company, a long-running but often overlooked brewery from Centralia Washington.

As I am often aware of popular opinion regarding the beers we try, Ellen usually pours them so that I can judge the beers blind. So, I left the room, Ellen poured the beers and the battle was on.

Right off the bat the Dick's had the upper hand with a bright, clear orange color as opposed to the murky Ace of Spades. In the aroma they both were dominated by spicy, piny hops with the Ace of Spades also coming across a bit soapy. Neither had the big, juicy citrus and floral notes that are prevalent in some of our favorite double IPAs, but they were both very aromatic.

The Dick's also had a more appealing flavor with a good floral honey malt sweetness to balance the piny hop bitterness. The bottle says that they used "all Columbus hops" in the beer which seems pretty unique as most double IPAs out there use a mixture of different hops to achieve their target hop profile.

The Ace of Spades is not what we would call a balanced beer. The flavor is a shock to the tongue with sharp pine notes and acidity. The fruity malt is in there somewhere, but it's hard to taste it behind all the bitter, grassy hoppy flavors.

As you might expect at this point, the Dick's emerged victorious with a pleasant finish that was like hoppy honey (I think I might try to make some hop honey to put on biscuits or toast!) The Ace of Spades continued to stick to its guns just like Lemmy, and finished with a massive burnt grapefruit rind bitterness that seemed intent on bludgeoning our taste buds much like a Motorhead song might bludgeon your ears. So, I guess HUB succeeded in making a beer befitting of its name, but its bad ass moniker couldn't help it from getting owned by the far less brash offering from Dick's.

Winner by unanimous decision: Dick's Brewing Company

Former Champion Double IPAs — Firestone Walker vs. Widmer

Firestone Walker
Double Jack
ABV 9.5%

Color: Deep orange.
Aroma: Sharp pine resin, beeswax and rich sweet malts.
Flavor: Full bodied with sharp, astringent piny hops and a touch of citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long lasting pine resin and citrus rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Widmer Deadlift
Imperial IPA
ABV 8.6%

Color: Light orange.
Aroma: Intense floral and citrus hops. Grapefruit candy.
Flavor: Full bodied and sweet with bright citrus hop punch late.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Mellow grapefruit bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Blow by Blow
Tonight we staged an epic battle. Two former double IPA Bottle Battle champions squared off to see who would remain undefeated. In one glass we had Firestone Walker's amazing Double Jack. In the other glass we had the equally amazing Widmer Deadlift.

As you might expect, both came out swinging. Both had big hops in the aroma, with the Deadlift offering floral and citrus hop aromas and the Double Jack countering with sharp pine resin and some citrus as well. They both smelled absolutely awesome, but we gave the edge to the Deadlift as we prefer the floral to the pine.

The flavors continued to impress. Both were full bodied with a rich malty backbone that was able to balance the intense hop flavors. The Double Jack was a bit more aggressively hoppy throughout while the Deadlift started sweet and brought the hops late. Again, both great.

The big difference came in the finish. Deadlift had an amazingly balanced finish with just the right amount of hop bitterness and sweet citrus flavors. The Double Jack had a much more bitter finish, leaving us with long lasting bitter pine sap and citrus rind flavors.

Despite these both being fantastic beers the decision was easy for us. We both chose the Widmer Deadlift because it's like drinking some kind of magical hoppy, grapefruit flower nectar. This is a good thing for our bank account since the Double Jack is far more expensive.

Bottle Battles are all about matchups. If you look at our tasting notes for the Double Jack from earlier this month you'll see that we detected more citrus than pine. There is definitely a little of both, but when compared against the Alaskan Double IPA the citrus stood out, while the battle with the Deadlift brought out more of the pine notes. Just more proof that tasting is always influenced by a multitude of factors that range from your environment to your mood to what beer you're comparing it against.

Winner by unanimous decision: Widmer

Double IPAs — Alaskan Brewing vs. Firestone Walker

Alaskan Brewing
Imperial IPA
ABV 8.5%

Color: Slightly hazy reddish copper.
Aroma: Sweet wood and whiskey with some floral notes.
Flavor: Sweet and simple with a bit of woodiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Mild bitterness early building to harsh, woody bitterness. Acidic.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Firestone Walker
Double Jack
ABV 9.5%

Color: Clear golden.
Aroma: Spicy, citrus hops.
Flavor: Full bodied. Big, sweet and malty with equally big citrus hops.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Sweet malts, mild citrus bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Blow by Blow
Imperial IPAs continue to take up a lot of space on store shelves, so it is our duty to battle them for the benefit of all you hopheads out there. These two in particular were itching for a fight, so we poured a bit of each and let them settle it in the glass.

If this battle were about looks alone, the Alaskan would have won handily. It had a gorgeous hue of vibrant reddish copper that was so compelling that we were tempted to take the beer down to Home Depot and have them mix up a batch of Alaskan Imperial IPA paint for us. The Double Jack, on the other hand was a fairly bland golden hue — not inspiring at all.

What the Double Jack lacked in color it more than made up for in aroma. It was just bursting with juicy citrus hops. Neither of us wanted to give up the glass. Each sniff kind of made our eyes roll back in our head. The Alaskan was nowhere near as special. As a matter of fact, in comparison to the Double Jack it seemed to barely have any hops in the nose at all, choosing instead to focus on a sweet, malty and woody aroma.

Once the Double Jack took the upper hand it never gave the Alaskan a chance, ultimately landing an uppercut that knocked the Alaskan clean out of its XTRATUFS. Game over. Lights out.

The Alaskan is a decent beer, it just got steamrolled by one of the best IPAs we've ever had the privilege of drinking. If you like huge, malty, hoppy Imperial IPAs go get some Double Jack immediately. There may still be some left on store shelves in the Seattle area.

Winner by unanimous decision: Firestone Walker

Double IPAs — Russian River vs. Sierra Nevada

Russian River
Pliny the Elder
ABV 8%

Color: Deep golden.
Aroma: Huge floral and citrus hops.
Flavor: Smooth hop candy, medium body, grapefruit.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Long, lingering citrus rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Sierra Nevada
Hoptimum
ABV 10.4%

Color: Rusty orange.
Aroma: Sweet malts, cedar, slight piny hops in the background.
Flavor: Big thick body with sweet clover honey, citrus vodka and bitter notes.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Moderate sweet burnt lemon peel.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Blow by Blow
This Bottle Battle, featuring two California heavyweights, could certainly qualify as a main event. In one corner we had Pliny the Elder, a highly sought after double IPA from Russian River Brewing Co., that is fervently worshiped by its followers. In the other corner we had Hoptimum, a highly anticipated, new, monster imperial IPA from one of the patriarchs of craft brewing, Sierra Nevada.

It was not a fight for the faint of heart. Pliny absolutely blew us away with its aroma. It smelled something like sticking a citrus-flavored Starburst in each nostril. The flavor followed suit with a smooth body and excellent grapefruit hop candy notes. Finally, the finish was long and bitter, but honestly, we didn't really have time to contemplate it much because we were too eager to take another drink. Pliny is truly a fantastic beer and one that is totally worth the hype.

Hoptimum also brought some game. First of all, it's without a doubt, one of the coolest beer labels around. The old-fashioned looking hophead portrait should immediately become the mascot of hop lovers the world over. The stuff inside wasn't too shabby either. Aroma-wise it wasn't nearly as good as Pliny, but not many beers are. It definitely had some piny hops, unfortunately, they were hidden behind the smell of malt and cedar. The flavor was big and sweet as well, starting off with distinct honey notes and ending with a punch of vodka-soaked citrus. Yes, at 10.4% ABV, the Hoptimum had a bit of difficulty hiding the alcohol. Overall, it was a pretty good imperial IPA, but it needed some more hops in the aroma and perhaps a bit less alcohol.

Winner by unanimous decision: Pliny the Elder

Imperial Red Ales — Port Brewing vs. Yakima Craft Brewing

Port Brewing Shark Attack
Double Red Ale
ABV 9%

Color: Hazy orangish brown.
Aroma: Burnt brown sugar, strong medicinal notes.
Flavor: Thick, intense blast of floral honey and burnt molasses.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet and intense metallic bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Bad

Yakima Craft Brewing
Imperial Red
ABV 6.6%

Color: Clear brownish ruby red.
Aroma: Sweet roasted malts.
Flavor: Sweet, malty, molasses and honey.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Same as flavor with a touch of bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Winner by unanimous decision: Yakima Craft Brewing.
In perhaps the upset of the year, the young, upstart Yakima Craft Brewing stunned the established veteran, Port Brewing.

Regular readers might note that we have tried a lot of red ales thus far. We do admit to being intrigued by red ales, since stylistically they can run the gamut from hop bombs to malt monsters. In our experience, west coast red ales tend to fall on the hoppier side, but that was not the case with these two. As a matter of fact, we felt that both of these beers definitely fell more on the sweet and malty side of beer styles and we weren't really impressed by either of them.

The Yakima Imperial Red had a much nicer red hue which was the first blow to the murky brown looking Shark Attack. Neither beer had a great aroma, but the Shark Attack was just plain nasty — somewhere between burnt sugar and burnt tires. So, with the aroma, the Yakima Imperial won not because it was great, but because it was inoffensive. This same scenario was played out in the flavor and the finish as well, with the Shark Attack being way out of balance and the Yakima being somewhat pedestrian, but certainly a lot better than Port Brewing's offering.

Honestly, we can't recommend either beer. We'll give the Yakima Craft Brewing company a pass since they are newer to the scene and perhaps finding their legs. As for the Port, they should know better. Their 9% monster gains the distinction of being our first non-tainted beer to be rated "Bad." Intense bitterness coupled with intense maltiness turned out to be intensely off-putting.

Imperial Ales of Different Colors — Red Hook vs. Iron Horse

Red Hook 8-4-1 Expedition
Imperial Brown Ale
(Oak Aged Ale Brewed with Honey)
ABV 9.5%

Color: Mahogany.
Aroma: Sweet, floral with a bit of coffee.
Flavor: Simple honey sweetness quickly overwhelmed by intense tannic (from the oak aging?), vegetal bitterness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): N/A (Tannic)
Finish: Tannic bomb.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre -

Iron Horse
Imperial Loco Red
ABV 7.5%

Color: Brown/orange.
Aroma: Grapefruit and big, sharp, resinous hops. Also a touch of cannabis.
Flavor: Salad of citrus fruits and marijuana.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy.
Finish: Intense, citrus rind bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Winner by unanimous decision: Iron Horse.
Imperials are the heavyweights of the beer world. When you see "Imperial" on a bottle it's basically a warning: "This beer is intensely flavored and has a higher alcohol content than your average beer." We've had many imperial beers that are absolutely spectacular, so it was with great anticipation that we staged this battle. Unfortunately, both of these heavyweights were a bit sloppy and the fight was a bit of a mess.

The Iron Horse ended up winning, but it wasn't pretty. Both combatants came out slow and nary a punch was thrown in the first round. Instead, they both seemed content to trudge around the ring and pretend to be bad ass. In the end, it came down to which beer was less offensive. The Red was way too bitter and lost its carbonation towards the end, but the Brown was just straight bizarre, with such a clumsy finish (it seemed that it was aged too long in oak, giving it a tannic component that was overbearing) that we just couldn't make it to the finish and poured half a glass down the sink.

Kudos to both breweries (especially Red Hook) for trying out new things and releasing specialty beers, but we suggest you prepare your beer a bit more before you send it out to battle. Discriminating palates demand something with a bit more balance. Bigger isn't always better.

Imperial Stouts — Samuel Adams vs. North Coast Brewing Co.

Samuel Adams Imperial Stout
ABV 9.2%

Color: Deep dark brown/black.
Aroma: Sweet chocolate malt shake.
Flavor: Slightly bitter chocolate milk.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Mostly just sweet with a mild bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

North Coast Old Rasputin
Imperial Stout
ABV 9%

Color: Deep dark brown/black.
Aroma: Coffee with cream, burnt wood.
Flavor: Sweet molasses, black coffee and a bit of citrus hop character.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Burnt toast, coffee grounds and citrus hops.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

Winner by unanimous decision: North Coast. Old Rasputin is a tough opponent. It ought to be tough, since it's named after a guy who just wouldn't die. Old Sam was just a bit too one-dimensional. If alcoholic chocolate milk sounds good to you, then give the Samuel Adams a try. It's so sweet that it might match up with sweeter desserts as well. Old Rasputin, on the other hand is wonderfully complex, combining rich roasted malt and coffee flavors with a nice complement of citrusy hops. Drink enough of it and you might be able to grow a beard as impressive as Rasputin's.

Imperial IPAs — Widmer vs. Bridgeport

Widmer Deadlift Imperial IPA
ABV 8.6%, IBU 70

Color: Bright, clear orange.
Aroma: Orange blossoms, honey and clove.
Flavor: Hop candy — malty sweet with a little citrus.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Delicious sweetness followed by a mellow, lingering bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Fantastic

Bridgeport Hop Czar Imperial IPA
ABV 7.5%, IBU 85

Color: Bright, clear orange. Almost exactly the same as the Widmer.
Aroma: Pine tree sap, SweeTarts, lemon peel, ammonia.
Flavor: Brief honey sweetness that is almost immediately obliterated by bitterness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Hoppy
Finish: Bitter, bitter and more bitter. Lemon peel and did we mention bitter?
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Winner by unanimous decision: Widmer in a first round knockout. The Bridgeport seemed way out of balance. All hops, no malt makes Hop Czar a bitter boy. The Deadlift, on the other hand, had a solid malt backbone to balance the hops. All around, it had softer edges and was amazingly easy to drink, despite the higher alcohol content. According to the 4-pack box, the Deadlift uses the Nelson Sauvin hop from New Zealand. We're all for local ingredients, but if this foreign hop variety tastes this good in other beers, please send a bottle our way.

Imperial Stouts — Left Hand vs. Full Sail

2009 Left Hand Brewing Co.
Imperial Stout (Oak Aged)
ABV 10.2%

Color: Dark Mahogany.
Aroma: Brown sugar, chocolate malt and dried, dark fruit.
Flavor: Massive, sweet, sugary, boozy.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Flat and boozy.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good -

2010 Full Sail Imperial Stout
ABV 8%

Color: Dark brown/black.
Aroma: Bright, fresh coffee and chocolate.
Flavor: Decadent bitter chocolate with some coffee acidity and slight smokiness.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Balanced
Finish: Acidic with lingering bitterness.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good +

Winner by unanimous decision (with guest taster Tempa L.): Full Sail. These were definitely two completely different beers. The Left Hand was a huge beer that we thought was good, but didn't really taste like a Stout — it was far too sweet and the alcohol was too prevalent. The Full Sail on the other hand was extremely smooth and well balanced with classic stout flavors. Drink it on its own or pour it over some vanilla ice cream.