Mendocino Imperial IPA Review

Mendocino Imperial IPA

In a recent drinking session with Flop and Adam, we tried out this California-born IPA. The Mendocino Brewery was founded in 1983. I found this beer on the specialty shelf at MGM in Mankato and bought it just to try something new. Mendocino Brewery describes this beer as such - Imperial IPA - This full bodied Imperial IPA is brewed with massive amounts of premium varieties of hops such as Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe and Crystal and paired with a rich blend of luscious Munich, caramel and 2-row pale malts. The result is a perfect balance of luxuriant malt and heady, exhilarating hop flavor. After primary fermentation is finished, we dry hop our Imperial IPA with copious quantities of the above mentioned hops. It is then cold conditioned for a few weeks. The result is an outstanding and unforgettable hop aroma. Starting with an original gravity of 20 Plato and finishing at 8.0% alcohol by volume, this Imperial India Pale is a hop tour de force!

Nice carbonation and head

Style: Imperial India Pale Ale

Original Gravity: 20 Plato
Alcohol by Volume: 8.0%


Color: Golden Copper
Bitterness: High

Malts: Munich, Caramel, 2-row
Hops: Amarillo, Cascade, Simcoe and Crystal




Appearance: This beer beer poured very nicely, with a 1/8" ivory/off-white head. The beer itself was a nice golden, copper color that was somewhat hazy and cloudy.

Mendocino IIPA poured up

Smell: This beer had a very unique smell that included scents of apricots, earth, and grass. Also the smell of alcohol was very prevalent.

Taste: A sweet fruitiness is the first thing I noticed after trying this beer. Very little citrus was noticed, but we did note that there was a malty and earthy finish to the beer.

Mouthfeel: The beer was not the smoothest, it had a fair amount of carbonation. It definitely warmed the throat as it went down and the 8% abv was noticable.

Overall: This beer was not a very easy drinking beer, and the taste and smell of apricots was actually a little off-putting. Overall, I do not believe I would personally attach this beer to the IIPA style mostly because it was unlike any other IIPA I have ever tried.

Prost!

Luke