I received a Marin White Knuckle DIPA in a trade a few months back that turned into a drain pour. With all the great things I'd heard about this beer, it was about the most disappointing experience I've had with a double IPA. Obviously the beer was somewhat old. How old I'll never know, but since my local liquor store guy had just received some new bottles I decided to give it another go.
As I sit here and sip it I must say I'm a little more satisfied this time, but not totally impressed. The hop flavors coming out of this beer are pretty nice, and it's got a pretty good Pliny-like aroma with more concentration on the floral or vegetal aspect, but it's still good, and fairly fresh smelling. The taste puts me in a mindset of somewhere between Santa Rosa and Pennsylvania. It's like a tug-of-war between West Coast and East Coast IPA characteristics. There's almost too much malt behind it, which seems to be close to the toasted variety, or maybe it's just burnt caramel. Along with it is a nice floral hoppiness and a moderate to high bitterness to finish it off. The beer level in my glass is receding pretty fast, but I can't say I completely love it.
After a quick cost-benefit analysis, for $10 a bomber I won't ever be purchasing this again. 33.8oz of bottled Elder for the same price and ABV% is the right way to go in my mind.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Giving White Knuckle A Second Chance
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1 comment:
Agreed on the White Knuckle. It leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe if we weren't so spoiled with IPA's, or perhaps discovered this earlier in our IPA careers, it would seem better.
Just a thought.
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