My Bitter Birthday--Weyerbacher Double IPA

The label on the 12oz bottle that houses Weyerbacher Double IPA is pretty well horrifying. It features what looks like a cyclops Siamese twin with an upsetting smile on the main part of the bottle, and to make matters worse, there's an evil looking clown/jester on the neck. It was with some trepidation that I uncapped this beer.

Brewed in Easton, PA by the Weyerbacher Brewing Co., this double IPA contained a no foolin' around 9% alcohol. The beer poured swampily--it was a dull orange-swill, hazy, and created with a thin, off-white head. It's potent aroma made me stand up and take notice--powerful woodsy and citrus notes in equal measures, along with the promise of silly amounts of bitterness. To my dumb tongue, murky, bitter grapefruit was the driving force, backed with a boozy sweetness and a whisper through the pines.

As I often complain about, many double or Imperial IPAs are too sweet, in an effort to get the percentage up. My favourite thing about this spooky nectar was that the sweetness was held in check to a serious degree. Three words to describe this beer?: hoppy, dank, and strong. Those of you who know me will recognize that those are all pretty good adjectives for me to assign a strong ale. This beer wasn't pretty, and a healthy head would have been nice, but it sure tasted sexy.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.