New Belgium Rampant Imperial IPA
From New Belgium – A burly and bitter Imperial IPA, Rampant pours a pure copper and carries the sheen of a rightly hopped beer. The Mosaic and Calypso hops bring stonefruit to the front seat, and the addition of Centennials nod towards citrus for a well-rounded aroma. The taste expands these hops with heavy peach tones and a profoundly bitter bite. There is some malt sweetness to stand this beer up, and Rampant’s finish is bone-dry.
New Belgium Brewing – Rampant Imperial IPA – 22 oz. bottle poured into a goblet. 8.5% abv.
Appearance: Pours a hazy amber gold with a frothy cap of white that retains throughout the session.
Aroma: A nice bouquet of skunky citrusy hops. Some pineapple and ‘grandma perfumey’ yeast.
Taste: Dry malt, spicy yeast. Grapefruit and pineapple. Layers of subtle hops: some herbal spicy hop notes, and some juicy grapefruit hops. Finishes earthy with a rather quick duration.
Mouthfeel: Pretty dry, full bodied, prickly carbonation.
Overall: My gut reaction was this isn’t what I’m looking for in a Double IPA, then as I drank the second half of the bottle, I began to appreciate the beer for what it is, and how this is a great intro to Double IPAs type of beer. It’s clean, dry and it doesn’t bombard you with caramel malt. It’s very drinkable, just missing the bitterness most hop heads look for in a beer that has IPA in the name.
