Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

Beer: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA
Brewery Location: Easton, PA
Beer Style: Double IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 9.0%


I've been trying to get my hands on this beer for a little while now. It is found in Ohio, but as far as I know it is unavailable here in Indiana. I just received some in a trade.

Simcoe hops are a relative newcomer to the hop arena. It is a hybrid of hops that was made with a very high alpha-acid content, 12%+, and would impart strong bitterness without heavy harshness on the palate. According to Weyerbacher Brewing simcoe hops are a registered trademart of Select Botanicals. The bottle even shows that the word simcoe has been trademarked. I've heard so much hype about this beer, and I can't wait to give it a try.

Pours a deep amber hue with slight rustic orange highlights. A decent sized creamy head showed itself very briefly and settled into a thin blanket of head that stayed for the whole beer. This beer leaves big sheets of lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The floral notes in the nose are intense for this offering. Heavy scents of wooded pine, grapefruit rind, a certain earthiness that is associated with Amsterdam. The first flavors bring on a dry pine bitterness offset with a sweet caramel malt base and secondary flavors of citrus and orange rind. This is unlike, in a good way, any other DIPA I've tasted as of yet. This beer is medium bodied with medium carbonation on the mouthfeel, and does leave a very dry sensation on the finish. The alcohol is only slightly noticeable. The drinkability is very nice on this beer, and I would gladly purchase again.

If you like IPA's, but do not like the harshness of most DIPA's, this is the beer for you. The pine flavor is very heavy but is in no way cloying. I do have to say though that the bark of this beer is bigger than its bite. The nose outperforms the flavor on this beer, but having said that, overall it is a great offering. If this were available here in Indiana I would drink this often.

Cheers!
Matt