Victory, Dirt Wolf Double IPA

Here is a new offering from Victory Brewing Company that brings them up to speed with some of their hot and heavy competition in the global hops race! I have to admit that I fell in love with Victory when I first got into craft beers, but as the years have gone on and more and more craft breweries popped up with new exciting styles and hop profiles, I had written Victory off as stagnant brewery. Then Summer Love came about and gave me a chance to reevaluate the brewery. This latest offering is just the kind of innovation that will win back hardcore hop heads that no longer swoon over heavy malty offerings like Hop Wallop or Hop Devil.

Dirt Wolf double IPA is a big, bold, hoppy brew that clocks in at 8.7% ABV and has a great hop line up of Citra, Chinook, Simcoe and the newest hop Mosaic. The aroma is a big resiny, piney hop punch that does not disapoint on the taste buds. The big resiny hop flavor coats the tongue without being heavy and malty. The old philosphy that a big, hoppy beer has to be tempered with a rich, malty backbone has been offically debunked with great beers like Lagunita's Little Sumpin Sumpin and Uinta's Hop Notch. This light bodied but super hopped up brew has been compared to the famous Heady Topper (which I can't comment on since I haven't had it yet) which is very high praise.

If you like Sierra Nevada's Hoptimum, Firestone Walker's Union Jack or Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe they I think you will fall in love with this brew. A must try for anyone who didn't think Victory could wow your tastebuds anymore.

Personal Rating: 9.5/10
Style Rating: 9.5/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=630279393048

Colorado, Vixnu Imperial IPA

What we have here folks is the first Brazilian craft beer being imported into the United States. This is a Brazilian take on the very popular craft beer style of Imperial IPAs or as we call them DIPA (Double IPA). This Brazilian beer is named Vixnu after the Hindu god Vishnu the creator. It is brewed with a load of sticky hops and local rapadura sugar that kicks up the alcohol to 9.5%. The sugar provides a nice ABV without giving it a malty richness. This beer reminds me of the first IPA's that got me hooked on the hoppy bitter brew that has become my go to craft beer style.

The aromas on this beer are all tropical: pineapple, mango, passionfruit and a hint of lime zest. It is not very aggressive on the hop aromas, in fact I gave a sip to a few non-hopheads and they loved the smell but the hoppy, bitter finish did them in. The finish has a nice sticky, resiny finish that is not very long, but enough to satisfy. This would be a great session beer if it were not so high in alcohol. This didn't pose much of a problem for a professional like myself, as I downed the 600ml bottle in less then 15 mins while watching a great Eagles game (which doesn't happen every Sunday).

Overall this is a really unique beer that showcases the different takes on our American Double IPA style. The use of a local sugar and the fact that it is the first craft import from this country make this a high recommendation in my book. If you have some friends just dipping their toes into the IPA world, then this is a must for them. Look for more varieties from this brewery coming soon!

Personal Rating: 8.5 /10
Style Rating: 9/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
http://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=7898925943808