Poured into a Piraat tulip glass. Popped the bottle cap and couldn't resist sucking in the vapors that escaped - pure Simcoe goodness. Poured out a darker than expected brown, very similar in color to a Newcastle. Virtually no head with slight laceyness. The viscosity is noticeably thick for such a low malt beverage. The Lacey head sticks to the side of the glass as it is drank. Drunk? Dranken? Never was sure about that one. Maybe this beer is catching up with me quickly!
The nose smells like a high alcohol IPA (9.75%!) would expect to - the Simcoe hop smell that I love is definitely present but much more subdued - I'd guess that the smell was a result of a lot of dry hopping and not so much late boil add or flameout.
The taste is out of the world - maybe it was the expectation that came with the malt presence on the nose or the high ABV expectation of yet another over-malted IPA, but this one met and exceeded expectations. Sticky mouthfeel meets piney grapefruity goodness. Aftertaste left with the perfect balance of sweet alcohol and earthy hop flavor.
All in all one of the finest specimens of an imperial IPA that I have found to date - definitely in my Top 5. Nothing bad to say about this beer at all. Well done, Drake's!
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