Route 1A Double IPA

Double IPAs can be ridiculously hoppy and still be consistent with the style as we know it. This one didn't get that memo, and instead drinks more like other breweries' standard IPA.

There's not much going on in the aroma. There's some orange and pineapple and a bit of grainy background malt. It's pretty enough though -- it poured a clear, medium-gold color with a thin white head.  

The flavor adds... too much in the wrong places. There's a rich bready note and a low caramel character (and in my bottle, a touch of wet-paper oxidation). The bittering is medium, with a balanced finish and some lingering peppery alcohols in the aftertaste. It's a full beer in the mouth, which is fine, but it also leaves behind a slightly syrupy, viscous sensation.  

Overall? It's truly not bad. With its malt-forward flavor profile it scans more as an Imperial English IPA than an American, and the lack of hop aroma and flavor really holds it back. Other bottles may be fresher and better, and if I had any, I'd drink it sooner rather than later!