The clues from the color and the aroma were verified in the flavor. It is definitely malt-heavy. It starts with a sugary sweetness. The sides of the tongue do pick up on a dull bitterness, but the flavor soon is dominated by a roasted malt finish more like a lighter porter or stout. The aftertaste does have a little of the hop influence, with a lingering dryness, but there is also a slight burn from the alcohol that also doesn’t allow the hops to fully shine. This beer doesn’t taste as big as it is at 9.4%.
I would be quite happy with this beer if it was an amber or even Dubbel, but it did leave my hop-craving unfulfilled. It would definitely be a good choice for cool-evening sipping, and the weather forecast shows tonight will be just that. I have three more, so I might as well test that theory.
The Double Trunk Double IPA is available in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans for about 11 bucks.
Cheers,
Alex
Bikepacker Friendliness (16 oz cans are nice): 9/10
Aroma (sweet): 7/10
Flavor (not bad but very little bitterness): 7/10
Style-appropriateness (not enough hop): 6/10
I know. It’s the time of year I should start reaching for stouts, but temperatures have been in the mid-80s here this week, and I couldn’t pass up these cans in the store. Double Trunk from The Dudes’ Brewing Company in California, is a Double IPA, but it definitely stresses malt over hops.
The beer pours almost amber with orange shimmering reminiscent of a lazy sunrise. The head is thick and well-formed. It is also slow to subside leaving nice lacing and also leaving a thin layer atop the liquid as the beer is consumed.
The nose picks up heavy sweetness from the malt. There are notes of sugar and sweet, tropical fruit. The yeast is also present in the aroma. Knowing this is a Double IPA, I searched hard to find aromas from the hops, and the best I could do was find a little underlying citrus.
The clues from the color and the aroma were verified in the flavor. It is definitely malt-heavy. It starts with a sugary sweetness. The sides of the tongue do pick up on a dull bitterness, but the flavor soon is dominated by a roasted malt finish more like a lighter porter or stout. The aftertaste does have a little of the hop influence, with a lingering dryness, but there is also a slight burn from the alcohol that also doesn’t allow the hops to fully shine. This beer doesn’t taste as big as it is at 9.4%.
I would be quite happy with this beer if it was an amber or even Dubbel, but it did leave my hop-craving unfulfilled. It would definitely be a good choice for cool-evening sipping, and the weather forecast shows tonight will be just that. I have three more, so I might as well test that theory.
The Double Trunk Double IPA is available in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans for about 11 bucks.
Cheers,
Alex
Bikepacker Friendliness (16 oz cans are nice): 9/10
Aroma (sweet): 7/10
Flavor (not bad but very little bitterness): 7/10
Style-appropriateness (not enough hop): 6/10
The clues from the color and the aroma were verified in the flavor. It is definitely malt-heavy. It starts with a sugary sweetness. The sides of the tongue do pick up on a dull bitterness, but the flavor soon is dominated by a roasted malt finish more like a lighter porter or stout. The aftertaste does have a little of the hop influence, with a lingering dryness, but there is also a slight burn from the alcohol that also doesn’t allow the hops to fully shine. This beer doesn’t taste as big as it is at 9.4%.
I would be quite happy with this beer if it was an amber or even Dubbel, but it did leave my hop-craving unfulfilled. It would definitely be a good choice for cool-evening sipping, and the weather forecast shows tonight will be just that. I have three more, so I might as well test that theory.
The Double Trunk Double IPA is available in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans for about 11 bucks.
Cheers,
Alex
Bikepacker Friendliness (16 oz cans are nice): 9/10
Aroma (sweet): 7/10
Flavor (not bad but very little bitterness): 7/10
Style-appropriateness (not enough hop): 6/10