Napa Smith Hopageddon Imperial IPA

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Poured up on tap at GABF 2012 with a sort of matte gold mostly clear body that supports a tan head of foam. The aroma offers up sort of pine and citrus hops and then a little bit of spicy oak around the edges with wafer thin rings of thick malt sweetness even further out on the periphery. The taste is a nice burst of citrus and tangelo and some pine and then some oak spiciness. It then fades into malt flavor and a little bit of sweetness as it heads into the after taste. This is pretty darn good and my favorite so far from this brewery.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

22oz bottle picked up at Bevmo in Vacaville
Appearance: Pours clear dark golden with a big off-white head and good lacing
Aroma: Caramel, dusty, floral and grapefruit
Taste: Caramel, piney, candy and bitter
A decent hoppy/bitter IIPA with plenty of caramel to back it up.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

From Total Wine (Scottsdale, AZ). Pours a clear dark orange, 'neath a creamy ivory head of no great size. Second pour picked up the sediment, and was rather cloudy. Aroma was malty and boozy, maybe some hop. Full-bodied mouthfeel, which improved as things warmed. Bitter enough, yet I think this was closer to a barleywine than a DIPA, as the flavour was mostly that of a boozy maltiness, yet not really any citrus to speak of. Still, I liked it.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

A copper colored beer with a three fingered off white head. There’s some hang time on the head. It settles into an impressively thick lacing of film and a ringlet. The nose is sweet and slightly hoppy. The tasting is more citric-some pine and a hint of grassy hops. It is light-medium bodied, effervescent and resfreshingly crisp.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Reminded me more of a sticky barleywine than an imperial ipa, lots of caramel and butterscotch mixed in with a fairly weak hop aroma. No style points for this one, can't hang with the big dogs.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Not sure of the age on this one...in hindsight, I'm guessing somewhere in the not so fresh range. Ample bitterness, but lacking any floral or citrus quality in the aroma, just some back of the mouth tropical fruitiness and a ton o bitters. Malt heavy in a way that suggests age. Not a fan for the coin.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Strong aroma is quite hoppy, grassy and hay-ish rather than evergreen, with hints of malt and grapefruit. It pours a slightly hazy dark copper with a fairly thick light light yellowish tan head. Mouth-filling, lip-smacking flavor has a strong, somewhat bitter hoppy core and notes of grapefruit, malt and caramel. Smooth texture is rough around the edges, and firm tingle leaves a hoppy, bitter finish with a caramel hint.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Bomber - shared on a dinner cruise. Amber orange pour with an ample head and some lacing. Hopped aroma, earthy, slight piney and woodsy, some tropical fruits, a touch of the wine from the barrels, some sweet malty toffee. Taste is earthy and grapefruit hoppy, nice bitter, then some of the wine and grapes slightly shine through, fruity, lightly sweet, still big on the hops. Interesting and very tasty beer - Glad to now get Napa Smith in Tennessee. A big beer with a pleasant bitter and nice twist with the wine aging.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Sampled on 4/20/2012. This Imperial India Pale Ale pours a medium to dark orange/copper gold color from a 22oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel and sweet, touch of wood and chardonnay. A medium to full bodied Imperial India Pale Ale. The malts are fruity, caramel and sweet. The hops are herbal, citrusy and floral. Decent carbonation. Touch of wood, some chardonnay and cabernet. An interesting blend of flavors, nice malts and good hop flavor. Nice smooth taste. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.