I reviewed this beer in January only 2 weeks after reviewing my first beer. So, now that Double Sunshine has been brewed again, I picked up a day old Sunshine and am going to re-review this beer and then compare it to my old review. Here Goes!
Old Review:
AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
adamjackson (274) – Canaan, USA – JAN 31, 2012
A – Pours a golden haze. The beer is unfiltered but you’d think it wasn’t. What starts as a cloudy unfiltered look soon changes to a very translucent brew that looks filtered. It’s a light tangerine color, single finger head that never goes away.
S – Smells a lot like Heady Topper that I had the night before. Clearly a Double IPA just from the smell. I get pineapple, apples and mangoes. The mango sent is very strong.
T – Wow. What a punch. Nice notes of lemon and ginger and maybe some earthiness but this is a very fruity beer.
M – Full bodied and very carbonated. It was a very heavy beern.
O – I’d like to have this again. I’m not a big IPA fan so I can’t really say it was as amazing as others say it was but, as a beer drinker, I can respect the quality of this beer.”
New Review:
AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
adamjackson (274) – Canaan, USA – May 21, 2012
A – Gorgeous pour. SRM of 8.5. Deep orange appearance like a light orange soda. Very rich hazy appearance. My standard pour yielded a 2 finger off white to slight yellow head with a creamy top that subsided very little in 5 minutes.
S – Delicious dry hop aroma. Nice grapefruit and orange zest smells followed by lemon juice, a bit of apricot and pineapple. There’s a mild spice to this beer.
T – Well, I’m going to try my best to get the hop profiles correct. I’m getting Centennial, Columbus and Amarillo hops. Dry hop is citra and this leads me to an overwhelming ruby red grapefruit taste. Mild pepper notes and a weak level of orange skins. Reminds me of my whole juiced oranges I have every day at home. Finish is a fleeting dry hop taste and almonds.
M – 60% carbonation on the mouth swish. Heavy body for an IPA. Mouth feel is slick and the dry hops stick around for a nice bit of time.
O – When I first rated this beer in January, it was perhaps my 5th IPA ever and the 2nd IPA I had ever rated. Now, I’ve rated about 50 and had over 100 IPAs since then. So, now that my palate has changed a bit, I don’t think it’s as good as it was when I first had it. It’s still a “nectar of the gods” sort of beer but it’s no Heady Topper and it doesn’t stand up to the hoppy beers released by Hill Farmstead. Still, Double Sunshine is worth seeking out as it is delicious. Just make sure you get it fresh.
Conclusion: Well, there are similarities and, in reading my old review, it’s clear I was just a bit less in touch with what I was tasting and also less familiar with various ingredients and saying things like “It tastes like a Double IPA” A bit embarrassing but that’s how we learn. I did revise my rating after having so many wonderful IPAs lately and, it turns out IPA and Double IPA dominate my ratings now. For someone who doesn’t like IPAs, it’s sort of become my thing so that’s a big shift. Now, for some photos!
The below below I took when I first had this beer on January 8th, 2012. It’s also nice that I’ve found a flow when it comes to photographing beers. My photos and my reviews have improved greatly.