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DDH Ever Clever by Bearded Iris brewing is being judged as a Double IPA (category 22A) per the 2015 BJCP style guidelines.
This beer pours a light gold color with moderate haze, which is slightly see-through. A bone white, meringue-like creamy head is sustained, and, as it falls, it leaves a lovely lacing on the glass. The overall aroma intensity is moderately low, which was surprising for the declared style; the hop profile was extremely subdued and very generic and almost nondescript. As the beer warms, a low ethyl alcohol and slight grainy malt is detectable in the aroma. The initial sip consists of an estery, almost Saison-like note with very subtle bubblegum elements coupled with moderate (almost moderately high) ethyl alcohol warmth and flavor. There is a slight malt sweetness, which is almost canceled out by the alcohol presence. A low bready and slightly nutty malt flavor is present in this beer but seems to manifest itself in the aftertaste once the alcohol dissipates. Hop bitterness is moderate, though hop flavor is almost nondescript due to the esters and alcohol. This beer has a medium body with medium-low carbonation with moderate (almost moderate-high) alcohol warmth with no creaminess or astringency. Overall, the lack of hop character in both the aroma and flavor is detrimental to the style. When combined with the estery flavors and slightly off-putting ethyl alcohol notes, it made this beer an unpleasant drinking experience in this particular sample.