Judge’s Review: 86 Rating - Alcatraz 2X IPA by Alcatraz Brewing

Alcatraz 2X IPA by Alcatraz Brewing is being evaluated as a Double IPA (Category 22A) from the 2015 BJCP guidelines.  

This beer poured golden amber with a low amount of haziness. The robust off-white head is voluminous and framed the glass beautifully.   

Moderate floral hops salute the olfactory senses. The hop characteristics were also reminiscent of roses, perhaps showcasing early oxidation? In the back end of the hop profile a little bit of woodsy note was detected and seemed to complement the ripe red roses aroma.  

A piney and woodsy hop character welcome the flavor, with another round of secondary hop notes in the ripe citrus fruit realm. Very little malt detected, but what’s there is mostly grainy and caramel. This balance is tilted mostly toward the hops, and there is a long-lasting dry finish that coats the tongue in the aftertaste.

The mouthfeel exhibited a medium-full body with medium-high carbonation indicating the boldness of the style, along with alcohol warming notes that are high but don’t overwhelm the beer.

A very good DIPA that will pair very well with moderate to highly spiced dishes. The freshness level seems slightly on the outer fringes. There are caramel notes that become greater as it warms, and could be an indication of it’s age. Upon further inspection the beer‘s canned date was a week shy of three months.