Double Sunshine Ruby Red Grapefruit by Lawson's Finest Liquids was judged as a BJCP category 29A, Fruit Beer, with 22A, Double IPA, as the base style.

Copious amounts of fresh grapefruit jump out of the glass. There are some accompanying citrus notes of lemon and a touch of dank hops. Some underlying sweet malt is joined by a little pine tar and just a hint of pineapple as it warms. No fruity esters or any off-flavors are present. Just a touch of alcohol is noted retronasally. Wonderful aromatics overall. The beer is a brilliantly clear golden hue topped with a large, creamy, off-white head and tiny bubbles ascending. No haze here (thank you beer gods!).

The grapefruit takes center stage in the flavor as well. While it is indeed dominant, it's not aggressively so. The moderate levels of bitterness are assisted by the light acidity of the fruit to balance the sweet malt. The malt gives a slight caramel note and is a nice complement to the hops and fruit. The balance is toward the grapefruit, but there is a substantial amount of malt here. Maybe a little too much for a double IPA. The bitterness does carry into the medium-dry finish and on through the aftertaste but it doesn’t wear out its welcome. It does finish a little heavy for the style, but I’m not complaining – it’s delicious. Clean fermentation with lingering grapefruit is experienced well after the swallow. Just a hint of pleasant alcohol is also noted in the finish.

The body is nearly medium-full and, as mentioned, is a tad too full to allow for the kind of drinkability expected. Moderately high carbonation helps lift some of the sweetness. Still, the beer is very smooth with just a touch of hop bite and a little acidity. These are welcome as they help cleanse the palate. Very faint warming from the alcohol.

Excellent beer! The grapefruit addition is very well placed. It is prominent and easily identified as fruit yet complements the style and is melded perfectly with the American “C” hops. As I’ve mentioned, the fullness of the body does keep it from being as drinkable as the style calls for and is really my only ding on the beer stylistically. As far as I’m concerned, a beer can be perfect without being stylistically perfect. If the beer were slightly dryer (or perhaps a touch more bitter) it would attain stylistic double IPA perfection. That’s not much to complain about and really, I’m not complaining – this is a world-class DIPA.