Karl Strauss Brewing Co.’s Big Barrel Double IPA qualifies as a double IPA by the numbers at 9% ABV and 90 IBU. The big hop aroma and taste should satisfy most hopheads, while the fruity Nelson Sauvin hops and big malt backbone make this easily drinkable by those that typically shy away from hoppy beers.

Big Barrel Double IPA has a huge hop aroma, slightly floral and definitely fruity with no hints of pine. Karl Strauss describes it as tropical fruit and I’m reminded of mango’s. It’s fairly citrusy as well but not the typical grapefruit smells, it’s more orange citrus.

The taste is much the same. The initial taste is slightly sweet caramel malts and then the sweet and fruitiness of the hops hit. The finish is fairly dry and more bitter thanks to the use of Warrior and Ahtanum hops. This beer doesn’t taste like it’s 90 IBU at all and also masks it’s alcohol well. The mouthfeel is a bit thick, probably from the extreme amount of malt they must have used to balance out the hops, but it’s certainly drinkable.

This is a great beer, not a hophead’s dream DIPA, but certainly good. I drank this with a few people that in their own words typically hate IPAs and hoppy beers, but loved this. The kegs and bottles currently around town are from the third batch brewed by Karl Strauss, this beer is limited but I’m not sure it’s seasonal as it was brewed last fall, this spring and again now if I recall correctly. It’s available on draft at Karl Strauss and other bars as well as in 22oz bombers. It’s also priced extremely well at about $5/22oz.