Is This A Cool Name: I guess it's okay since they are inferring that it is twice the beer of their already stellar Union Jack IPA. Seriously, if you've never had a Union Jack, go out of your way to try one.
Style: An Imperial IPA, probably the most overdone beer category in the last three (or so) years. Every brewer and their mother does some over-alcohol'd, over-hopped IPA just for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses.
Alkyhol: 9.5%. Yep, that's about right.
Why I Bought This Beer: Much like the Firestone Walker 14th Anniversary Ale, I sought this beer out. I went to the special release event just to try it, since it's likely that I'll never see it again and because I freaking love over-the-top IPAs. Also, Firestone Walker is as consistent a brewery as there is in this great country, so I like to support people that consistently put out phenomenal beers.
Is This Beer Any Good: It really is. It's the first beer I've had in a long time that caused me to take a big whiff and immediately put it down because I was intimidated by the nose. This beer smelled like an orange grove and a pine forest got down. In terms of IPAs or Double IPAs, that is a very good thing. When I finally did come around to taking a sip, I was pleasantly shocked. Based on the nose I expected a boozy, resinous son of a bitch but actually got an extremely floral, citrusy, and malt-balanced Imperial IPA that was infinitely more drinkable than I would have wagered on. In this space I've always slotted Bell's phenomenal Hopslam as the cream of the barley crop, but the Double Jack definitely takes a run at that slot. If Firestone somehow makes the Double Jack available for more than a day, I'd be hard pressed not to call it my favorite double/imperial IPA (That I actually have access to. Pliny the Elder is a force to be reckoned with, but alas, we can't have nice things in Arizona.)
What Does This Beer Taste Like: I already used up my good analogy, but picture yourself running through a dense, alcoholic pine forest with your mouth open. It may hurt, but it's kind of intriguing. Once you are good and winded, you sit down and have a nice refreshing orange slice (a la youth soccer game timeouts), but it doesn't sting your open wounds (from the needles, running with your mouth open). I'd say this beer is kind of like that.
This Beer Would Pair Well With: Maybe an extremely sharp cheese. I don't really like extremely sharp cheese, so I can't say for sure, but I feel like that's a pretty good guess based on what I've read. Also, maybe a first date. I just think that would be funny for some reason. "Hey, we just met, let's drink extremely bitter boozy beer and see what happens!" You definitely get a second date drinking this stuff.
Sudoku Difficulty Rating: **** Not as difficult as it could be, but hard enough. If you find yourself eating offal, then you like this beer. Just my gut instinct. Haha, gut instinct.
Straight From The Source: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/50697
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