Riverside brewing co. ‘777’ Imperial IPA

Rating:

imageHere he is, the stronger, meaner, bigger brother of the 77 IPA. We first tried this on tap at the local brewhouse in Darlinghurst, Sydney and were blown away at the quality and flavour of this beer.

Served in an IPA glass the slightly hazy and gorgeous copper orange pour whips up a rocky 2 finger head with good retention. Laced really well. The first thing this beauty offers is a big, rich hoppy aroma with plenty of malt backing. Lychee, passion fruit, sticky pine resins, spice, alcohol, caramel, pepper and a faint hint of cedar wood. Brilliant, absolutely superb aroma. In the mouth it’s dry and acrid with medium carbonation. Full bodied. From the top a faint hint of peat gets things underway while sweet, sticky notes of caramel sit really tight with the slightly bitter hints of grapefruit and lemon. The lightly toasted mid-palate also takes on a salty and astringent booze burn from the high ABV (9.2%). Very dry, saliva sapping finish is accentuated by lingering hints of grapefruit and orange peel that move in on the palate and refuse to leave. Incredible length on offer here. Just a world class IPA, from the pour to the finish and everything in between. Big ups to the riverside boys, absolute pearler.