Double IPA Taste Off – Round 4

The Judges:
Myself, Ryan Turner, Dan Weiser (@badger_alum1) and five other judges

The Competitors:
Surly Abrasive, Founders Double Trouble, Russian River Pliny the Elder, Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught, Toppling Goliath Sosus, Joseph James Hop Box

The Rules:
The beers will be blinded so none of the judges know which beer is in each glass.  Each of the judges will be asked to pick their favorite brew based solely on personal preference. Each judge will rank the beers in order 1-6 and then points will be assigned in reverse order based on the rating (e.g. 6 points for favorite beer and 1 point for least favorite).  Here is the blinded line-up:

The Results:
1. Toppling Goliath Sosus – 36 points
2. Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught – 34 points
3. Russian River Pliny the Elder – 27 points
4. Joseph James Hop Box – 26 points
5. Surly Abrasive – 21 points
6. Founders Double Trouble – 20 points

Personal Reaction:
The top two beers in the competition really separated themselves.  The words I used to describe both Sosus and Dreadnaught were “Balanced Perfection”.  When tasting them side by side, I preferred the Sosus just slightly.  I really have to take a moment to single out Toppling Goliath.  What they are doing is pretty amazing, do anything you can to get your hands on their beer it is truly amazing.  The biggest shock of the day was the famous Pliny was not in the top tier out of these six beers.  It had a great nose, was extremely flavorful, but wasn’t close to Sosus or Dreadnaught when drinking side by side.  Hop Box was the most sweet, which I detest in DIPA’s and overly bitter.  Based on the scores, people loved or hated that beer.  I should include the caveat that the Surly was 3 months old, but I don’t think it affected the flavor that much.  To me it was a distinct step down from Pliny because it lacked balance, though it did have a really nice hanging bitterness.  And what can I say about Double Trouble, the second I tasted it, I knew it was the worst of the bunch.  Definitely surprised, but not sure what else there is to say other than it was quiet disappointing.

Links to other Double IPA Taste-Offs:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3