21st Amendment Hop Crisis Imperial IPA

My latest entry for the San Francisco brewpub, which contracts out it's packaged products in Cold Spring, MN, and my first having it on tap at the Nile. So, it's local, right?

Here are my notes on Hop Crisis, the Imperial IPA, aged on oak spirals:

21st Amendment Hop Crisis, Imperial IPA, aged in oak spirals. 9.7% ABV, 94 IBUs.

Clear, bright, reddish amber hue; huge head, lush and long-lasting, creamy-toned.

Aroma: oak notes hit the nose immediately, covering the harsher aspects of this Imperial IPA. Citrus and pine lurk beneath. Grapefruit meets mango, lighter lemon and lime. Slightly soaked in oak, not necessarily smothered, though. Still showcases a beautiful bouquet of hop notes.

Taste: Lush in the mouth, full and forward with flavor. Hops are high, here, big, bracing bitterness, but nicely coated by the touches of oak. It's an extra dimension, it's nothing intrusive or reductive, in the least. You're still smacked around with hops, and high alcohol levels, two things you want in your imperial IPA, but x-factor of oak brings a comforting element, something that subdues the harsh bitterness ever slightly, and ushers in a crisp, satisfying something else. 

It hangs in the air, and it hides in your head. This has an electric hop buzz that cradles the cranium, and sizzles, the senses, without killing anyone, or ruining anything. Boom, and, yum, and boom, and, ahhhh!!!

Really great beer, super great, ultra tasty, and, yeah. Crisis averted.