Millstream Hop2 Double IPA

Millstream Hop(2) Double IPA, Amana, Iowa. No information given, but this on the side of the bottle carrier….um, no, it's too long. Maybe I'll scan it. Oh, and we learn that it is 7.5% ABV. So, let's open it up and find out what's inside.

Deep burgundy coloration, rich, creamy off[white head above.

Aromatics: complexity abounds, rich, malty, pungent. Hops are present, but muddied and indistinct. There are no typical hop aromatics associations at play. Instead there is chocolate, dark fruit, plum and fig and cherry, and oak.

Taste: Hip hops hit at first, a blast of bitterness, then up rises sweet malt to smother it and coat it in chocolate and caramel. I can taste it some on the tongue, but it goes nowhere. Sweet subsumes all.

This really doesn't feel like a double IPA at all. Alcohol is high, yes, but, hops aren't as pronounced as they ought to be, and malt mucks it up. I'm happy to entertain varying and contrasting interpretations of this still very new style, but this one doesn't thrill me at all. I'll finish my 4-pack and forget about it. About $11 down the drain, and here's hoping they improve it some if they try this again.