Olde Hickory Death By Hops IPA

Old Hickory Brewery Death By Hops India Pale Ale, Brewed and Bottled by Olde Hickory Brewing, Hickory, North Carolina. 7% ABV.

Light haze. Golden hue, large white, lasting head.

Bracing bitterness hits the nose, waves of pine and citrus wash over, hit after hit of hoppy goodness. Nice.

Tastin' it: Bittersweet and resiny. Juicy, hoppy, and yum. Hopped up and ready to go. Medium body and mouthfeel, leaves plenty of room for hops to do their dance. Plenty of lemon, lime, spots of pepper. Stays just short of astringent. Well, it gets a little in their, in the back of the throat.

Easy drinker, for the hopheads among us (raises hand). Top notch IPA all the way. Hey, what does the label say?

"Death by Hops double IPA is the winner of Olde Hickory's first Pro-Am event. This beer was designed by Alex Buerekholtz, award winning homebrewer & proprietor of Hops and Vines, Asheville, NC. DbH is brewed with 3 row barley, hopped with 5 different West Coast ops, then twice dry hopped. The net results an amazing aroma of ripe juicy fruit mixed with a bouquet of spring flowers. Death by Hops makes an impact you won't forget! Cheers!"

That sounds about right. But I wouldn't have picked it as a double IPA. Most go above 7%, and with a name like this, you'd expect a bit of punishment. This one is mighty hoppy, but doesn't push it too far, doesn't take it over the edge. Nothing wrong with that.