Founders 4 Giants IPA Imperial India Pale Ale

Founders 4 Giants IPA Imperial India Pale Ale. 

9.2 % ABV, 80 IBU, Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, MI. 

Clear, bright amber/crimson coloring, large and lasting ivory head above. Looking good. 

In the nose: Big everything up in here. Prodigious hops, substantial malt. Citrusy, slightly piney, plus plenty of malt sweetness. Interesting and inherently likable. 

In the mouth: First the juicy, then the bitter. Right from the start, I've met the kind of double IPA that I love to drink. Just delicious. Lot of fruit, juicy, bitter, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, apricot, met with massive malt, matched with the fire of higher alcohol. It's a hot one, sure, but so, so very yum a dum.  Quite tasty, and very satisfying . 

This was made from the recipes of four different double IPAs that Founders has previously brewed, and those beers seem to be represented by four figures convening on the label. I only recognize the bottom left face from Double Trouble. I searched BeerAdvocate and could not find labels corresponding with those other three. Is there a Founders superfan out there who can identify them for me? Step up, please! 

We’ve made a lot of imperial IPAs over the years and, in turn, have had a lot of arguments over which one is the absolute best. So, to settle this once and for all, our brewers mashed up four of our favorite recipes into the ultimate imperial IPA. 4 Giants boasts aggressive bitterness balanced by a malty, sweet backbone while huge aromatics come courtesy of the seven American hop varieties.