Double Cone

Alvarado Street Brewery — Salinas, CA

15 Jan 2018 · Stephen

Double IPA Alvarado Street Brewery

8.5% ABV

85 IBU

Light golden amber Color

Contributing Factors

Presentation ✓

Character ✓

Experience ✓

Return ✓

4 / 4 I'd order another

Tasting Notes

Appearance Golden to light amber, clear — West Coast DIPA clarity, no haze. Annual vintage production and consistent formulation give this a recognizable character in the glass year over year.

Aroma Monster dry hop arriving immediately and with force. Citra leads with citrus and tropical fruit brightness, Mosaic and Mosaic Cryo stacking mango and tropical fruit at double concentration, Strata adding its passionfruit and dank cannabis-adjacent depth underneath. Devilishly dank and lush — Alvarado Street's own descriptor, and it's precise. The Cryo addition amplifies everything without adding harshness.

Palate Oily hop flavor is Alvarado Street's own descriptor, and it's accurate — the Cryo addition leaves a hop oil richness on the palate that standard pellet additions can't produce. Citra citrus through the middle, Mosaic tropical fruit behind it, Strata dankness building on the back half, all of it delivered at 8.5% ABV that's hidden by the hop character rather than advertising itself. Tropical, sweet, then dry resiny pine — the field review that maps the palate arc exactly. The 85 IBU assertive oily hop bitterness builds firmly and West Coast in character, resolving into the dry finish Alvarado Street promises.

Finish Dry and complete. The Strata and Mosaic dankness linger longest — resinous, dank, pine-adjacent — with the Citra citrus fading more quickly. 85 IBU bitterness sustained and clean, the 8.5% warming finish present but hidden by the hop bill. Dangerously drinkable is the right description for a finish that makes you reach for another before the first is fully resolved.

The Verdict

Alpha King winner. GABF medalist. World Beer Cup Silver. In Alvarado Street's playbook since 2014, annual vintage, monster Citra/Mosaic/Strata/Mosaic Cryo dry hop, 8.5% ABV.

— Stephen · Contributing Factor Brewing · 15 Jan 2018