First sip is not the punch-in-the-gut that I expected. I really thought I was going to be dealing with straight hops and water, but this beer is much more tame than that. I wouldn't expect a very hoppy beer to be referred to as "mild," but I can't think of a better way to describe it. It's unexpectedly sweet and kind of relaxed. If I were to sip this beer the rest of the night, I suspect I would give it a really good review, but I have to give it the chance of really shining by drinking it properly.
Tip-in is expected carbonation burn, a bit of citrus, and not a whole lot else. There might be some sweet hops peeking through, but that might just be my imagination. The middle arrives - and I think that's the best way to describe it - with a hop taping at the back of the throat while carbonation fills the rest of the mouth. The finish evens things out with a sweet malt, but it doesn't do what it did in the sip - it doesn't effectively cover the bitterness of the hops. So, the hops just ride the tongue for a while, even after the beverage has been consumed.
Bottom Line: An excellent and refined example of an imperial IPA. Very hop, but not over the top.
4.25/5