El Segundo "Steve Austin's Broken Skull" Double IPA

I saw this beer at the beer store several times, and I intentionally avoided it. The first Broken Skull beer was not good, and it made me think that this was going to suck just as bad. Well, it just sat there on the shelf, calling to me. It was apologizing for it's brother beer and insisting that a DIPA was certainly going to make things alright. I succumbed to the pressure, and I hope this turns out okay.

The honey-colored beer produces a nicely sticky head that leaves dramatic amounts of lacing in its wake. The aroma of heavy malt is sweet, and citrus fruits dance on it in a playful way. This really seems like it's going to be a winner, and Stone Cold can finally raise his head in pride if it is.

First sip is not bad. It's not quite as straight-forward as the aroma, and the slightly dank and musty finish seems to be putting the rest of the sip (which had been a thick malt with that nice citrus) off a bit. It's like the finish can't get out of the way of the train that was the approachable front. Maybe a swig will get this thing going right. I mean, I know very little about Stone Cold other than that he doesn't do things by half measure. 

Tip-in is rather sweet bread malt with citrus spritz and a moderate carbonation that wants to be more. The middle erupts into a dazzle of carbonation with the thick malt turning a bit musty as the citrus turns to peels and pits. The finish is more musty and slightly dank as the citrus loses its luster.

Bottom Line: Not terrible, but not for me.

1.5/5