Firestone Walker Brewing – Double Jack, Imperial IPA

Being a fan of Firestone Walker Brewing’s (FWB) Union Jack IPA, I was happy to see their Double Jack American Imperial IPA available in bottled-four-pack. I have only seen it available in 22 oz bottles, and with a abv of 9.5%, that’s a enough to make me forget my own name.

*Note: FWB recommends drinking Double Jack within 120 days of it’s brew date. Seeing how we are at the end of September and the brew date was March – I cannot say that I have the full benefit of a fresh sampling. But fear not my hop-head friends, I’m still going to drink it. I went to Chico State, after all.

As I said, it’s 9.5% abv. Don’t drink this after a trail run and then drive. Bad idea. This beer is HUGE!

COLOR:
Golden yellow-orange abyss. Starts out cloudy but then becomes really clear. Impressive.

SMELL:
Hoppy goodness smacks your sense of smell and says, “Hello. I’m a big ass bitter beer.” Made with seven, SEVEN different kinds of hops, this beer has nearly won as many awards (six).

TASTE:
Your nose should have warned you. Double Jack is big upfront with an assault of bitterness and hops. FWB did an amazing job of masking the high abv, so watch-out! This beer will sneak-up on you. Sit back and enjoy this beer, slowly, and enjoy some good company and food along with it.

INFO:
Double Jack is part of FWB’s Proprietor’s Series, which includes a porter, barley wine, imperial stout and imperial special bitter. If by chance my wife is reading this – HINT! AH-OOHHHGAH!!!!! If you happen to be traveling through San Luis Obispo, drop by Firestone Walker Brewing Company and support a local brewer.

Cheers,
Scotty