Review: Phillips Double IPA

I've decided to start things off with a decidedly West Coast beer: the Phillips Brewing Amnesiac Double IPA. This is a relatively recent style of beer with even more hopping than a traditional IPA and a higher alcohol-by-volume to boot.

Review
This beer tastes pretty much the same as it smells: like a delicious forest. Add a few woodland creatures, maybe a druid circle or two, and you've got a good thing here.

The hops are strong with this one, but I expected something a little stronger. I wanted to be ashamed at inevitable shivers resulting from excessive bitterness. Perhaps that's a tad masochistic.

As it warmed, the flavour actually sweetened. A disappointment, to be sure. At 650ml bottles, these would be tough to finish before the bitterness fades.

Grade: B+

Vital Beer Stats

Name: Amnesiac Double IPA
Brewery: Phillips Brewing, located in Victoria, BC
Awards: Silver Medal (Canadian Brewing Awards, 2007)
Style: Double India Pale Ale
ABV: 8.5%
Serving Size: 650ml bottle.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Rich amber. Almost opaque. Sticky head.
Smell: Hoppy. Strong hints of pine. Earthy.
Taste: Initially bitter. Strong evergreen flavour finishes. Sweetens as it warms. Not as hoppy as expected.
Feel: Crisp and clean when cold, begins to acquire a stickiness as it warms.