Love it or hate it, there's little doubt that the double India pale ale, also known as the I2PA or Imperial pale ale, is here to stay. Particularly on the west coast of the United States, the style is proliferating madly, with new examples appearing almost daily and at least one beer festival devoted to it. At their best, these ales are stunning combinations of big hops, big malt and big alcohol. At their worst, they are little more than seriously alcoholic hop juice.
So what to make of a triple IPA?
That's how Russian River Brewing's Vinny Cilurzo, the brewer widely credited with having invented the double IPA, is describing his new Pliny the Younger, a massive, 11% alcohol by volume powerhouse of a brew. Personally, I call it simply delicious.
Few and far between are the ales which match the remarkable balance of the Younger, offspring of Cilurzo's double IPA, Pliny the Elder. Despite containing mountains of hops, the Younger is fruit-forward in body, with its robust bitterness only appearing in the second half and finish, and even then never quite dominating the taste. On the strength front, never mind its impressive potency, this ale drinks like a beer half to two-thirds its strength. And as for complexity, well, both Plinys have that in spades.
If this is a triple IPA, then I'm all for the further development for the style. Hell, let's start a I3PA beer fest!
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