New Belgium Rampant Imperial India Pale Ale

Howdy beer fans,

I hope this wet and dreary Saturday in fabulous Knox-vegas finds you warm with a beer in hand – perhaps while watching some March Madness. While there is certainly a LOT going on in the world of craft beer these days, especially in the ole Volunteer state, I thought I’d go back to our roots with a quick post on a tasty craft beer.

I first got wind of this beer several weeks back and while I think it has finally made it’s way into the orange state (red and blue states – don’t hate!) I was able to pick this brew up in North Carolina at Bruisin’ Ales for a whopping $5 a few weeks back. Due to travel, life, taxes and lunar phases, I’ve just gotten a chance to crack it.

First off, $5 for a 22oz. imperial IPA sounds like a steal to me. However, perhaps I’m getting old and should have started that sentence with a bit of Grandpa Simpson, “In my day…”

So, the beer: nice floral aroma to this one, nothing particular stands out but it does have a nice hop aroma to it. On the tongue, it doesn’t overpower at all, very drinkable, maybe a little too drinkable at 8.5%…I’ve gone through half of my glass in just this paragraph. It’s certainly not sweet like some of it’s higher ABV counterparts but not overly bitter either. Apparently this brew is known for it’s “hop burp“…which…wait….yeah, ok, I see what they’re saying.

Final snobs: Good beer, great price. Not the best Imperial IPA I’ve ever had but not the worst either. Think I’d categorize it as the most dangerously sessionable IIPA I’ve had. It’s also hard to be in a beer family where you have accomplished older IPA siblings like Ranger and Belgo who I might go to first in a game of pickup basketball but Rampant is growing on me.

Cheers!