MadTree Brewing Company | High Galaxy Imperial IPA
We love IPAs. Always have and, perhaps, always will. For a long time Don and I would look for the biggest IPAs we could find, bring them home, we’d share them, talk about them and compare to previous pints. Now, we’ve been fortunate to get so much good beer here in Knoxville that a lot of the beer we used to seek out and bring home can be found right around the corner. We’ve also discovered, as many brewers have, that it takes a lot more to make a stand out, memorable, IPA. Enter MadTree Brewing Company.
On deck today we have a beer that was canned a mere 5 days ago and bears the verbiage “nanu nanu” next to the born on date. A dark can – black, blue and green, with a black lid. It’s sharp, eye catching. It also bears the words “Imperial IPA.” That’s one of the best kinds of IPA! Galaxy High Imperial IPA from Mad Tree Brewing Company.
The beer pours a pale amber, unfiltered with a huge white head that not just sticks around but laces the glass – it’s beautiful. On the nose I immediately find a bouquet of aromas – passion fruit, citrus dominate with just a touch of earthiness. Malts? I know they are there but the hops not just take center stage, they dominate it. On the palate the hop symphony continues as the passion fruit notes and sensations of orange and melon can be found. The mouthfeel of this beer is medium to medium-high, it coats the entire palate and leaves a pleasant bitterness intertwined with a touch of fruit-sweetness that makes that next sip even better. The longer I wait between sips the more intense the bitterness becomes – it’s fantastic. For 9.5% ABV, there’s not any alcohol warmth on the palate to speak of, however a warming sensation can be noted in the chest after each sip.
Final snobs: This is a fantastic imperial IPA. It’s significantly flavorful, pleasant and memorable. My only complaint is that it may go down a little too easy – I’ll get over it. Well done MadTree Brewing Company!
Prost!