Mad River Steelhead Double IPA

I'm a sucker for colorful labels, so this one caught my eye. Since it was also a Double IPA, I figured I couldn't lose. As far as Double IPA's go, this one is relatively mild. It's from Mad River Brewing in Blue Lake, CA, and I've sampled a number of their beers over the past couple of years. The beer poured a cloudy amber color, and had plenty of yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. It's definitely maltier and higher alcohol than a standard IPA. The sweetness of the malt was offset by citrusy, piney hops. The finish was decidedly bitter with an alcohol kick. This was very enjoyable.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton Imperial IPA

I've been saving this bottle of Dogfish Head Burton Baton in my fridge for a while, but decided to give it a taste test tonight. The bottle describes it as "An oak-aged Imperial India Pale Ale". It's a mixture of two different IPA's. One is aged in French Oak, while the other is their traditional 90 Minute IPA. They blend the two together to come up with Burton Baton. Due to its 10% alcohol level, this is best enjoyed as a sipping beer. It poured a deep amber, with a large off-white head. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy - some may consider it syrupy. The initial taste is sweet malt, with a strong hop influence to balance out the malt. It also has some port-like characteristics, and a warming alcohol finish. This is a beer that is to be enjoyed 1 at a time, possibly as an after-dinner beer. At $4.00 a bottle, I won't be drinking a lot of these, but I wish I could!