Review: Torque Steer Double IPA


Intense. Balanced. Torque-y. Powerful. Pair with: Not going sideways. 8.0% ABV. How does that sound to you? Double IPAs now days taste quite a bit different than the DIPAs from a decade ago. A Double IPA a decade ago was bitter, malty, aggressive and in your face. Now? Juicy, sweet, tropical and tastes like you're at a beach. So I was a bit surprised when Torque came out with Torque Steer Double IPA because there doesn't seem to be much of a demand for the classic old school DIPA.. but then there's me, I crave hops, I crave bitterness so I'm intrigued by trying this. I had a can a few weeks ago and told the staff at my local LC that it's aggressive, hoppy and in-your-face.. and they 100% agreed with me. There's got to be other hop heads out there, right?

Appearance: Very murky with a cherry wood reddish-brown appearance to it. Light amount of carbonation in the body and a good amount of yellow-beige head on top. The head diminishes gradually to leave behind a good amount of lacing on the glass.

Aroma: Bitter as heck. It's got a heavy amount of pine to it, rich amount of woodiness, lots of caramel, lemon, grapefruit and a hint of pineapple for sweetness.

Taste: This is very, very bitter. It's bitter right from the get go with a heavy pine and woody presence to it. It's decently sweet with a rich caramel maltiness to it, as well as some mild citrusness to it, mostly lemon, grapefruit and a hint of pineapple.

Overall Thoughts: When I took my first sip of this, I definitely cringed more than I did with Curmudgeon. This is the kind of IPA that I knew and love a decade ago, so it's nice to see someone brewing it in this day and age! I can recall one of the last times I had an IPA like this was nearly four years ago at the Kings Head.. that seriously brings me back memories. 90 IBU. If you're looking for bitter-in-your-face hoppy goodness that pairs well with polar vortex weather, this is it.

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