Review: Fernie Free Fall Double IPA


Dammit Fernie Brewing, as soon as I saw the name of this beer, Free Fall, I have Tom Petty's Free Fallin' stuck in my head!

Apparently this isn't the first time I've tried this beer, according to Untappd I tried this back in May.. but they've recently changed the design of their beer labels so that may be why I don't remember trying it.

Free Fall is a Double IPA that's heavily hopped with Simcoe, Ekuanot and Cascade hops. They state that this is their strongest IPA to date and high in alcohol (8.0% ABV/83 IBU).

Appearance: Free Fall pours a honey amber with a good amount of clarity to it. It has a moderate amount of carbonation and a very thick yellowish-beige head on top.. the head doesn't really diminish at first but goes away pretty quickly a few minutes later.

Aroma: Rich notes of pine, caramel, pineapple. The first impression I got from this beer was that this was a very bitter beer but once the head diminished, it was definitely a more welcoming aroma. There's also a hint of a herbal aroma to it that reminds me a bit of some sort of Italian seasoning. Decently sweet and seeing that this is a Double IPA, it's not a surprise that this is going to be sweet and caramelly.. most DIPAs I've had in recent memory seem to be more sweet than hoppy.

Taste: The first impression of the beer was that the taste was lacking something, I was expecting an intense caramel sweetness and hop profile to it but it tasted kind of watered down, it has a light caramel sweetness to it as well as a definite hop bitterness that gives off a bit of a tingling bitter aftertaste on the tongue. It's also got a hint of a tropical fruit (pineapple, lemon) taste to it but really, this beer is incredibly light for it being 8% but it's definitely hitting my body so the label is no joke.

Overall Thoughts: I can't believe this is 8% seeing how light it was but someone like my mom who absolutely detests the taste of hops would likely think that this is overly bitter, but for me.. it's very light for a Double IPA.. the pine, caramel malt and tropical notes are there but only faintly. I still have Free Fallin' stuck in my head.. thaaaanks for that! This is something that will be a bit too easy to drink two or three of without noticing, and then wondering why you're feeling a bit wobbly afterwards.

https://www.ferniebrewing.com/craft-beer/free-fall-double-ipa

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