Yea, it’s pretty good!
Hey Guys!
I wanted to try my hand at the New Belgium Imperial IPA, Rampant.
Did you know?
What do you mean Imperial? (Remember I told you, I like facts.)
Imperial was originally used around the 1800s for stouts (for the most part but others too) that were brewed in England and then shipped to Russia. It would contribute to helping keep the beer from going bad during the trip to Russia. The Imperial Russian Court would then be impressed by the awesome power of hops. (I’ll pause while you ask, “Well why is this beer called Imperial IPA when a dude from Florida is drinking it?”)
That’s a great question! You really are great at question asking!
Well! Today, the time of the Great Craft Explosion in America, craft breweries across the country tend to label a beer as “Imperial” when they want to indicate that the intended purpose of the beer to go big and bold. That is whether by hops or malt doubling or so, they want this beer to knock your socks off with pure unadulterated beer flavor. The second goal is to also raise the alcohol content higher than what that style beer would normally be.
But let me stop blabbing and get to my thoughts. This was a great beer.
Location:
I’m just hanging out at home with the wife and watching the Women’s World Cup game between the United States (USA, USA, USA…) and Germany.
New Belgium Rampant 8.5% ABV Imperial IPA:
Aroma:
Hops, definitely HOPS. It’s a deep scent. The scent is definitely worthy of it being called Imperial. But there is a hint of citrus and sweetness to it that makes it a bit more complex than many other IPAs.
Look:
As you can see from me holding the beer to the light, it’s a beautiful golden hue. A pure IPA color. It’s not your normal looking beer. It has a great carbonation that I can see coming up from the depths of the glass. There is very little head to it.
First Taste:
Hops. It has a great bitter to it. It comes up to bite you with its earthy pine flavor on the front and top of your mouth. Then there is the peach undertones that play on the sides of your tongue.
After Taste:
I mainly tasted a dull bitter, but it was not lost on me that there’s some complex after tastes. Its earthy pine flavors bring a sort of mouth fullness when you drink it. That’s the after taste that’s left in your mouth. Definitely tasty.
Final Word:
I would give this beer a 3.5/5. It’s not necessarily the best IPA that I’ve ever tasted, but New Belgium has made a solid Imperial IPA here. I love IPAs, and this Imperial IPA gave me a bit more bite than an average IPA. I’d highly recommend this
*As a qualifier, I’m definitely in love with hoppy and bitter beers so this is my style of beer. If you’re not into beers with bite, or you’re not as tough as the Imperial Russian Court, this may not be your style beer.
Alright, that’s my time, and as always, if you liked this post, please follow. And if you didn’t, please follow anyway. And please leave me a comment where I can see your opinion, because you probably know more than I do.
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram, where you can keep current on all my beerscapades.
-The Glasshopper
The Glasshopper 