Single Hop, Double Goodness

 

Beer: Double Simcoe IPA

Brewer: Weyerbacher Brewing Company

Style: American Double/Imperial IPA

ABV: 9.00%

Description: Double Simcoe pours a beautiful dark bronze with a slight haze and a soapy white head that doesn’t linger too long, but leaves a very thick lacing on the glass. The aroma is dominated by hops, with fruit scents being the most dominate, such as notes of mango, pineapple, and other tropical fruits up front with background highlights of pine and resin. A sweet malt floats in to make its presence known. The hops dominate the taste up front as well, with citrus fruit and pine assaulting the palate first that almost seems to stick on the tongue before the sweet malts wash over to cleanse the palate and leave a wonderful semi-dry finish. The body is in the medium-full range with moderate carbonation that creates a creamy body that is the perfect vessel for this hop assault. Another solid beer from a solid brewery!

Food pairing: The Simcoe hop is one of the more aggressive hops that many brewers use, so a beer made using all Simcoe hops is pretty powerful and can take over many dishes. Bold Mexican meals are amazing when paired with Double Simcoe, especially fajitas, and do not be afraid of making it spicy. Also try this brew with spicy Thai dishes and you will notice your palate picking apart all of the spices and the beer intermingling for an overwhelmingly enjoyable experience. Feeling more like a Sunday on the couch watching football? Double Simcoe is the beer to have on hand for a great pairing with all of your favorite football foods. This is a great pairing with pizza; feel free to pile on the toppings, but try to pile on some spicier toppings for a nice combination of flavors. Also pair this with a piled-high plate of nachos covered in cheese and jalapeños. This is a very versatile beer that can hold its own with a wide variety of dishes. The best pairings for this are ones that have a bit of spice and heft, but feel free to experiment!

The final word: Nearly all breweries have a version of an IPA or Imperial IPA, but not all are worth trying. Weyerbacher’s take on the style is just what you would expect from this award-winning brewery: perfect! The most difficult task that breweries face when creating an imperial IPA is balance. Many tend to be either too sweet or too bitter, but those who find balance are extremely enjoyable and drinkable beers. Double Simcoe not only highlights why the Simcoe hop is so popular among brewers, but the talents of the brewers at Weyerbacher. While this is the time of year many of us began the transition to porters and stouts, Double Simcoe is a beer that should be enjoyed year-round. Also worth trying is the unfiltered version of Double Simcoe; it makes for a very interesting side-by-side tasting.

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Where can I get it? Weyerbacher makes Double Simcoe year round, so if the usual haunts are sold out, request some and you will certainly be able to get it. Currently available in bottles at: Exit 190 Beer & Deli- Dickson City, PA; Krugel’s Georgetown Deli & Beer Wilkes-Barre, PA; and Wegmans, Dickson City, PA.