Pipeworks Deutsch Hopfen

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #303-304) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled ??.??.2014)

Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 9.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's been a while since I've dabbled with one of Pipework's Ninjas. And I know it's Not Pipeworks Thursday™....but I can't help myself. Plus, this beer is going to be better fresh. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is part of the Ninja vs. Unicorn series, and features tons of German hops from Hop Head Farms:

"Hand selected by master Nunzino Pizza of Hop Head Farms, Hüll Melon, Hallertau Blanc, and Mandarina Bavaria hops have combined powerful notes of citrus and melon to form the Pipeworks German Hopped Imperial IPA!! These hops pack a sneak, attack 1-2-3 punch that will leave you stunned!! They may be steeped in tradition, but these hops have many surprises up their lederhose. Other skills include: the ability to leap over a dachshund in a single bound!"

Pipeworks Deutsch Hopfen

The beer pours into a super hazy, straw-yellow color, with some shades of gold and brown. It's just a cloudy, murky beer. The beer kicks up three fingers of golden-tinted head, and head retention is great. There is epic lacing, per the style. The beer is a cloudy yellow-orange in bright light, and the head remains gold. Big streams of carbonation are climbing this one.

The aroma on this beer is super dank for a beer featuring so many German hops...I'm getting blasted with dank grass, HUGE tropical fruit and tangerine, resinous and grassy citrus, apricot, melon, peach/strawberry, lemon, white pepper, and some peppery spice. There's a hint of caramel on the nose. 

WOW. This beer is juicy, dank, and delicious. Tropical fruit paradise. This beer explodes with melon, mango, dank and resinous citrus, tropical fruits, gauva, pineapple, peach, and some bready and bitter grass on the back. There's a touch of caramel malt sweetness, bread, and biscuit, but mostly this dials up the tropical fruits, melon, and sweet citrus to a juicy eleven. I am smitten.

This is fucking fantastic. This is one of the best Imperial IPAs that Pipeworks has rolled out. We are talking about medium-full bodied, smooth, good carbonation, and a 9.5% ABV that is totally hidden. The beer is bitter, dank, and resinous, but it mostly dials up that juicy hop thing to an eleven and slaps you with sweet citrus, tropical fruit, and melon. Gosh darn. Palate depth is excellent, and this has layers of hop flavor for moderate complexity. This hits you with resinous/dank melon, peach, grass, apricot, guava, and tropical fruit up front; that rolls into more tropical fruits, melon, sweet citrus, some resinous lemon, peppery spice; the back end dials up some woody and resinous bitterness, and has some bitter grass. Layers of caramel and hints of bready biscuit are present. The finish is dry, and the juice levels are off the charts. This is fantastic.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. Go buy it now, no questions asked. This is worth every penny of the $10 dollars or so that you will be paying for a bomber. This is one of the best Imperial IPAs that Pipeworks has rolled out, and I demand that they source hops from Hop Head Farms again. This beer has tons of hop flavor, and it's not too bitter...this is a juicy beer, and I just wish I was on some beach to enjoy it. Food pairings: spicy wings, pizza, American bar food, Hawaiian salsa, pork with a sweet glaze/sauce, a Hawaiian burger, an Arby's Roast Beef with cheddar on that fantastic sweet bun. OH YEAH, I'm going to see if I can find another bottle of this....this is just dynamite. 

Random Thought: Stay tuned, this week haz good beerz.