FRESH BEER!!! That is what I’m enjoying right now. Half Acre Beer Company released a special edition brew called Double Daisy Cutter/Doble Cortador just yesterday. In light of Craft Beer Week this beer could not have come at a better time. For those of you who have enjoyed their standard Daisy Cutter Pale Ale this is an amped up version coming in at 8% ABV and a massive amount of hops. I was fortunate enough to sample the prototype at Dark Lord Day and let me tell you I was impressed. When I found out they were coming out with a Double my curiosity was peaked.

After driving down to the brewery to pick up my 5 bombers worth I was forced to sit through awful Friday afternoon Chicago traffic. However, this only made the first sip that much more relaxing and worth the trip.

Looking at the label art you’ll notice a double headed pack mule carrying a bomb that’s about to be unleashed. It is pretty much similar in appearance to its little brother. An orange body accented by yellow hues around the edges it produced a massive head that was truly effervescent. I must say that my nose is still recovering from the Hop-bomb that went off. Wow! The smell is simply nothing I’ve ever come across before. Super fresh, very citrusy and fruity, pungent, and juicy it is more hoppy a lot of “wet” hopped beers I’ve tried. Awesome notes of just about every tropical fruit are noticeable along with a honey, herbal quality that rounds out the hoppy character.

When I took a sip I could not tell that the ABV was 8% since it was masked by a glorious hop flavors. The malts provide a ever-so-slight toasty aspect while at the same time allow the hops to shine through. At first this beer was similar to biting into or breaking apart a leaf hop. While carrying such a hoppy presence, it is still a Pale Ale in every sense of the definition. Some APAs tend to lean towards an IPA, and although it is a double APA I found it to be very drinkable.

The aroma, finish, and aftertaste are all dominated by the flavorful hop components that lightly coat your nose and mouth with the resinous flower. The middle portion of my sip had a nice hay/straw-like malt aspect to it that was rather smooth and helped the drinkability. Overall, this was an awesome beer that I wish was not just a limited release.

ABV: 8.0%

Grade: A-