Hercules Double IPA - Great Divide Brewing Co

Brew: Hercules Double IPA
Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Company (Denver, CO)
When Tasted: March 16, 2014
How: Bottle
ABV: 10% IBU's: 85
Hops: Not Listed

What the Brewery Says About this Beer: HERCULES delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile.

Appearance: Pretty dark, SRM 9-11 I would guess, a medium amber color. Not a huge amount of head, but one with a little staying power

Aroma: very light floral notes, just really a hint.

Taste: Bitter up front and not much citrus just like the aroma would predict. A malty and caramel sweetness in the middle. Finish is surprisingly crisp and bitterness dies off quick leaving a pleasant astringent mouthfeel.

Southern Hops'pitality India Pale Ale - Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company

Brew: Southern Hops'pitality India Pale Ale
Brewery: Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company (Kiln, Ms)
When Tasted: March 14-16, 2014
How: Bottle
ABV: 6% IBU's: 60
Hops: Citra, Cascade, Centennial, Nugget, Simcoe, Summit

What the Brewery Says About this Beer: Bold Grapefruit, Orange, and Mango with a dry-hopped Aroma; Crisp and Smooth Finish

Appearance: I would put this visually at about SRM 3-6, call it between straw and deep gold.  Weirdly the brewery's website calls it 15 Lovibond degrees which would put it in the range of Amber-brown to Brown. A medium head that has some staying power.

Aroma:  I get lots of citrus and the tropical fruits mentioned by the brewery.

Taste: A bold grapefruit taste right away then tastes of bitter mango and the very crisp tingly feeling on the tongue. I actually get bit of creaminess in the mouthfeel and  a long crisp bitter finish.

Other Notes: I actually visited this brewery coming home from my honeymoon, hence that's how I got a glass from the brewery. I don't recall tasting this one there. Over weekend I've enjoyed a whole 6-pack of this though. Lazy Magnolia calls this one session IPA, but I think the stats pretty much put it in the class of a straight up American IPA.

West Coast IPA - Green Flash Brewing Co.

Brew: West Coast IPA
Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Co. (San Diego Co, CA)
When Tasted: March 15, 2014
How: Bottle
ABV: 7.3% IBU's: 95 
Hops: Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial, and Cascade

What the Brewery Says About this Beer: A menagerie of hops is layered throughout the brewing process: Simcoe for unique fruitiness and grapefruit zest, Columbus for strong hop pungency, Centennial for pine and citrus notes and Cascade for floral aroma. A multi-dimensional hop experience.

Appearance: Somewhere between medium and deep amber SRM 12-15 perhaps. Lightly filtered. For all that hops not much of a head.

Aroma: Lots of floral notes and citrus on the nose.

Taste:  Loads of citrus and pine right up front, but a deep solid bitter flavor under everything. A medium long bitter finish. There is a certain crispness with every sip too. A great example of what you can do with a blend of many hops like this.

Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale - Ska Brewing Company

Brew: Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale
Brewery: Ska Brewing Company (Durango, Co)
When Tasted: March 10, 2014
How: Can
ABV: 6.8% IBU's: 68

What the Brewery Says about this Beer: Strong citrus aromas followed by pine rise from the glass. As it moves across your tongue... bitterness... following close behind is a melding of citrus and pine with light caramel sweetness.

Appearance: Medium head copper colored, very clear filtered brew.

Aroma: Light citrus and pine aromas.

Taste: Moderate bitterness, citrus fruits and pine in the middle, then a balanced bitter finish. Overall a beer I could drink a lot of.

Stormcloud India Pale Ale - Rahr and Sons Brewing

Brew: Stormcloud India Pale Ale
Brewery: Rahr and Sons Brewing (Fort Worth, TX)
When Tasted: March 2, 2014
How: Bottle
ABV: 6.5% IBUs: 70

What the Brewery Says about this Beer: Assertive Bitterness, Light Malt Sweetness, Fruity

Appearance:  Nice medium head, bright light copper color. lightly filtered.

Smell: Not much fruitiness, some malty sweetness. Missing hop aromas.

Taste: Big bold bitterness up front, but little for not fruity, citrus, or floral qualities. German malts are used and you can taste them in lager quality in the middle of the taste, then its off to the races with a big bitter finish.

Lost Gold IPA - Real Ale Brewing Company

Brew: Lost Gold IPA
Brewery: Real Ale Brewing Company (Blanco, TX)
When Tasted: June 29, 2013
How: Bottle
ABV: 6.6% IBUs 60

Appearance: dark clear amber with very little head

Aroma: almost none

Flavor: bitter punch up front with apricot and caramel in the middle with a long bitter finish. Miss the nice citrus tastes in an IPA

Other Factoids

Malt: German Vienna and English Crystal

Hops: American

Brewer's Cut Double IPA - Real Ale Brewing Company

Brew: Brewer's Cut Double IPA
Brewery: Real Ale Brewing Company (Blanco, TX)
When Tasted: February 28, 2014
How: Bottle
ABV: 7.5%  IBUs: 95

Appearance: A very clear brew in the glass. Not a lot of head for such a hoppy beer though. what head was there lasted right to the end. Copper colored

Smell: fruity and clean, a huge floral hit on the nose

Taste: Lot's of dry hop citrus taste, dominated by grapefruit flavors. Deep hoppy and piney. Finish is long but not that bitter.