Papago Hop Father Imperial IPA

A box arrived on our doorstep on Tuesday evening.  It was damp and crumpled – the taped top had collapsed and opened a bit, so I reached in.  Through the peanuts I discovered a bubble-wrapped growler!  Wahoo!  Our second in a series of trades arrived (and I quickly looked at the return address to find it was from Arizona.)

I placed the box in the sink, not knowing how much liquid was loose in the box.  It really wasn’t too much – it got soaked up by the cardboard box, the enclosed coasters, and was all over the bubble wrap.  The growler cap was taped (not super-taped, though), so I rinsed the clear growler and placed it in the fridge – not fair to drink it without D!

When the cap label dried, I was able to read that our beer is Hop Father from Papago Brewing in Scottsdale, AZ.  Yeah!  New to us!  It is a Double IPA, and I’ve found conflicting reports that it is anywhere between 7% – 8%  ABV, and in excess of 100 IBU’s.

Despite the spillage, it poured nicely tonight and still had significant carbonation.  It had a nice orange bronze hue, and fairly floral, hoppy aroma.  The flavor was more malty than I prefer, but certainly the hop characteristics came through – especially on the finish.  It seems a little thin for a double IPA, but I do admit that earlier in the evening, I had two glasses of Devil’s Milk and tasted Black Jack Imperial Stout at DuClaw’s.  The Hop Father’s finish was really nice, and it got better as it warmed.

I’m glad I got to try it, but I think D will be the one finishing it down…