Melvin Brewing Asterisk Double IPA

Beer Name: Asterisk Double IPA
Brewery: Melvin Brewing (Jackson Hole, WY; Alpine, WY)
ABV: 9.0% (on can and website); also seen it listed at 10.0%
How sold: 12 oz cans; on draft
Where bought: Belmont Station (Portland, OR)
Price: $3.94 for 12 oz can

Date Purchased: July 4, 2017
Date Drank: July 11, 2017
When brewed? Rotating beer. Part of their Rotational Imperial India Pale Ale (RIIPA) Series.
IBUs: 88

What's on the Can: "Dear Enjoyer, One year, at this great beer fest in America, we got a gold medal for 2x4. The next year, they did not let us enter the contest. So we decided to make a new beer from the future. That year's winner will forever put an asterisk next to their gold medal. Brewed & dry hopped with Mosaic. Rotational Imperial India Pale Ale Series. DON'T HATE. PARTY."

What's on the Website: "Our award winning 2x4s cousin. The * double ipa uses copious amounts of mosaic hops that give this beer strong notes of tropical fruit, stone fruit, mango and berries. Brewed with a blend of Great western 2-row, light crystal, mosaic hops and some top secret stuff." Read more here!

Where distributed: As of August 2017, Melvin Brewing beers can be found in six states (CO, ID, OR, VT, WA, and WY) and British Columbia. Check to see whether Melvin Brewing is in your area!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Poured slightly hazy golden into a pint glass. Frothy white head. Significant lacing left on the glass. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Inviting tropical pineapple and grapefruit with complementing malt. Very similar to Melvin IPA, with slightly more imposing malt. Basically in between Melvin IPA and 2x4 Double IPA. 4.75/5

Taste (40%): Tropical pineapple and grapefruit from the start. Slightly dank in the middle. Finishes with pineapple, grapefruit, and perhaps some citrus lemon/tangerine qualities. Full of tropical flavor and the sweet malt is the perfect complement. I could drink this all day. 5/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, good carbonation. Refreshing and slightly sticky on the tongue to retain the citrus bitterness. 4.75/5

Overall (20%): A world-class IPA. There's no controversy about this asterisk; Melvin Asterisk is simply delicious. I tried Asterisk on draft at a Double IPA event in early summer and wasn't nearly as impressed, but decided to give it another shot from the can. Smart move there. Tremendous execution, from the ratios of malt and tropical, to how well they complement each other. Asterisk ranks up there with its IPA and 2x4 counterparts, and I probably would be giving those two beers a rating increase these days (to the rating listed here) if I re-rated them. There's a reason why Melvin's beers are in demand. 5/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.888/5