Today's beer is a collaboration between two giants of the craft beer world. From the west coast, Sierra Nevada, and the east, Dogfish Head. It's a collaboration in style, technique and ingredients. Rhizing Bines has been brewed with Carolina red fife wheat, Sierra Nevada's estate grown caramel malt as well as Bravo hops and a new experimental hop known only as Hop 664. It was brewed using Dogfish's continual hopping process used in the 60, 90, and 120 Minute IPAs and dry hopped using Sierra Nevada's torpedo system. Checks in at 8% ABV and 70 IBUs. To the beer!
Rhizing bines pours a crystal clear vibrant copper in color. Two fingers of frothy, bubbly, bone white head leave rings of lacing on the way down. An inviting looking beer.
The aromas on this beer are not quite what I was expecting. Toasty, crackery malt notes are contrasted by grassy, floral, herbal, slightly lemony hop aromas. Very simple but very enjoyable. And very atypical for a big, American imperial IPA.
The flavors on Rhizing Bines continue with the surprises. The wheat contributes a lovely creamy sweetness to the medium body. A toasty caramel, slightly biscuity malt flavor leads the way. Grassy hop flavors balance things out and add a mild bitterness. There is also a subtly fruity thing going on here as well with faint hints of apple, lemon, and white grape.
Rhizing Bines is one of the more interesting imperial IPAs I've had in quite some time. Very measured, very drinkable. I would never have guessed that this is an 8% ABV beer. None of the big, brash, bitterness and huge citrusy flavors that you often see in the style, and that, quite frankly, I was expecting. Instead, this seems to be a more English take on the style. None of that is to say that Rhizing Bines isn't a flavorful beer. It absolutely is. I applaud Dogfish and Sierra Nevada for subverting my expectations here and coming up with something very tasty.
HD
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