Yesterday, I reviewed Half Pints' 2021 batch of Saison de la Ceinture Fléchée and it was good, so good that it was almost like it was a time machine back in 2012 when I first tried the beer out. Today I'm re-visiting their Humulus Ludicrous Double IPA. The first time I ever tried the beer was back in 2009 (review here) and at the time I thought $4.50 was expensive for a beer, especially for a Double IPA.. Oh, Cody.. little would you ever know..
Well, this beer became an annual tradition for me aside from a number of years where they just didn't brew it or I just couldn't make it into Winnipeg (2015, 2018-2020). I vividly remember reviewing this in 2012 but didn't realize it was that long ago.. I thought it would've been mayyyybe five years at most.
Appearance: Clear with a ruby to cherry wood red body to it. Moderate amount of carbonation and a beige head on top with a decent amount of thickness that gradually diminishes to leave behind a layered lacing on the glass.
Aroma: A sweet and malt-forward Double IPA with a heavy caramel/toffee presence to it. There's a tad bit of tropical aroma in there as well with a hint of pineapple and lemon popping out. Leafy hop presence, mild bitterness but certainly nowhere as bitter as what I remember from the beer a decade back.
Taste: Sweet, boozy (8.0% ABV), floral and a bit bitter. Good amount of toffee popping out in every single sip. There's a bit of a boozy burn to it, a moderately floral hop presence as well as a faint bitter pine presence at the end. As it warms up, the beer gets a bit more complex, with the bitterness of the hops punching the palate more and more. Moderately dry on the palate, no real noticeable aftertaste.. perhaps a hint of pear?
Overall Thoughts: In 2009 I stated that $4.50 for a 341mL bottle was expensive for a beer.. but I was unemployed and just graduated university at the time. Fast forward to 2021, it's only $5.25 for a 473mL can, making it a really good value for the style. I'm one of the few people who prefers bottles over cans but for a beer like this, I definitely prefer cans 100%. This is boozy, sweet with notes of toffee and moderately bitter but definitely gets more and more bitter as it warms up. You definitely can feel the 8%.
Dear Dave & Co, I miss you guys, keep up with the good work, the nostalgia on beers like this have kept me super giddy lately, which is rare with all this COVID shenanigans going on.
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