Long Trail Brewery’s slogan is “A taste of Vermont,” and I have yet to be disappointed with what Vermont has produced, namely Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. The label on the 22oz bottle that I picked up felt like real and genuine compacted paper, a trend emerging from microbreweries. But, we all know that you can not judge a brew alone on the label though. Otherwise my review would end here.

The beer poured a nice, pale amber-orange color. I poured the brew into my universal pint glass that I tend to use for almost everything, though for a Double IPA you should use a tulip or snifter glass. It has a nice one finger head that dissipates quickly leaving a slight lacing around the glass and gentle ring.

The bottle clearly spells out everything any beer lover would like to know:  style, collection, and of course the ABV. The Brewmaster Series Double IPA comes within reach of the typical Double IPA standard, 8.6% ABV. The nose on this brew is delicious alone, encapsulating hints of juicy citrus (loaded with pink grapefruit), with the earthy, piney and resiny hop undertone. The smell was refreshing and not overwhelming. Some tropical hop notes gave it a nice twist on the regular hoppy smell of a Double IPA.

This Double IPA was one of my best selections in recent times. It not only hit the Double IPA style of beer dead on, but it also went one step above and beyond and added some powerful citrusy undertones as well. There is little to no carbonation on the beer and it goes down really smoothly.  There is a slight malt (caramel, bready and grainy) taste that sneaks through, but that is often expected with IPAs in general, and provides a great balance to the hop character.

I’m thoroughly impressed with the Double IPA from Long Trail. It’s a very solid brew and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I’m still in pursuit for that beer that is just perfect (if it even exists).  Next time you have an opportunity to pick up a bottle of Long Trail’s Brewmaster Series Double IPA, don’t hesitate!

Overall: 9.5/10