There are few things in the world greater than a big, hoppy IPA on a summer night. Imperial IPAs provide immense flavors, a good bitter note, crisp refreshing mouth feel, and a larger ABV hit. Imperial IPAs have long been one of my favorite styles, and tonight I’m sampling the Ice Breaker from Lost Rhino Brewing Company. The description on the Lost Rhino website ends with “Drink with caution!” so this should be just what I’m looking for.

From the 22 ounce bottle, the Ice Breaker pours a hazy dark/burnt orange color with a one and a half finger white head that leaves some decent lacing on the glass. About half way through the head dissipates to a thin disc but the lacing remains. A good amount of pine and citrus in the form of orange zest and grapefruit come out on the nose.

The flavors of the Ice Breaker are not as much of a hop bomb as I was expecting, and things are balanced fairly well by the malts. More pine and citrus elements appear on the palate but with some interesting sweet malt notes such as a hint of caramel. The bitterness really comes in at the end more than anything. The flavors overall are a bit muted and muddled, and the finish needs to be cleaned up as it has a slightly odd aftertaste.

The Ice Breaker had better balance than I was expecting, which when you want a more in-your-face IPA may be a bad thing, but I enjoyed it. The flavors need to be cleaned up a bit, especially in the finish, but there is potential here. Really a beer that needs to be evaluated by each drinker.

Rating

83
out of 100