Humboldt 500 BC Double India Pale Ale

This 8.3% ABV beer takes its name from the age of California's redwood trees. It is from the Humboldt Brewing Company of Paso Robles, California. They started in 1987 as Humboldt, were purchased in 2005 by Firestone Walker and their beers became Nectar Ales, and they changed their name back to Humboldt in 2013. Dizzying. The beer has 80 IBU's and is brewed with Cascade, Chinook, Centennial and CTZ hops. Ten cents from each bottle is donated to Redwood preservation.

The beer pours a bright and glowing clear amber and copper in color. There is a tall head of thick and foamy off-white head. The aroma is full of orange, caramel malt, a touch of pine and a general round, ripe, full fruitiness. The taste follows the aromas quite directly, lots of caramel and orange, very well-done, no off flavors. The bitterness is tamped down for a bit by the sweetness, but it can only be held in check so long. Still, it makes a nice counterpoint to the full, round fruit and caramel sweetness. It has a nice smooth mouthfeel with a tingle of carbonation. The bitterness keeps building and building, but it never kills off the flavors, which stay true in the aftertaste. This is one very well done beer!