Highland Imperial Kashmir India Pale Ale
An aggressively hopped and higher gravity version of our Kashmir IPA. Five different hop varieties added at seven different times in the brew kettle, hopback, whirlpool and fermenter add to its complexity. This Imperial IPA also differs from our traditional Kashmir IPA with the addition of over fifty pounds of dry hops, adding a spicy nose. Over two hundred pounds of hops were used in this limited fifty barrel batch. The robust, malty and complex hop flavors and aromas are best enjoyed with an extremely stiff upper lip.
3.6
176 reviews
Asheville, United States
Community reviews
Pours a pretty clear amber with a thick and fluffy pale buff head that leaves some good lacing. Strongly hoppy aroma has mostly evergreen and resin, with an undertone of Mandarin orange. Bold, hoppy flavor assaults the palate with resiny, rather bitter hops and sour orange plus a touch of honey. Firm, smooth texture is fairly fizzy and leaves a hoppy and slightly sweet finish. A hundred kilos of hops? Sure shows!
Sometimes the focus is so much on one aspect that the beer is out of balance. The pour was nice, a bright yellow color with a good head. Aroma was strongly hoppy: citrus and piney. Taste had little malt character to balance out the strong hop flavors which hit the tongue pretty quick. strong pine, resinous flavor which overwhelmed the taste buds. Medium bodied and fairly well carbonated, the finish was a lingering resiny, spicy taste which hung around in the mouth and built up sip after sip.
22oz bottle pours a clear orange with some lacing, creamy, white head. Aroma has a ton of pine and soap, some grapefruit peel, some candy, a little bit of perfume, some honey. Flavor has a lot of booze, pine sol, pine sap, honey, orange rind, grapefruit rind, candy, a little bit of pineapple. Full, sticky finish.
Standard Imperial IPA. Hoppy aroma with a malt backbone. Golden to amber with an off white foam. Bitter with a lot of warmth. Smooth with a pleasant bitter finish.
Bottle from Bruisin Ales. Pours light orange. It’s pretty clear. A bit floral on the nose. Kind of sweet on the tongue. A bit of hop bitterness on the finish. It’s pretty drinkable for an IPA I don’t think quaffable is the main attribute people are looking for in this style.
Good not great. Clear gold with big white head. Aroma is musty citrus. Taste is sweet and bitter. Hint of old rinds.
Poured into a snifter out of a 22oz bomber.
Pours a slightly hazy medium gold with a thin white head. Decent head retention, however, leaving a thin ring around the top of the beer.
Aroma is very resienous with a little must and dankness. Some overripe orange with a touch of lemon and grapefruit.
Loads of overripe fruit in the taste along with pine and earth. Bitterness is very high but there is a lot of malt to back of the hops and the toast and earth gives this a real English quality. With all the malt, though, the mouthfeel is not overly sweet at all and even finishes a bit dry. A quick shot of alcohol towards the finish lets you know this is a strong brew but it is not off-putting.
Overall, a very good job by Highland makining an Imperial English IPA which is something that isn’t seen all too often. One I’m glad I picked up.
5/28/13. 22oz bomber from Grassroots. I was excited to see this come back after a couple of years! Amber pour with a small khaki head. Mostly this was dank, resinous, and a bit caramelly and malty. I’m thinking by the time it hit Jacksonville it may have been a touch old.
Very clear amber body was topped by a one finger thick head, and had lots of carbonation streamers running through it. The smell of the beer was a little muted for the style, and I could detect mango, pineapple, hay, grapefruit, and some spice. The taste was nicely balanced between bitter and sweet, with none overpowering the other. There were some tropical fruit flavors, and a lingering spiciness, but the overall flavor profile was simple and bold. The feel was sticky, and mouth coating, and the finish dry. An unassuming DIPA with decidedly English take.
Amber colored pour. Small white head. Plenty of lacing. Malty caramel aroma. Taste is the same, with a slight alcohol bite and a light bitter note. Not bad.
Bomber from Whole Foods Market Fair Lakes/Fairfax, VA. Pours a clear golden color with a medium sized frothy white head. Good head retention. Aroma of citrus, tropical and floral hops with caramel malts. The taste is caramel malts, resin, citrus and candied citrus hop notes. Medium bodied, well balanced. Very nice.
Pale golden orange pour with a thin soapy white head and light sticky lacing ... aroma of grapefruits and caramel malts .... taste is of grapefruits, caramel malts and a nice kick of bitter and pungent hops ..... lightly floral with a bitterness that lingers .... mouthfeel is a little slick and oily .... finish is dry with a nice long lingering spicy hop bite .... solid and the abv is hidden well
Bomber bottle share. Aroma is a little hoppy, but with a lot of spicy malt as well. The appearance is a very light bronze with some lacing. The taste starts off on the back of the tongue and works forward. On the front, it comes in a dry fruit bitter flavor. Interesting for a high alcohol ipa. The palate is hoppy, but not too much. Overall, a well done beer in a much different sense than most alcohol heavy ipas.
Asa’s Pre-Flight Tasting Beer #8. This is by far the best thing I have had from Highland Brewing Company. Pours golden with a white head. The front end hop bite is solid, but is a little less than I might like on a IIPA. Very smooth and sweet finish. Would like to try again.
Bomber - pours deep gold with white head. Nose is floral caramel. Flavor adds resin. Wow, surprised with this. Malty and balanced taste wise. Torpedo on steroids.
Bottle. Well, since I was not a big fan of the non-imperial version, I was not very optimistic. Expectations were exceeded. Taste was very clean maltiness, light citrus, some pine and just a hint of booze. Very nice.
22 oz bottle courtesy of Suttree. I couldn’t locate any date information on the bottle. The pour is a lightly hazed golden amber with a ½ inch dirty white head that falls fast. The aroma is floral sweet hop, sweet slightly resin malt, and a minimal amount of sweet alcohol. The taste is sharply sweet right away, floral, pineapple, and then the malt syrup sweet. As this beer warmed, the sweetness integrated a bit better, and the floral and pineapple became the main feature. Some pine hop becomes evident as well. The palate is medium bodied, soft carbonation, and only a faint dry alcohol finish. Overall, decent enough - though a bit too strong on the sweetness for my tastes. Thanks for sending this my way Phil.
Pours a golden orange from the bottle with thin ring of off-white lacy head. Aroma is bready grain up front, then a nice piney hop presence on the back end. Taste is more resinous, nice grapefruit and pine notes from the hops with a bittersweet caramel malt finish. Pretty decent, a lot better than the normal Kashmir.
There was not the strong aroma present that would usually be associated with an Imperial IPA. That, however, was deceiving. The flavor was strong in this full-bodied ale. Also was very smooth for an Imperial. Good job.
Bomber pours clear golden with ring of near white head. Smells of alcohol burn and piney hops. Flavor is slightly better than the aroma but it still kinda burns on the way down. Not particularly my cup of tea.
Growler from Charleston Beer Exchange. Hoppy, smooth, and pretty strong. Definitely worth another buy.
22oz bottle. Medium white head atop clear amber body. Aroma is moderately sweet, pine, some alcohol, grapefruit. Taste is moderately sweet, pine, orange/grapefruit, some alcohol. Resinous medium body, some acidity. Adequate IIPA, but the alcohol presence prevents it from being something special.
Bomber from Proof bottle shop. Orange pour with a medium frothy off-white and good retention. Visible carbonation. Aroma is soft caramel, tropical fruit juice, bread and pine. Tastes lean a little to the malty side with caramel sugars and then some of the bitter herbal, floral, pine. Background citrus. Buttery medium texture. Can feel the warmth, but not evident in the taste. I tend to like the more bitter DIPAs, but this was quite good. Well played.
Bottle. Pours a clear amber color with a moderate white head. Nose is a little hoppy with some floral and sticky notes to it. Taste is nice and bitter, yet malty enough to balance it out and be smooth. Me gusta.
Golden copper pour with white head that lingers as thick white ring leaving some lacing. Very nice looking IPA. Tropical and citrus fruits mix with bready malt, floral/piney hops and lemongrass in the nose. Body is surprisingly light /med for such a big brew. Crisp carb and med dry finish. Well balanced with caramel sweetness, nice hop bite and some spice in the finish. Overall a very good DIPA. Alcohol is well hidden and it’s very drinkable.
Another great beer from a fantastic small brewery! Clear deep gold color that produces a tight white head that gives up easily. The creaminess of the palate defies the filtered appearance. Biscuits and crackers are aided by light floral hops on the nose. Up front it’s sweet but not cloying followed by a wash of grassy, piney, peppery hops. The ABV accentuates the peppery flavor. I think I’ll go back and get another!
Bottle from Proof. Deep golden pour with a bubbly white head. Sweet pale, biscuit and bready malts with piney and grassy hoppiness. Thick, creaminess in the body sweet malty caramel notes in flavor with piney, grassy bitterness. Pretty tasty beer, just nothing that really stands out or over the top.
Bottle thanks to AlexFields, thanks a lot sir! Pours a glowing golden with a really small head that doesn’t stay for too long. Aroma is nice with (light) piny, citrus and caramel notes. Taste is under control unlike many DIPAs out there with a medium sweetness and a good amount of (gentle) bitterness. This isn’t a palate wrecker and I can appreciate that. A little alcohol can be felt but it isn’t so bad and doesn’t kill drinkability. Overall a real nice proposition!
Aroma is peppered with floral overtones. Appearance of a golden clear IPA with a slight off white head taste of citrus with a long palate of a slight bitter strong flavor
From a 22 oz bottle shared at Ryan’s. Pours a clear amber with an off white head. Aroma of malt and floral hop aroma. Sweet caramel notes moderate the grassy hop flavors.