Mad River Double Dread Imperial Red

Mad River Double Dread Imperial Red

Commercial Description:
Part of our limited release high gravity series celebrating our twentieth anniversary (1989 to 2009)
Double Dread Imperial Red (An American Strong Ale) is a high gravity red ale brewed with Two-Row Pale Malt, complimented by Aromatic and Wheat malts and a blend of CaraMunich, Carastan and Crystal malts for color, complexity and flavor.
Fermented with our signature ale yeast, this hop bomb of a red ale is bittered with Colombus and Cascade hops, flavor and aromatics are enhanced by Cascade, Chinook and Amarillo, then generously dry-hopped with a tri-fecta of Cascade, Amarillo and Chinook for zesty citrus aromatics and a resinous flavor explosion.
For those who chose to indulge their courtly passions be forwarned that this royal ruby refreshment ferments out at 8.6% a.b.v and nears triple digit IBU’s
3.6
207 reviews
Blue Lake, United States

Community reviews

3.4 Pine Box Rock Shop, Brooklyn tap ($7): Pours dark red, almost brown with a tan head. Aroma is piny, citrus, and resin hops, with a hefty malt backbone and touches of a chocolate and dirt. Taste is bitter and sweet in probably equal doses. The hop bitterness lingers and stings in the mouth. This beer is wicked astringent. This was a bit much for a finisher beer for me. Probably would have been a better Tuesday night beer.
3.5 Rated on 10-04-2009 (Bottle) This bottled beer pours a small fizzy tan head that mostly diminished, slightly hazy body, lots of floaties, visible carbonation, spotty amounts of lacing, and an orange hue. The Aroma is malty, wheat, some caramel, earthy, citrus, and pine hops. The Taste is malty, acidic, spicy, bitter, citrus and pine hops, and alcohol. The Palate tingly and this is a medium bodied beer. Overall, this beer is very quaffable, hops up front, boozy, and worthy of trying.
3.0 Pours a hazy, almost brown color. Not much head, but tons of yeast flecks suspended in the beer. Aroma is Somewhat grapefruity, a bit of melon, and some fruity sweetness. Cascade. Taste is very much cascade hops, with a bit of orange zest and, strangely, cocoa? Not bad, but not what I was expecting. Fuller body than expected as well.
4.1 Solid imperial red. Very malt forward -- the rye notes are splendid. Limited bitterness, which is ok, but the tang I expect from this style -- and which usually is overabundant -- is missing in action to great degree. Nevertheless, good. B/B-
3.9 355mL bottle. Pours deep rudy red with an off white head and a wonderful sweet candy/toffee aroma which also hints of that nice grapefruit/berry from the hops. Amazing fruity flavours that are backed by a wonderful backbone of malt. Very nice beer, a must try.
3.9 Bottle from Best Damn Beer Shop: Poured a dark burnt amber color with a firm topping of head. Aroma is all malts and has a whiff of cough syrup or some other form of liquid medicine but it’s not that bad. The drink is thick with sweet sugary caramelized malts that dominate the flavor while a touch of hops come through which could easily have confused me for a barleywine instead of a imperial red ale.
3.8 Pours a murky reddish brown with an inordinate amount of sediment. The small bits are suspended, and huge chunks settle to the bottom. I should have been more aware when pouring this one. Thin head sticks around, leaving excellent, fine-grained lacing. Aroma is very malt-forward, with plenty of nutty caramel up front, and some piney hops when inhaled deeply. After swallowing you taste the malts, but immediately afterwards they are drowned in a rush of resiny pine and grapefruit. Really bitter on the sides of the tongue. Bitterness hangs on tight, but exhaling through nose reveals some bready malt and slight heat from the alcohol. Overall very bitter, but the aroma, aftertaste, and smooth palate redeem this flavorful brew.
3.6 Nice hoppy aroma with hints of grass and herbs. Pours murky brown with particles floating around, thick tan head. Deep malty flavors with caramel and bittersweet chocolate finish.
4.0 On tap at platypus pub. Clear amber with frothy off white cap leaving sticky, consistent lacing. Aroma of plum, toffee, pepper, earth. Taste is toffee, pine, earthy, delicate spice, citrus. Finish is not too dry, and really, just right. Masked ABV like a champ. Very pleasant.
3.8 On tap at Capitol Beer, Sacramento. Pours medium brown with a nutty brown sugar aroma and a nice tan head. There is a full-bodied treacle and smoked malt flavor with some really deep bitterness. Quite complex and tasty.
3.1 Bottle from Sam’s, Durham. Vigorous carbonation on a reddish copper pour, with a prickly head and plenty of lacing. Nose is initially quite boozy and sharp, but quickly turns to faded. Mouthfeel is a bit bleh, with the carbonation striving to overcome a predominant lack of body otherwise. Faded malts indeed, with what I imagine were once-bright floral hops submitting to the ravages of time. Mediocre.
3.9 Immense aroma of hops and toffee malts. Brown color with almost no foam. Strong flavor of hops, molassess and thick caramel. Full body and full flavor. Overall, intense hops and thick malts. Very good.
4.4 A very good beer. I am happy to be drinking it. Mad River Brewery is beginning to impress me thoroughly.
3.4 Bottle from Market Square. Deep amber pour, almost brown with a small pillowy tan head. Aroma of brown sugar, caramel malts, touches of nuttiness, resiny and grassy hops with mild citrus rind. Toasted bread, caramel, hint of cherry and nuts with nice citrus and piney hops in the background and a solid bitter finish. Start to open up as it warms. Not bad.
3.9 12oz. Pours ruby, small head. Awesome malt backbone with citrus notes. Nice strong hoppy aroma. The bitterness in the finish is not overpowering, but definitely lingers a long time. Nicely balanced and very easy to drink. A very good American Strong Ale.
3.6 Dark amber/light brown pour with a khaki head. Sweet caramel malt, chocolate, toffee, and hints of brown sugar. Some nice grapefruit, tangerine, and orange hops. Big pine character, too. Interesting cherry notes. The flavor is fairly sweet and malty, but also some nice hops. Grapefruit and orange, lots of pine, moderate bitterness, and cherry fruitiness. Sweet caramel, chocolate, brown sugar, and toffee.
3.5 12 Fl. Oz. Bottle. Poured a cloudy brown with a nice off white head. Aroma of malts, caramel and some spices. Taste of malts and fruit also some caramel very well balanced with hops. Very nice and drinkable beer it is like some sort of sweet IPA.
3.0 Cloudy brown with a small tan head.....some sediment. Scent is slightly sharp caramel malt...cherry. Rather rough leafy bitter..old coffee and caramel flavour.
3.5 Hazy dark copper with ample floaters. Very malfunctioning beer, lots of caramel. Pine hops in the aroma, but this is a malt-focused beer.
3.8 Rather thin light tan head of very dense and creamy bubbles. Strong toasted aroma with some smoked malts, dried flowers, some dark fruit and a bit of dry dusty grass. Color is a hazy dark mahagony brown. Lots more roasted flavors along with a bit of cherry cordial, roasted grains, caramel and and bit of mild coffee. Pretty prominent alcohol presence which hits up front and lingers and warms for a while. Long bitter finish with a bit of citrus and more dark fruit. This was a pretty good brew and one that I would have again.
3.7 Super rich and malty beer -- scorched even -- with a good amount of hops to boot. Lots of toffee -- chocolate-covered toffee. Bit of smoke. Cocoa powder. Rind, grass and flowers. Citrus lingers on the tongue, almost tart.
3.8 Draught at Tadg’s. Very spicy nose, cinnamon, nutmeg, like a Christmas beer, with caramel and nice hop. chocolate flavor, caramel and spice, big hop bitterness. Smooth, bitter, great balance. Excellent.
3.4 bottle. cloudy brown, small yellow head. mild bitter hoppy, malty aroma. flavor is bitter hoppy, sweet malty, alot like a double ipa, but slightly sweeter.
3.4 Draft. Bronze beer with a dark cream head. Chocolate aroma. Cocoa and light grapefruit flavor with light roast. Medium bodied. Chocolate and light roast lingers with light grapefruit.
3.8 Bottle @ home. Hazy, orangish brown appearance with a brown head. Rich caramel malty, fairly toasty, quite piney, herbal hoppy, light toffee, light wheat aroma. Creamy, sweet, caramel and wheat malty, earthy, a bit grapefruity, big piney hoppy flavor with some citrus notes. Drinks pretty well.
3.8 03-JUN-2012, bottle @Papsø tasting. Red, hazy, low off-white head. Malty, sweet and very hoppy. Caramel, nuts, orange peel, grape fruit, pine. Very fine red ale.
3.6 Bottled. A hazy red beer with a lazing orangey head. The aroma has notes of hops, malt, caramel, and hops. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, bread, and hops, leading to a bitter finish.
3.4 Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of Doodler. Pours a cloudy amber with a small off-white head. Intense biscuity crystal malt aroma with quite some hops. Rich body, loads of sweet caramel, nutty with a massive hop load - not crisp and fresh hops though. Quite some warming alcohol. Very American! 030612
3.4 Rich amber/cider color; Medium creamy body; Aroma of caramel malt, & spicy hops; Flavor of sweet malt, caramel, toffee, spicy hops, and citrus; Decent overall.
3.6 Poured from bottle amber colot with tan head. Nice malt on the nose with hop and brown sugar.