Wachusett Larry Imperial IPA
LARRY cranks up the senses and delivers a huge aroma and taste with its palate challenging 85 IBUs. Generous amounts of Magnum, Centennial, Simcoe, Columbus, Chinook, Ella, Citra and Calypso hops are added to create a complex piney-citrus profile in this Unfiltered Double IPA.
Original version's description:
LARRY was originally brewed this summer for the Publick House’s Hop Head Throwdown. David -- owner of the Publick House -- It was such a success in growlers here and at the Publick House, that we brewed another batch to go to speciality accounts. We’ll be putting it in 22’s in March. 85 IBUs. 5-hops (Simcoe, Magnum, Amarillo, Cascade, Chinook).
Original version's description:
LARRY was originally brewed this summer for the Publick House’s Hop Head Throwdown. David -- owner of the Publick House -- It was such a success in growlers here and at the Publick House, that we brewed another batch to go to speciality accounts. We’ll be putting it in 22’s in March. 85 IBUs. 5-hops (Simcoe, Magnum, Amarillo, Cascade, Chinook).
3.6
189 reviews
Westminster, United States
Community reviews
12 ounce can poured into a brandy snifter thanks to lukaduke. Pours a hazy yellow with a white head of foam. The aroma has tropical fruits, pine, grass. The taste maintains the same profile as the aroma with medium bitterness and medium sweetness. Finishes a little floral. Medium carbonation.
Surprisingly nice out of the can..... Nice Hops aroma. Great on the tongue and palate....I might try this again...
Poured from can to glass and is a slightly hazy orange with white head. Aroma has floral and citrus hops present. Taste showcased those hops, but was surprisingly overshadowed by a roasty/sweet malt prescense. I was surprised. I usually prefer my IPAs to be on the citrusy bitter side, but this wasn’t bad at all.
A straight forward DIPA. Smooth for a double. Rather weak for a double. I would prefer another double. This seeks improvement!
Bottle; hazy amber with thick off-white head; aroma-citrus, pineapple, grass, caramel- very complex; taste-medium sweetness, medium bitterness, full body, sticky, average carbonation, bitter finish. Very pleasant
Slightly hazy deep copper pour with a tan head - noting exceptional to look at but appetizing fer sure. Smell is juicy citrus and floral hops along with a little bit of roast malts. Flavor has a stronger caramel malt presence and some apricot/peach fruit as well. Dragged down by a harshly alcoholic aftertaste. Thick and sticky mouthfeel that still manages to froth up as you swish it around. Much better than I was expecting, quite pleased with this.
It seems like most breweries try to make their double/imperial IPAs as light in body as possible. There aren’t that many that take the big body/sticky mouthfeel approach anymore. Wachusett Larry Imperial IPA is an example of the latter style, and a pretty good one at that. Plenty of hop presence here, but an equally strong maltiness, too. If you want a “well balanced” imperial IPA, this is it.
I poured a 12oz can into a goblet. It was canned on 8/8/14 and cost $2.99 ($0.25 per ounce).
Appearance: Opaque shade of burnt umber, some carbonation visible. Pours to a two-finger, off-white, frothy head which retains and laces very well.
Smell: Surprisingly sweet and malty with notes of caramel and vanilla. Citrus juice concentrate and dank resin aromas are also present, though mild overall.
Taste: Usually the first thing I notice about a beer like this is the hop presence, but in the case of Wachusett Larry Imperial IPA the sweet malt character jumped out at me. It’s quite rich with notes of caramel, butterscotch, and vanilla. Of course, the hops are quite prominent as well. However, they create for a sticky, syrupy sensation of dank bitterness, rather than juicy or fruity character. It’s more like orange juice concentrate than actual O.J. At 85 IBUs it is indeed quite bitter, but nothing extreme. It’s actually rather mild compared to some other, more popular examples of this style.
Drinkability: Weighing in at 8.5% ABV, it’s no surprise there’s a minor presence of alcohol. Thankfully, it accentuates the sweet malty notes by giving it a slightly rum-like flavor and keeps the body thick and chewy. The mouthfeel is in no way crisp – it hits the tongue with a thud and slowly oozes across while leaving a bitter, resiny aftertaste. Wachusett Larry Imperial IPA is practically a barleywine, and it should be handled as such.
Can, sweet extra from Lukaduke. This is nice. Pours a hazy rusty copper. Aroma is slightly subdued but nice with typical IPA / American hop notes. Taste comes to life more -- fruity and juicy with tons of citrus. A tangerine tree in a can! Bitterness is quite smooth and well rounded for 85 IBU. Drinks smooth with little hint of the 8.5% ABV. A winner.
Bottle - Leafy pine and nice caramel. Cloudy orange with a white rich head. Leafy hops and pine with a bit of caramel. Well balanced and nice.
Pours hazy deep gold with a small white head. Aroma is floral and pine hop bitterness with a great light grain malt bill. Taste is a solid pine and grapefruit hop bitterness, a little resinous and well balanced with biscuit and caramal malts.
Bomber I picked up on an east coast trip. This pours deep golden and has a nice off white head. An aroma of caramel and complex fruit. Those are tasted. The fruit is tangerine and grapefruit with tropical notes. Some floral, too. The malts equal the hops making this somewhat sweet. Caramel and pale malts work well. A little sulfur comes and goes. This was a nice beer and the alcohol was never noticed.
Can. Citrus and floral hops. Closer to a single than a double IPA. Serviceable, but not impressive.
Orange pour, white head. Aroma is Orange, caramel, floral hops. fresh citrus hop flavor. delicious.
Amber color with good head on the pour. Aroma is pine and earthy, with some citrus too. A fairly bitter taste but it’s offset by the sweetness that balances it out nicely. Overall a very good, but maybe not quite great beer.
This was an extra in a trade, and it’s great! Thanks, Chris! Lovely pour with a very grassy, floral aroma, a little tart lemon. Taste is bitter and dry, clear and direct. Nothing I don’t like about this beer.
can. pours hazy golden orange with a small light beige orange head offering some retention and lacing. danky peaches, citrus and resinous woodsiness; barley sugar and honeyed maltiness, touch of caramel, quite fruity - small yellow fruits, herbal tea - maybe more bittering than astringent, booze - minty and perfumey alcohol. moderate carbonation, light to medium body - oily and thick, slightly sugary, assertive citrusy-spicy finish. big but enjoyed with the missus.
I really enjoyed this beer the smells are pure hops from the start loads of citrus and pines, with a bit of tropical grapefruit. Taste is bitter up front with a lot of citrus and some floral notes as well, the finish is a bit sweet from the malt which compliments the b]previous hoppyness
Appearance: hazy golden-orange with a 1 finger foam head. Good amount of lacing makes for a nice looking beverage.
Aroma: grassy, citric-orange with some malt.
Taste: smooth and slightly sweet at the front with the pronounced bitterness at the back that stays with you. Some spice toward the back as well.
Smooth, creamy a full body
Overall: nice balance for this 85 ibu imperial ipa. More than one of these would be a challenge but very enjoyable. Would contrast nicely with something sweeter.
Copper color with white head. Fruity, floral, citrus hop aroma. Flavor is caramel malt with a fruity citrus following and finishing with pine hop bitterness.
From a can. Pours clear brass with a nice head. Aroma is pine citrus and alcohol. Not at all sticky with lots of carbonation. Flavor is pine, caramel and citrus. Hop bite is balanced nicely by the sweet malt. Alcohol is not overbearing especially considering the ABV. A very good DIPA.
Can to glass. Frothy foam stands guard atop the liquid. Hefty malt backbone stands out proudly in the nose and palate. Caramelized malts meet juicy hops; deliciousness ensues.
Quite good top to bottom. I could do some serious damage if this stuff were available locally.
22oz bottle - Came across and old bottle of this in a local store. Well past its prime, but still not that bad... I am rating based on this bottle... hopefully I can find a fresher on someday to compare it to.
Poured a darkish orange-amber with a small off-white head that faded to a thin covering over the beer. Aroma is fairly malty with strong pine. Flavor is where the age factors in... hops have faded, malt is forward... flavor is an odd mixture of stale hop bitterness and caramel malt. Just OK... hoping for something better in the future...
A: Hazy and pale golden. Small head but faded fairly quickly.
S: Hints of apple, citrus but hops mostly faint. Mostly caramel background.
T: Slight pine and citrus, but again faint. Really sweet, chalky and bready caramel take stage.
M: Slightly sweet, light bodied and soft on carbonation.
O: Just an okay beer to me, just doesn’t have that hop presence on the nose and taste that I look for. Kinda weird it had an almost tart taste and smell. Maybe it is slightly old, but no bottle date.
12oz can shared by Dan P. Poured a hazy orange color with a finger of foamy off white head. Aroma of caramel malt, sweet citrus, and pine. Taste is much the same. Bitter pine, caramel malt, and fresh citrus zest.
From the 650 ml. bottle. The pour is pale yellow to light amber with a long lasting off-white head. Aromas of toffee malts but mainly earth, citrus, passion fruit, tangerine, and pine. But the hop nose is not explosive. It mingles beautifully with the malt character. The body is medium and slightly acidic. The taste is smooth with a malt character quickly superseded by the hops and a semi-dry finish. Lots of carbonation because I burped a lot. The 8.5% ABV is well integrated. Fine DIPA.
Interesting ale - reminds me of a malt liquor (although not nearly as sweet) - a lot of orange, more than grapefruit. Not as piney as a west coast strong IPA. As another reviewer said, hides its alcohol well. Very drinkable for a strong beer - sort of sneaky.
Hazy golden with an average sized white frothy head. Aroma of grapefruit, citrus, vanilla, and orange peel. Flavor is similar, but even heavier on the citrus somehow.
Can shared by Seth. Aroma is pineapple, apricot, and some malt. Pours hazy amber with a giant head. Taste is floral with grass and slight papaya. Malts dominate as soon as it’s in. Nice hop flavors but they are quickly quelled. Sticky and juicy mouthfeel. Overall, a fine IPA.
Can thanks to WillRunForBeer. Pours a cloudy golden orange with a small head that lingers nicely. Aromas are grapefruit, pineapple, and peaches. Taste is a bit sugary sweet like fruit juice. Strong pineapple and peach flavor with other citrus fruits. Light bitterness. Medium body, a touch syrupy in the mouthfeel. Overall it’s decent but a bit too sugary and syrupy like fruit cup juice.
12oz can pours cloudy toasted orange with 2 finger head. Nose is dank fruiry melon, citrus, cantaloupe. Taste is malty fruity melon, watermelon, tropical fruit, citrus. Finish is medium bitterness with some sweet malty notes and nice piney tropical fruit. Would drink this again any time. Solid.