Other Half Green Diamonds

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.10%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.32/5
- RateBeer: 3.73/5

Other Half Brewing recently passed the one-year mark. They are a small operation out of Brooklyn, NY that has garnered a lot of buzz and is known for creating some tasty IPA's. Right now, we are looking at Green Diamonds, a big 9.10% Imperial IPA brewed with Australian Galaxy and Amarillo hops.

Pours dark orange, relatively clear with two fingers of slightly off-white head.

Aroma has some resinous pine and West Coast dankness. Maybe a slight peach smell, but it's subtle.

This is eerily similar to the Stone "Enjoy By" series, but if you're me, then that isn't exactly blowing wind up your dress. The #1 thing I pick up is thick, syrupy resin, which makes sense for a 9.10% IPA. It has a lot of similarities to big West Coast IPA's with it's presence of garlic and onion and (at times) overly bitter, herbal hop character. As with the aroma, I do pick up the faint hint of peach in the middle of my mouth, but it is quickly whisked away by the dominant, bitter hop presence.

There's an art to hopping a beer to high heaven and then there's just throwing as much in as you can while keeping the beer drinkable. I would say this belongs in the latter. My palate is becoming quite fatigued as I finish the can and that thick, syrupy feeling lingers quite a bit. I did pick up some slight warmth on a few sips, but it wasn't a constant feeling throughout. Even though it drinks like a 9.10% IPA, there is actually no alcohol taste or smell to report. As expected, it's pretty damn dry, so just know that going in.

Green Diamonds delivers as a massive Double IPA, but it's not the most drinkable Imperial you'll come across. I would have never guessed this was a product of the East Coast as I would have pegged this for a California recipe in a blind taste test. This beer owes more to the West Coast with it's clean, filtered appearance, dank hops, and garlic/onion taste. Those who love big Stone Brewing IPA's will latch onto this offering from Other Half, but it's not my cup of tea.

Rating
6.4/10