Castle Island Hi-Def

The Stats
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.4%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.26/5
- Untappd: 4.09/5
- RateBeer: N/A

"Emanating from the tanks with a juicy burst of tropical hops, Hi-Def hits with huge flavors of fresh melon, papaya, and tangerine. A touch of honey malt and heaping doses of Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 keep this year-round crusher beautifully balanced for a seriously smooth sip."

Pours dark orange in color with a mostly hazy body and about a finger of off-white head.

Lots of pine and sweet honey on the aroma. Dank, wet hops, fresh cedar and some spice are all prevalent. Tangerine and clementine add some fruity notes.

The taste is clean, but packed with flavor. Pure, dank, hop juice is overflowing and it is matched pound for pound by pine, mint, and tea leaves. A solid smack of spices and black pepper goes well with the herbal notes, but then there's also a spoonful of honey to help the medicine go down. Some apricot and mango are present, but not too big, and I get some strawberry and clementine to go along with a good malty presence. To me, the Idaho 7 is dominating, but I am into it.

Mouthfeel is medium and full-bodied. There's no trace of that 8.4% and I am finding this very drinkable.

Hi-Def is a wonderful addition to Castle Island's year-round lineup. It's a clean, dank, juicy, herbal DIPA that may get lost in the sea of hazy juice nukes in Massachusetts, but this DIPA offers a different flavor profile than what you might be used to while being flavorful and drinkable. Definitely check it out.

Rating
8.7/10