Wed Feb 15, 2006 9:56 pm
I had both, back to back, at the Double IPA festival last Saturday in Hayward, CA. I had the Younger first, and while I thought it was an awesome experience, I liked the Elder much more. I have to say, the Younger was surprisingly well balanced for such an extreme beer. While undeniably bitter, it wasn't in an unpleasant way at all. In fact, it comes across more as a strongly hop-flavored beer, rather than a bitter beer. The aroma is amazing. My wife was with me and she asked after a few moments, "So are you actually going to drink it, or just sniff it?".
When it comes to comparing the two though, I think there's one observation that is sufficient: I wanted to go back for seconds with the Elder.
On Deck:
Primary: American Amber Ale
Conditioning:
On tap (kegerator!):
Fond memories:
Beer-gut: 38"
