Beer Review: 18th Street Brewery DIPA Double

photo by Kevin Gibson

Tasting King Reaper and Where It’s At - a pair of double IPAs from 18th Street Brewery

Just south of Chicago in Hammond, Ind., 18th Street Brewery has been turning out some tasty and fun products since 2010. I got my hands on a pair of double IPAs from the brewery recently and decided to try them back-to-back. Sort of a 2IPA double-header, if you will.

King Reaper

One was King Reaper, a double IPA that also is double dry-hopped, while the other was Where It’s At, a collaboration with Elk Grove Village, Ill.’s Mikerphone Brewing. And while the latter also was a double-dry-hopped 2IPA, the beers distinguished themselves in different ways.

I started with the King Reaper, an 8.3% alcohol by volume that is essentially a bigger version of Here Comes the Reaper, an 18th Street staple hopped with mosaic and chinook. While there’s no statement on the hops in King Reaper, my palate told me the doubled version is probably stocked with the same stuff.

The hazy orange beer starts with an ample, foamy head that imparts the tropical aromas that set the stage. The smooth-drinking beer had a light creaminess in its feel, but still finished dry, with just enough crispness in the carbonation and a slight, fading bitterness that is assertive in its own way but never invasive. It’s all about flavor with this one.

King Reaper is quite a good IPA, especially if you like the hazies. Is it special? I wouldn’t say so. For my money, it’s solid and quite drinkable for a double IPA, and with plenty of citrusy hop flavors to make it refreshing and never heavy like some old-school, malt-bomb 2IPAs we’ve all had in the past. 18th Street Brewery has every right to be proud of this guy.

Where It’s At

After fetching a clean glass, I poured the Where It’s At and quickly knew I was in for a different experience. First of all, this DIPA is much hazier than the King Reaper—it’s one of those beers that looks like someone added Bisquick to an unfiltered American wheat. The beer’s nose offered tropical notes with hints of grapefruit, pineapple and a touch of lemon – enticing, to say the least.

Interestingly, the flavor of this beer is highly restrained, especially for a double IPA. It’s juicy yet also somehow astringent, light on the expected flavor burst and with no perceptible hop bitterness at the outset. As I took sip after sip, however, the flavor profile began to develop on my palate.

“Experimental hops” are what 18th Street used in this beer, and they offer an interesting sharpness in the flavor as it emerges. All in all, a nice, refreshing experience and this one, even with the 7.8% alcohol content, would certainly make a smooth summer sipper. Honestly, this is one I may even be able to slip past my IPA-hating girlfriend, and that’s saying something. I get what they’re going for with this brew, and it’s a job well done.

Which do I prefer? I’m honestly not sure, and it’s probably because the beers, while similar in style, are quite different in execution, which is a compliment to the brewers. I’d be happy to enjoy a couple more of either beer.