Rating: 5 to 5.2/5* Better Fresher

Proprietor’s Reserve Double Jack (New Label) by Firestone Walker is a 9.5% ABV World Class Triple Dry Hopped Double/Imperial India Pale Ale

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
A dangerously drinkable Double IPA. Double Jack opens up with bright grapefruit and tangerine American hop aromas. Beautifully crafted undertones of stone fruit are revealed upon first sip, followed by the essence of blue basil and pine. A sturdy pale and crystal malt backbone brings balance to high hop intensity. Complex and aggressively hopped, and flawlessly balanced.

REMEMBER: Watch for bottled on dates located on the necks or bottom left corner of the label for each of our beers. Our beer is not pasteurized, so it is best when stored at 44F or below, out of light and within 120 days of the bottled on date…this ensures freshness and ultimately a great Firestone Walker beer!
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A revisit to my beginnings where my first time with a double IPA was when I first had this beer. Back then when it was on tap, I could only compare it to the double IPA gold standard which became ruination. However, unlike ruination, this beer was more tropical so in essence, this would become one of my first Tropical double IPA before I started buying actual bottles. This beer is such a great IPA that I honestly think it belongs with in the Triple or maybe borderline Triple IPA style as it seems to get there similar to El Segundo Power Plant. While it may not be as epic, it is still a gold standard in my book for tropical IPAs. I brought this one back since I wanted to show case the new label but also to just re-review this one. This beer is widely distributed wherever they sell Firestone Walker beers. Cheers!

Aromas:
Citrus, Piney, Grapefruit, grassy and floral hops, blue basil herbs, biscuit bread, tropical fruits like dragon fruit, passion fruit, papaya, mango, tangerine, pineapple, lemon peel, caramel, toffee, vanilla, peach, apricot hints, guava hints and apple.

Flavors:
Grapefruit, Citrus and tangerine forward followed the the complex piney, grassy floral and mildly earthy hops, lemon peel, tropical fruits like dragon fruit, passion fruit, honey dew melon hints, papaya, mango, papaya, caramel, biscuit bread, vanilla hints, toffee hints, peach, plum hints, guava, apricot hints, blue basil herbs, dank lychee fruit.

Aftertaste:
Citrus, grapefruit, tangerine, blue basil, some tropics and dry piney bitterness linger. No alcohol in the taste. A sipping beer despite the light body, medium mouthfeel, crisp and refreshing wins everywhere.

Overall:
A perfect Double IPA! If it wasn’t anymore tropical, it would surely be at that triple IPA level. Even with the perfect rating, I can definitely see the rating go even higher to a 5.2 at it’s freshest. This beer was pretty fresh bottled about 3 weeks ago. So I am pretty stuck deciding on the rating. This beer is one of the best IPAs out there bar none. It can definitely go toe to toe with some of the best the world has to offer, hell even against pliny the elder, this is pretty much Pliny the 3rd. Go get this bottle now!!

Anime Corner:
Asuka Langley Sohryu/Shikinami and Rei Ayanami were the original characters I chose for this beer in my original review. Now that there is a new label, so be it as in Eva 3.0 they got the new plugsuits. Bad Ass. Now the reason I chose them has to do with the fact that Asuka and Rei have been a team forever. They are some of my favorite Anime characters. The Citrus and tangerine aspect as well as tropical comes from Asuka as well as the bitterness as that is her attitude. The Blue Basil, herbs, floral and piney hop aspect of the beer fits great with Rei as she has the blue hair going on. So the combination makes up the Double Jack you see here. That and the label pairs well with them as well.

Sources:
http://konachan.com/post/show?md5=70397813128c0b70a5c2c131a0e4b6b1
http://i.imgur.com/xT8Mndi.jpg