Rating: 5/5

5th Anniversary Celebration Populist XL by Eagle Rock Brewery is an 11% ABV Triple India Pale Ale.

Label:
Populist XL commemorates our 5-year anniversary and is brewed in homage to our incredible supporters. These supporters first asked us many years ago to make a delicious local IPA, helped us come up with the name “Populist”, and then helped turn it into our best-selling beer! Beyond sharing the name of our regular IPA, Populist XL takes it to the next level with huge hop aromas of citrus peel, pine needles, and subtle undertones of sweet, biscuit-y malt. Cheers to 5 years and many more to come!

==Introduction==

I obtained this one while visiting my friend Carlos in Whittier at the Liquor Mart in Whittier California. I have tried the original Populist long ago and have not had it since. Knowing that they made a triple IPA from the original, I had to bring this one to the site and see how it compares to the other Double and Triple IPAs I have tried before. While I enjoy more citrus and tropical IPA ones, I enjoy the herbal and grassy hop forward ones from time to time. This one is pricey but it may be worth it. Let’s see how this one is, cheers!

Aromas:
Herbs, spices, flowers, piney, grassy citrusy and grapefruit hops, Italian herbs, onion and garlic dankness, caramel, vanilla, biscuit bread, yerbabuena, green tea, black tea, toffee, lemon grass, lemon zest, grapefruit peel, old mangoes, tangerine, marzipan, sweetened condensed milk hints, hibiscus and lavender hints and mint icecream.

Flavors:
Herbal, floral, piney, citrusy, grassy, earthy and grapefruit hops, blue basil, Italian herbs, oniony, garlicky and oily hop dankness, orange notes, caramel, biscuit, rye, yerbabuena, black tea, green tea, mint icecream hints, caramel, vanilla, toffee, lemon grass, lemon zest, grapefruit peel, sugar cane, hibiscus flower hints, rose petal hints, old mango, sweetened condensed milk hints, lychee and tangerine marzipan.

Aftertaste:
Dank oniony and oily hop resin lingers for a bit is balances out by this sugary and minty tea icecream like notes that eventually finishes dry. No alcohol in the taste despite the ABV, crimson and Gold clear body, syrup, crisp and refreshing mouthfeel and a sipping Drinkability.

Overall:
Of the few Triple IPAs that I have tried, this one is one damn herbal dank perfection. I lean more towards the more tropical or citrus malty IPAs but this one awesome and pleasantly surprising providing an alcoholic sugary sweetness. The flavor leans toward the Pliny Elder/Younger area in dankness and is very enjoyable for sure. If you do find this one, it is worth getting it for sure.

Anime Corner:
Terra/Tina Branford from Final Fantasy VI was used in this pairing since I paired her with the original Populist. In her return, I wanted to emphasize her colors as being that of hop strength, herbal and like a magician, damn mysterious and botanical. Terra is my favorite character from that game and to me works well with this pairing.

Sources:
http://e-shuushuu.net/images/2012-07-04-512088.jpeg
http://www.zerochan.net/full/109860