Well isn’t this interesting. When I sample a beer and take my tasting notes upon it, I like to go in blind without doing too much research on it. This allows me to avoid preconceptions, at least some anyway. To be sure, this isn’t always possible, of course, as sometimes I am hearing all kinds of great things about a beer before I drink it.

Anyway, once I’ve taken my tasting notes and get ready to flesh them out into a full review, I go into my research mode and do a little background checking. The brewery’s own website is often helpful, although not in the way that I expected for Charleville Ale Mucho Hoppo Double IPA.

That’s because I didn’t realize it, but it looks like Charleville is a winery as much as, if not more than, a brewery. I suppose that the bottle should have clued me in (the label does say Charleville Vineyard Microbrewery in fine print). Anyway, the label also says this about the beer:

Hop Headed and heavy handed with 100 IBU. This Luchador is not known for subtleness. In Fact, it's Ale Mucho. Aggressively Hopped with Chinook, Columbus, Tomahawk and Zeus.

I must say I love the label on this beer. It’s not sold in my area, but I was fortunate enough to receive a bottle in a beer trade with Tom the Beer Whisperer. If you’d like to hear his thoughts on Ale Mucho Hoppo Double IPA, just click on the image of his Youtube review above.

Charleville Ale Mucho Hoppo Double IPA pours to a dark orange amber color with a thick creamy head and a huge hoppy nose of pine and citrus. But mostly pine. Taking a sip, the beer has a firm chewy caramel malt body up front and a firm body and mouthfeel. Quickly, though, the hops sneak up on you-wonderfully piney and citrusy in aroma and flavor, but as in the nose I think the piney-resiny qualities predominate. In the finish, they become quite bitter indeed, lingering long and dry on the tongue. Along with the alcohol warmth they make this a delightful sipping beer.

I like Ale Mucho Hoppo mucho mucho, and I think you will too. It has just the right balance of malt and hop I look for in a double IPA, with the hops predominating in aroma, flavor, and bitterness. A very well made double IPA of 9% alcohol by volume from Charleville, established in St. Genevieve, MO in 2003.
 

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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