I’m two for two beer lovers! Having already scored the hard to find Columbus Bodhi earlier this year, I am now sipping (as I type) a bottle of their equally scarce Columbus Creeper Imperial India Pale Ale. Neither of these beers are sold here in Georgia, but my good buddy Dave Coulter went to great and special lengths to get me a bottle of each. I am ever so grateful to Dave for that!

What’s the difference between Imperial IPA and double IPA you ask? Nothing really. Be that as it may, a funny thing happened when I went to check in my Creeper on Untappd. I saw this:

On 12/15/2016, Mark T posted on Untappd: “9/26 date and still bomb”.

Are you kidding me people? A massively hopped imperial IPA and your amazed its still hoppy after two and a half months? Things like this have me seriously worried about the state of beer geekdom today. I myself had just checked in a bottle of Columbus Creeper Imperial India Pale Ale that was bottled on 9/23/16. Wow. Three days older than Mark T’s, and still bomb. Sigh.

From the website:

You've been warned

Pale malts provide a stage for the huge hop presence. Creeper is our limited release Imperial IPA featuring an ever evolving blend of American hops.

Gold Medal, Imperial India Pale Ale, Great American Beer Festival® 2014

Columbus Creeper Imperial India Pale Ale has an alcohol content of 10% by volume with 100 IBUs. You can have it again next year and it won’t be the same beer, as Columbus says it features A new blend of American hops each release.

Columbus Creeper India Pale Ale pours to a hazy orange amber color with a thick creamy head of foam and a huge citrus and pineapple nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a firm chewy caramel maltiness up front (yes!) followed by more of the pineapple I got in the nose but even more bitter grapefruit peel, and that’s what I really love about this beer. It’s bursting with citrusy grapefruit, mostly peel to me but a bit of pith and pulp too attenuated by juicy tropical fruity pineapple. Lots going on here, and at the last a massive bitterness and a touch of alcohol warmth.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this beer would be just as wonderful in *gasp* two more months! Mark T might not agree, but although the beer might be different, it’s so wonderfully hoppy that it could easily age that much more and longer if properly stored. Chances are, though, that you won’t have enough of it to age that long. Just as well. Columbus Creeper is a delicious imperial IPA that you should not miss. If you can find it.

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