It’s hard to tell which the bigger storm in New England is these days, Deflategate or the Blizzard of 2015. Although the blizzard, aka Winter Storm Juno, dumped a lot of snow in the area, it wasn’t as bad as folks thought it might be. If you ask me (and you must have, or you wouldn’t be reading this), Deflategate, or the allegation that the New England Patriots intentionally used deflated balls in the AFC Championship game, will be an even bigger bust. Really, it’s nothing but a bunch of hot air.

Anyway, if I still lived in Rhode Island as I did for most of my life, I might have enjoyed cans of Wachusett Larry Imperial IPA stuck in the snow to chill. As it stands, I did have one can of this beauty handy and enjoyed it while watching that aforementioned AFC Championship game. It’s not sold here in Georgia, but I did get a can courtesy of our own Jeff Lyons, whose video review you can see above.

This is the third IPA from Wachusett that I have tried. Wachusett IPA was a staple for me back in the 90s, an India Pale Ale more in the English vein and of alcohol content 5.6% by volume. Then there’s Wachusett Green Monsta IPA, more of an American IPA and stronger at 6.1% by volume. It’s hoppier, too.

Finally we have Wachusett Larry Imperial IPA, the beer under consideration here. Larry runs a hefty 8.5% alcohol by volume and has an impressive 85 IBUs to boot. I saved my can for a special occasion, and a good old New England beer during a Patriots playoff game seemed very apropos.

Ingredients from the website:

HOP VARIETIES: Amarillo, Chinook, Simcoe, Magnum, Centennial

MALT VARIETIES: American Two Row, Crystal, Munich

Wachusett Larry Imperial IPA pours to a bright orange amber color with a medium rocky head formation and a big resiny pine nose. Taking a sip, the beer has thick chewy caramel malt upfront, followed by lots and lots of hops. At first they offer bright citrusy grapefruit aroma, and also a bit of resiny pine tar as the beer progresses into the finish. The beer is punctuated by the huge, very aggressive long dry bitter hop finish that lingers and lingers. Some alcohol warmth helps round this one out as well.

Like Wachusett used to be for me, Larry would certainly be a staple in my beer fridge if it were sold here in Georgia. It’s a perfectly executed imperial IPA that I’m giving 4.5 stars. Which has nothing to do with the fact the Pats scored 45 points and won yet another AFC Championship game…….

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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