UshiTora One Pint Mind Double IPA is a 8.4% Double / Imperial IPA from Ushitora Brewing, based in Tochigi, Japan. It’s part of Uetake-san’s range of beers he produces for the brewery and was first released in 2015 under Ushitora #28 One Pint Mind Double IPA. In 2016, it made a reappearance under the Ushitora #96 One Pint Mind Double IPA. Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA is brewed using 5 different fresh hops: Citra, Cascade, Simcoe, Centennial, and Galaxy, with also two kinds of hop extract: Aurora Extract and Zeus Extract. Overall, it has an IBU 71. At the time of writing, Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA can be found on tap only with no plans for bottling.
Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA – not quite a double IPA.
Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA Aroma and Taste
Perhaps a craft beer festival isn’t the best place to review beers, but armed with a notebook and pencil, and plenty of time, craft beers were going to be reviewed. Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA was the first beer I had at the festival. I wanted their Morning Coffee Imperial Stout but I was told “it’s too early to drink it at 11am”.
Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA poured out an amber colour – far darker than I imagined an Imperial IPA would be. The aroma wasn’t as pungent as I would have liked too – some citrus notes and hints of bitterness but the sweetness of the malts was also present in a large amount. Just from the aroma alone, I would have said that this wasn’t a double IPA – more of an IPA.
The body’s initial flavour was the caramel flavours from the malts coming through the strongest but the citrus grapefruit flavours followed soon after. There was also some resiny notes to Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA but they weren’t very strong. I wanted some serious screw-my-face-up-bitterness but was left lacking by the mildness of the beer. It finished off dry and left me wanting – wanting for a West Coast IPA that could show this beer how it’s done. Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA did hide the 8% alcohol very well – even when warmed up.
Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA The Bottom Line
Ushitora One Pint Mind Double IPA is a nice beer but nothing exciting nor worth hunting out for.
