So, after a miserable day of work followed by a bad report from school for my son, I decided to do a head-to-head-to-head taste test on three big Imperial IPAs. This year is my first for trying all of them so if last year was a better batch for one of them, too bad - i didn't have that!

. Presented in order of my very biased results, first up is Hopslam.
I'd heard lots about this before, but this year was my first to actually try it. Overall nice, but too subdued for my taste. The aroma is the best part and I think the honey added subdues the hop bitterness a bit. Excellent, but a clear third place in this round-up.
Next is Alchemy Hour. Love the aroma and initial taste on this one. Very hop forward with great balance and mouthfeel. The only point that made it second was the finish wasn't as big as the winner,
Abrasive has a more piney aroma, but just as great as Alchemy. It delivers great hop flavor and wins be leaving that tingle on the tongue when you finish - as a great imperial IPA should!
I know there are lots more great IIPAs out there and it's my mission to try them all until I find my absolute favorite. Then I will win the lottery ... buy the brewery ... and put my desk on the bottling floor so I can be the quality control expert!
