Name: Baxter Bootleg Fireworks
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9%
IBUs: 100 (per Eventbrite flyer)
Guess what everyone? It's beer mail time! You may recall last year that I reviewed a few beers from Connecticut that I got as part of a Beer Secret Santa gift exchange. Well I did the same thing this holiday season and I got some more beers from the east coast, but this time around, I got them from states other than Connecticut.
The first beer I will be looking at is from Baxter Brewing, based out of Lewiston, Maine. I got their Bootleg Fireworks, which is an Imperial IPA and it's brewed with 7 different hops. Why the name? Not quite sure but I do know fireworks (the fun kind like bottle rockets and such) are legal in Maine.
Appearance - Moderately hazy dark yellow color with a light amount of visible carbonation. The head is nice and foamy but there really isn't much in terms of lacing.
Aroma - Strong citrus hops upfront with some mango, apricot & tangerine notes. I'm also getting some light grapefruit sweetness along with some orange peel. There's some pale maltiness towards the middle & back along with some light clove notes in here as well.
Taste - Contrary to what I got in the nose, the flavor starts out pretty bitter. Strong bitter piney hops, followed by some tangerine, mango and orange sweetness towards the middle, along with some pale and toffee malts. Back end of the flavor opens up to some apricot notes, but this is also where those bitter hops start to reemerge from their proverbial slumber. Aftertaste is mainly bitter hops along with some very light orange peel sweetness.
There's quite a bit going on here, to say the least; Most of it being good. The hops are utilized properly & there's something for every IPA lover in this beer. It's a great Imperial IPA and worth checking out should you happen to stumble across it.
Baxter Bootleg Fireworks - 9/10
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