Boneyard Notorious Triple IPA
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Tasting Notes
The nose leads with a heavy wave of tropical and citrus hops — think mango, grapefruit pith, and a touch of pine resin. On the palate, the malt backbone is substantial enough to keep the sweetness in check without disappearing, letting the hop bitterness stay assertive through the mid-sip. At 11.5% this is unusually potent even for the imperial IPA category, and the alcohol warmth is noticeable on the finish without being harsh. The finish lingers long with drying bitterness and a faint caramel undertone.
About the Brewery
Boneyard Beer is based in Bend, Oregon, a city that has become one of the more densely hopped brewing scenes in the American West. Founded in 2010 by Tony Lawrence, the brewery built its reputation largely on hop-forward ales, with their RPM IPA becoming a regional staple. They operate out of a repurposed auto-repair shop and have maintained a production-focused, no-taproom model for much of their history, distributing widely across the Pacific Northwest.
Food Pairings
The aggressive bitterness and high alcohol here call for food with enough fat or char to stand up to it. A bacon cheeseburger works well because the fat softens the bitterness and the char echoes the resinous hop character. Bold aged cheddar or a washed-rind cheese gives the malt sweetness something to lock onto. Spicy Thai or Korean BBQ can match the intensity without being overwhelmed by it. Dark chocolate with a high cacao percentage also pairs neatly, picking up on the faint caramel and bitter finish.
Style Guide
A Triple IPA pushes past the already-extreme Double or Imperial IPA category, typically landing above 10% ABV with hop additions scaled up to match. Where a standard Double IPA balances aggressive bitterness against a sturdy malt body, a Triple leans into sheer hop volume and alcohol weight, often producing a dense, almost syrupy texture beneath the bitterness. The style has no formal BJCP category of its own and is best understood as a brewer-defined escalation of the American Imperial IPA, popularized on the West Coast as craft breweries competed to push hop expression further.