Drake's Denogginizer
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Tasting Notes
The aroma leads with a dense wave of citrus peel, pine resin, and tropical fruit — mango and grapefruit prominent — backed by a faint caramel malt sweetness that keeps things grounded. On the palate, the hops hit hard and sustained, with bitterness that's assertive but not crude, balanced against a bready malt backbone substantial enough to carry the weight. The body is full without being syrupy, and at 9.75% the alcohol warmth is present but not intrusive. The finish is long, resinous, and dry, with lingering citrus and pine that reward slow drinking.
About the Brewery
Drake's Brewing is based in San Leandro, California, in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area, and has been a fixture of the regional craft scene since the early 1990s. They built their reputation largely on hop-forward beers, with this double IPA serving as their flagship and a long-standing benchmark in California's competitive IPA landscape. Their taproom and broader lineup span lagers, stouts, and barrel-aged releases, but their identity remains rooted in assertive, well-constructed hop-driven ales.
Food Pairings
Aged cheddar or sharp Manchego works well here because the fat and salt in the cheese soften the aggressive bitterness and let the citrus notes emerge more cleanly. Spicy dishes — a chile-heavy carnitas taco or a Thai green curry — hold their own against the bold hop profile rather than being overwhelmed by it. Grilled or smoked pork ribs pair naturally, since the caramelized char on the meat echoes the malt backbone while the hops cut through the fat. Strong blue cheese like Roquefort is a classic high-IBU match, the funkiness of the cheese meeting the resin of the hops on relatively equal footing.
Style Guide
American Double or Imperial IPAs are essentially standard American IPAs scaled upward in every dimension — more hops, more malt, more alcohol, typically landing between 7.5% and 10% or higher. The style emerged in the early 2000s as American craft brewers pushed hop intensity further, pioneering breweries like Russian River and Stone helping establish what aggressive-yet-balanced could mean at elevated strength. Unlike a West Coast IPA, which prizes clarity and dry restraint, a well-made Double IPA needs enough malt body to keep the higher alcohol and amplified bitterness from tipping into harshness. The result is a beer that demands attention rather than acting as background drinking.