DC Brau – On The Wings of Armageddon

The Craft Brewers Conference is in full effect here in Washington DC with more tap take overs and beer releases than I have ever seen in this town. In response to CBC 2013, I decided to take a look at a local DC beer which caused a little stir last week leading into the conference: DC Brau’s On the Wings of Armageddon (OTWOA).

This is not a new beer as it was first released in February 2012 as we rode the ride to the Mayan’s end of the world prediction. The splash was made by the first release in cans of a beer that has been difficult to find on tap, even in the DC metro.

OTWOA is an imperial IPA (9.2% ABV) brewed with Pale malt, Cara-60, CaraPils and Malted wheat along with Falconer’s Flight Hops. Falconer’s are an interesting story itself. As stated on the DC Brau website:

Falconer’s Flight™ is an exclusive proprietary “hop blend” created by Hopunion LLC to honor and support the legacy of Northwest brewing legend, Glen Hay Falconer. For more information on the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation, visit www.glenfalconerfoundation.org, or for more information on Hopunion LLC, visit www.hopunion.com.

I purchased my six-pack (12oz cans) on the release day at the brewery for $17.99. Not too bad for a sought after Imperial IPA after paying $23.00 for Bells Hopslam a few months back. Not cheap though! There were only 250 cases made and it sold out quickly.

Before I move on to the actual tasting and review, I think it would be criminal of me not to take notice of the sweet art work on the can. Check it out in the pictures… not bad!

So now I can pour the can into my favorite tulip glass and check it out.

Appearance is a cloudy copper with snow-white head.

Aromas I pick up are floral, citrus and pineapple. Though I would say this is very fruity, I can definitely pick up those bready malts.

Tastes are pine, grapefruit, caramel, earthy, boozy, lingering bitter taste over takes my entire mouth. Almost paralyzing the taste buds as I wait for my next sip.

Mouth Feel contains a medium amount of carbonation. It is a bit chewy and I would still consider it of medium body.

Overall this big IPA packs that expected hop punch. They did a great job of balancing it out with the malts; however, this is definitely in that “palate wrecker” category. The bitterness at the end completely takes over your taste buds. DC Brau has combined the look, smell, and impact I look for in an imperial IPA. I will rate On the Wings of Armageddon 4.5 Mugs out 5 on the Draft Notes Scale. Hop heads should line up for this beer, other should approach with caution.

A video of the original release at a popular DC beer spot named Church key: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6ftN_r6sQQ

Learn more about DC Brau here: www.dcbrau.com