24 May Whole Foods Brewing DL Double by Sam

Whole Foods Brewing DL Double

Whole Foods Brewing

Houston

Double IPA

ABV: 8.6%

IBUs: 80

Packaging: Draft, 32 oz Crowlers, and Growlers

Who’s got the juice?  That is the question many hopheads are asking these days.  The NEIPA style IPA has spread like wildfire around the country.  Similar to the creation of the rap game, the east coast started it, the west has put their twist on it, and now it’s spreading around the country.

Houstonians have recently seen the juice flow in the bayou city and surrounding areas.  Many breweries are making test batches of this style to try and get ahead in the “juice race”.  Spindletap and Copperhead have seen the most success with Houston Haze and Feeding Frenzy but others like B-52  aren’t far behind them with releases like Wheeze the Juice.

There is one Houston brewery that has been at the forefront of Houston juice before the craze began locally. Whole Foods Market Brewing (sorely outdated site) puts out amazing beer for its small setup.  The Post Oak location is one of two in the country that brews their own beer.  Ask any local hop head and they will tell you the best IPAS in the south are Pinthouse Pizza in Austin, Parish Brewing in Broussard Louisiana, and Whole Foods Brewing in Houston.

While Whole Foods puts out many types of solid beers, their flagship in my opinion is their DL Double IPA.  The DL Double drinks much easier than its 8.2 ABV.

The pour is a dark orange juice color with just the right amount of head.   The nose on the beer radiates an intense tropical aroma. One sip, and it’s easy to tell the flavor on the DL Double is well balanced from beginning to end.

First, the seriously intense tropical hoppy flavor comes through, followed by just the right amount of bitterness.  The carbonation is just right, and allows all the flavors to come through while holding up the body of the beer. While the flavor, pour, and nose lets you know this beer is no doubt a double IPA.

The experience is the opposite of traditional doubles like, More Cowbell, and Endeavour.  The DL double also allows the brewery plenty of room for experimenting.  A quick untapped search pulled up several different variants of the DL Double like oranges, grapefruit, and wet hop.  I had the pleasure of enjoying the wet hop version last season and it’s even better than the original.

Since the Whole Foods beer is only available in keg format there is no artwork or distribution information to provide.  The crowler label is a very basic blue and white with Whole Foods Brewing logo on it.  The DL Double is sent out to all the local whole food locations making it an easy beer to snag when it’s on the taplist.  Taphunter carries the taplist for all local Whole Foods and green means freshly tapped so run to your local Whole Foods when you see that!

Can I bring the beer home with me?  Yes! Whole Foods will fill your growler and also sells crowlers to go.  This beer is truly one of my local favorites and it’s perfect for spicy foods like crawfish.  I would start with something lighter, and as the crawfish get spicier pop open a crowler and share with your friends.

I am giving this beer a solid 4.5 out of 5 for it’s overall drink ability and flavor.  If you haven’t tried this beer or any of Whole Foods other beers you are definitely in for a treat!

Are you a fan of Whole Foods Brewing?  If so let us know your thoughts below in the comments! Beers to you, Houston!