9% ABV / 100+ IBUs
Located near the Oregon-Idaho border, Beer Valley has been brewing their brand of strong ales since 2007. Leafer Madness came into being during the hop shortage of 2008, but Beer Valley utilized many different hop varieties in order to create this hop monster.
The golden orange liquid is considerably murky due to the natural bottle conditioning that the brewers employ. Great head retention and the nose shows much complexity in its floral and citrus tones. The flavor is definitely dominated by the hops, but the malt and yeast do not allow themselves to be overpowered. Light caramel and butter tones accompany the bready mouthfeel in the initial wash but are quickly replaced by the varying hop flavors which provided a kaleidoscopic tour of the numerous varieties. Lemon and pine give way for flowers and grapefruit which in turn yield for red berries and more pine. The aftertaste finally reveals the alcohol content and leaves the mouth dry. I very much enjoyed the varying hop flavors rippling across my tongue, although the beer does have some very minor flaws. If you are a lupulin lover looking for an adventure, I would highly recommend descending into the Madness.
Thirsty Zymurgist Score: 42/50
