Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA

I'm not sure what Ninkasi, the ancient Sumerian goddess of beer would think of this one. When hops is in the name of a beer, especially a west coast beer, it gives the intrepid drinker a certain set of expectations that, when not lived up to, leave one with a limp sense of satisfaction, no matter what other qualities the brew may posses. When checking around the web, people seem to think the Tricerahops is super hoppy, so perhaps I got a bad bottle or they changed the recipe, because this should be called Maltasaurus instead. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible, it's just not a Double IPA. It's more something like a strongish amber or one of the fruitier midwest IPAs. It has very little hop aroma and a pruney, earthy, low alcohol taste with an almost strawberry finish. It pours darker than you would think and fills your mouth with a bready, caramel mouthful of confusion. If you're in the mood for a fairly tasty malt bomb, this is a solid B+ and much better than their also overambitiously named Total Domination IPA. It may not be all that shabby of a beer, it just doesn't live up to the billing. Kind of like hooking up with a Seinfeld style Russian gymnast. (B-)