Belt’s Beer Garden: Hype Me Up

IMBĪB Custom Brews has been brewing in northern Nevada for over a decade now, opening their doors in Reno back in 2012. They have since opened up a second location in nearby Sparks, Nevada as well.

IMBĪB is known for their barrel aging - whether it be sour beers in wine barrels or darker beers in bourbon barrels, they’re down to age it. But they don’t shy away from hops either.

In fact, they offer a lot of hop-forward brews as well…and today I have one of those hoppier options - No Hype Needed.

No Hype Needed is a hazy Double IPA brewed with Galaxy, Idaho 7, and Nelson Sauvin hops. It features 40 IBU and has a 7.2% ABV. I believe the four-pack I picked up was around $16-18 at the brewery.

This hazy DIPA poured a murky golden copper color with just over a finger of off-white head building up. The thin foam quickly dissipated down into a fine line of bubbles that barely covered the top of the liquid. It did leave some solid lacing on its way down, coating nearly the entirety of the glass for the first few inches.

The nose was sweet and tropical with massive notes of pineapple, mango, and guava. There were some floral and dank hoppy undertones, along with a bit of flaked wheat/oats that attempted to balance out the beer. But, for the most part, this was a juice bomb.

Each swig began with a heavier, fuller mouthfeel and a flash of carbonation. The three big tropical fruits hit first, with major notes of pineapple, guava, and mango appearing right out of the gate. Those big juicy flavors last for the majority of the sip but were joined by other qualities throughout the duration.

Appearing shortly after were lighter notes of grains and some pithy and floral hops. The grist offered up some cerealesque qualities while there was a light bittering from some grapefruit rind and orange peel hop characteristics.

After the midway point, as the other flavors began to fade out, there was one final push. Some dank and soft floral notes added a bit of hop spice and some grassy, resinous sweetness. The stickiness lingered on, creating a slightly dry finish. However, the bitterness faded quickly and all that was left was a slightly juicy grapefruit aftertaste that paired up with that resinous feeling. All in all, it was a rather easy finish that wasn’t too dry or too sticky.

No Hype Needed was a solid Imperial IPA with some nice haze to it and a solid 7.2% ABV that is entirely hidden throughout. It won’t amaze you but it certainly won’t let you down.