I thought the new ClusterF#ck IPA, the current release from Double Mountain Brewery in its From the Vault series, was a single hop IPA highlighting the Cluster hop, but I was wrong. This recipe includes Citra, Cascade, and Centennial hops, though the original version was a single hop beer, as explained in the press release:
First brewed up in 2012, Clusterf#ck IPA was the first beer in Double’s ‘Single Hop’ series. There have been numerous iterations of this brew since its formulation, and now as part of Double’s annual ‘From the Vault’ series, it is making it’s triumphant return to the 2025 seasonal lineup. The seasonal slot of ‘From the Vault’ series features fan-favorites from years past, giving beer lovers a chance to revisit legendary brews that helped shape the brewery’s story. The beer that fills the yearly slot stays true to it’s origin story, but is revisited with some modern hopping techniques and products.
I’d have liked to see (and taste) the single hop version, as Cluster is an interesting hop, one of the oldest varieties grown in the United States; you can see some of the stats on Cluster on Hopslist, and to dip into the archives (to be fair, other sites’ archives), check out Jeff Alworth’s Beervana post on the hop and this beer from 2011, and Stan Hieronymus’ deep dive into Cluster hops from 2013.
(To be fair, I did receive and review the Hazy Clusterf#*k IPA that Double Mountain released in 2020.)
The brewery sent me a bottle of this 2025 edition to review; it’s 6.8% alcohol by volume with 72 IBUs.
Appearance: Bright, clear golden color with an ample white head that’s fluffy and delicate.
Smell: Nicely herbal, a bit catty, with an earthy hay character that’s reminiscent of cow pasture (without the usual barnyard connotations). There’s a nice grainy malt with some raw wheat, rolled oats. Pleasing light spiciness with a bit of dank and a bit of bright-but-undefined citrus.
Taste: Crips, clean malt with a woodsy, spicy hop presence, giving a lightly resinous bitterness that has a rustic pungency. Some tobacco, bitter greens (watercress, arugula, maybe dandelion), pleasant savory herbal character. Drinks quite easy and is moreish and a bit tonic-like.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, clean and smooth with a lingering light bitterness, perhaps a subtle cooling sensation.
Overall: Pretty tasty, with well-balanced rustic hops/bitterness against a solid clean malt.
As with most Double Mountain brews, it’s well worth checking out.
