I love Sideswipe. Everything they make is delicious, and it makes me happy whenever I see another new, distinctly-Sideswipe label show up on the shelves. Today’s offering is Defaced, an Imperial Red Ale that resonates with delicious power, yet somehow managed to elude me when it first came out. I’m here to rectify that.
On the nose, Defaced is huge on both malts and hops. A generous wave of hop spice appears first, followed by rich notes of caramel, toffee, and burnt sugars. Hints of plum and raisin boost the malts, while moments of toast and crackers help build the backbone. Beneath this, there are hints of citrus and even some pine, followed by a layer of resiny goodness. Some might call it dank. Others might say it’s definitely not dank, and then proceed to take a massive rip off of their four-foot bong. The point is, the hoppage is quite potent, and blends perfectly with the massive malt presence.
Across the palate, it is more of the same. Mildly sweet and malt-driven, each taste begins with brown sugar, caramel, and toffee, flanked by toasty notes of pure grain. Following shortly, a nice hop punch arrives in the form of a pungent resin, which snakes its way up into your nose and just works your “center of the face” region like something you’d see on Cinemax after midnight. Adding to that image, notes of hop spice arrive next, along with some subdued flavors of pine and citrus, to complete that big, American-hop ensemble. Weighing in at 9%, there is a noticeable alcohol presence that is deliciously reminiscent of a barleywine. In fact, after drinking this, I had to go take a nap, because I was definitely not prepared. But, I was also a little tired to start off with, so thank you Sideswipe, for helping to keep me well rested.
To state things bluntly, Defaced fuckin’ rocks. It’s big, it has a malt presence that probably makes other, average-malt beers feel inadequate, and it literally pimp-slaps you in the face with a hop-flavored hand. Add to that some awesome bottle artwork, and you have a beer that’s gorgeous in every way. This beer may have come out about three months ago, but I don’t really care. It is delicious, and all that matters is that this is a beer that screams “I want to be in you!”, and after one taste, you will say, “Yeah, get all up in me!”
