Because "single platinum" just isn't platinum enough.

Brewery: Starr Hill Brewery
Location: Crozet, VA
Name: Double Platinum
Type: Imperial IPA
ABV: 8.6%
Purchased from: Total Wine & More, VA Beach
Price: $1.99

Well before that other "brewery" put out their version of a platinum "beer," the folks from Starr Hill in Crozet released this unto Virginia and some surrounding states. This doesn't come in a blue bottle. Nor does it need millions of dollars in advertising to make it feel relevant or to try to convince anyone that it tastes like something worthwhile. This is beer that makes that other platinum beer look like...well...water. Double Platinum is a super hazy orange color, kind of like if George Hamilton emitted a fog. The orangey nature of the beer is emulated in an almond colored head that laces nicely. You don't have to get too close to this beer to realize it's an imperial IPA. Hops are heavy handed, proclaiming their dominance of the bouquet with notes bitter pine and orange-peel. There is barely a trace of malt in the nose, super faint and very easy to miss if you aren't smelling for it. I luckily stumbled upon it. I can tell (well, hope rather) Double Platinum will not let me down supplying that much needed fix for my recent hops addiction. The first thing you'll notice about this beer is it's temperature and how wet it is. I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to write that. Sorry, Starr Hill, you caught the bullet. But seriously, the bitter hops takes its scent and turns it into a taste with reckless abandon. Past the pine is a nice rush of grapefruit and citrus peel, which adds another dimension to the bitterness. I'm not saying this is a bitter beer, it's just that the hops does a great job supplying resiny bitterness in an even handed manner. There is a slightly sweetened bready malt towards the end of the taste and some more (and delicious) hops bitterness that sort of lingers on the back part of your tongue. The alcohol is well hidden in this beer. At no point did I feel like I was drinking a beer with a moderately high alcohol content. While sometimes that burn is welcomed, it would feel out of place with this beer. It's an incredibly balanced beer that does a good job in bridging the gaps between East Coast and West Coast IPAs. While hoppy enough that hop heads will enjoy it, it is also an easy to drink beer that may help persuade people to join us on the hop side.

If your "platinum" beer comes in a blue bottle, punch yourself in the face.