Union Jack

Beer Name: Union Jack
Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
ABV: 7.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Something happened 3/20/12, probably bottled

I would have to guess that this is the standard version of Double Jack, which I enjoyed immensely. So there's that going for it.

Union Jack is a light amber beer with a hint of orange to it. It poured with just over a finger of thick fluffy head, which faded away very slowly and left a heavy, heavy, lacing pattern behind. The aroma is very interesting, with sweet citrus hops as the main event and piney hops and malt in the background. Further into the pint, the pine aromas come through a bit stronger as the citrus fades.

The flavor of this beer follows pretty closely to the aroma, with the bitterness from the hops starting off each sip and some malt balance in the finish. The carbonation is pretty light, and the finish is a little dry.  There's an aftertaste of bitterness, but a little sweetness clings to the tongue as well.

Final thought - This is a very nice beer, enjoyable from start to finish. It's pretty much everything you could ask for in an IPA. It's just not quite as good as Double Jack. But it is more affordable, so that's good news.

-Jon

Double Trouble

Beer Name: Double Trouble
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 9.4%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Editor's note - I actually wrote this a couple weeks ago, but accidentally clicked to save the draft instead of publishing it. I'm sure that everything I wrote back then remains true. Otherwise I wouldn't have written it.

I have had good luck thus far with beer from Founders, so I'm hoping that continues with this hoppy offering. And if not, I've got a variety of other things in the fridge to take the sting away. I've learned that you never want to have no more beers in the house. It's a very sad state of affairs.

Double Trouble is a golden beer, much lighter than most other IPAs that I've encountered. It poured with about a finger and a half of fluffy white head that faded away very slowly leaving a heavy lacing pattern down most of the glass. As a double IPA, the aroma is packing a good amount of hops (citrusy ones if my nose is to be believed), but there's also some grainy malt sweetness. It's a nice aroma, which is a good sign.

The flavor of this beer follows very closely from the aroma. There is a whole lot of hops going on here, but there's also a good amount of bready caramel to help balance it out. The hops are pretty bitter, with a grapefruity quality to them. Each sip has some sweetness at the beginning, and the middle and end are where the hops shine through. There is some lingering bitterness in the aftertaste, but also a bit of sweet malt. There is a low carbonation, and the finish is a bit dry.

Final thought - This was a great beer. I imagine it would pair well with food, but it is enjoyable on its own as well. I'll have to check out Founders' other IPAs, just to have something a little less strong. If they're as good as this one, things will be good.

-Jon

Hop Stoopid

Beer Name: Hop Stoopid
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
ABV: 8%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This beer has an interesting name, and that's good enough for me. Before I'd even poured it, Kate had decided she was going to spite taste it. She rated it as "it's not as bad as some others," so you can add that to my final thought if you'd like a wider range of opinions.

Hop Stoopid is a hazy beer with a golden orange color to it. I tried to get a nice head on it as I poured, but I didn't have any luck there. No real head or lacing to speak of for this one, which is slightly disappointing. I have come to expect some fluffy white tops on my Lagunitas IPAs, so I'm curious as to what happened this time. There's a pretty hoppy aroma to this one, with some grapefruit and a lot of pine. The hop aroma lasts for a while, and it keeps any malt from coming through.

This beer packs a bitter punch at first, but it's not overpoweringly bitter. Right at the beginning of each sip, it seems like it's going to be ridiculously bitter, but this fades away and ends with a bitter and malty finish. It's actually a lot maltier than the aroma suggested, and nicely drinkable. The flavor just seems to be missing something.

Final thought - I'd rather drink their everyday IPA, or Maximus. This beer was fine, but there wasn't anything about it that would put it above Lagunitas' other hoppy offerings. It's a good choice if you're looking for an IPA that isn't too citrusy.

-Jon

Double Wide I.P.A.

Beer Name: Double Wide I.P.A.
Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Co.
ABV: 8.5%
Serving method: 750 mL bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Born sometime last year

After the adventure I had to go on to obtain this beer, it had better be delicious. I thought I grabbed a 4-pack of this over the weekend, but I had unfortunately gotten a 4-pack of Tank 7 that was deceptively put into a Double Wide marked case. I didn't like the Tank 7, although I'll admit I probably didn't give it a fair shot because I was so upset that I had gotten the wrong beer. I went back to return the 3 remaining bottles in exchange for the proper beer, but the IPA was all gone. Thankfully they let me trade them for this big guy instead. The only problem now is going to be getting the cork out of it. I am notoriously bad at dealing with corks.

Cut to 3 minutes later, and the bottle is open. Double Wide IPA is dark copper beer with some orange highlights. It pours with a bunch of head, over 2 fingers worth, which is appropriate according to whoever maintains Boulevard's website. Most of it fades away after a few minutes, leaving just enough behind to generate some lacing. The aroma here isn't as hoppy as I was expecting for a "double" IPA, but there are some earthy/florally hops to be smelled. It seems like there's a nice dose of malt in there as well.

Much like the aroma was hinting at, there is not an overwhelming hoppiness to this beer. There's a bit of bitterness at first, and then some malt to balance things out. As it finishes, there's a crisp bitter flavor that gives way to some sweetness that hangs on for just a few moments. The beer has a moderate carbonation, but it's still nicely drinkable.

Final thought - I hesitate to give a solid opinion on this beer since I should have consumed it about 3 months ago, but I'll do it anyway. The flavor of this beer isn't one of my favorites, but it's still nice and it's very easy drinking. I think I'll try to grab a more current bottle some time and see if that makes any difference.

-Jon

Hoptimum

Beer Name: Hoptimum
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
ABV: 10.4%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I couldn't find a date on this bottle, but I'm not too concerned. Sierra Nevada is reputable for bottle conditioning every single one of their beers, so this thing is probably going to be good to go for a long time. I asked the guy at Brewtopia for a beer that was so hoppy that when I drank it, Kate would be able to taste the hops.  This is what he recommended.

Hoptimum is an orangey beer with a copper color to it as well. It poured with a small amount of head, but I feel that I could probably modulate that based on how I poured the beer. Most of the head faded away after a couple minutes, but there was a ring that stayed throughout most of the pint and left some heavy spots of lacing. The aroma is very appropriate for the name Hoptimum, as the beer blasts the nostrils with hops. In a good way. There are some citrus notes, but it seems mostly to be floral and pine hops.

The aroma was a very good indicator of flavor, as this beer has a big hit of hops.  More like huge.  It's bitter hops from start to finish, with floral and pine flavors dominating and a little citrus in the back.  There's some malt in the background, but it's pretty hidden and mostly just shows up in the lingering aftertaste. This beer seems to warm up rather quickly, but that just allows to malt more of a chance to make its presence known. There's a pretty good carbonation to this beer, with a big mouthfeel.  For such a high ABV, the alcohol doesn't really come into the flavor.

Final thought - One of these beers is very nice. I think that drinking a couple of them in a single sitting might be a huge mistake though. It really sneaks up on you. This is a beer for dedicated hop lovers only. If you only like hops, you might not like this at all. And if you don't enjoy the delicious flavor contributions of humulus lupulus, get as far from this beer as you can. It is not for you.

-Jon

Double Jack

Beer Name: Double Jack Double IPA
Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
ABV: 9.5%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle poured into a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I knew I was doing it wrong, but I was too lazy to do anything about it before. Generally when I say "pint glass," I am talking about the standard tumbler that everyone is used to seeing. However, I should have been making the distinction since it could have been a nonic or becker glass, so in the future I'll be sure to clarify.

Double Jack is a golden orange beer that pours perfectly clear with a good fluffy head almost two fingers high. It faded away fairly slowly and left a very heavy lacing pattern. There's a nice aroma of citrusy hops, but there's also enough sweet malt to predict a balanced flavor later.

Wow. This is a great tasting IPA. There's a bunch of citrus flavors with the bitterness from the hops at first. Then the malt kicks in to keep things from getting too hoppy. It finishes with a light bitter flavor, but the aftertaste is nice and sweet. My only mild complaint is that there could be just a little more carbonation to slow my consumption down a little. Other than that, it's very smooth and easy drinking.

Final thought - This beer is absolutely fantastic. That's all that needs to be said. Go find it, buy it, and drink it.

-Jon

Double IPA

Beer Name: Double IPA
Brewery: The People's Pint
ABV: 7.8%
Serving method: 12-oz draft in a snifter
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

My phone refuses to recognize the word "snifter" as being a legitimate word. This thing needs a "Yes, this is a word and stop changing it to 'sniffer' every time" button. Admittedly, that name could use some work.

The Double IPA is a seasonal beer from The People's Pint. It arrived in its snifter as a amber-orange beer with just a little bit of head on top. This faded away fairly quickly, but did its best to cling to the sides in a heavy lacing pattern. Sadly, it was not very successful, but I believe that is because the glass was not properly rinsed as I was picking up just a very faint soapy flavor. We can talk about how soapy flavors in a beer can arise from either improper rinsing or over-fermentation, but that's really a topic for another day and another blog (like Mmmm, brewing, which I am trademarking right now). Bottom line is that without a properly cleaned glass, there isn't going to be any lacing, which is what happened here. On the other hand, the aroma of this beer is a super strong citrus hop, and it's fantastic.

Had this beer's flavor lived up to the aroma, it would probably be a new favorite. Alas, this was not to be. The beer has a pretty good flavor, but not as awesome as the aroma. It's not as citrusy as the aroma had led me to expect, and it could use just a little more maltiness for balance. As it is, there is a lot of bitterness without much flavor behind it at the end of each sip. Fortunately, the aftertaste is pretty mellow, so it doesn't drive you away. The light carbonation works well for this beer.

Final thought - This beer gets an A+ for aroma, but only a borderline B- in execution. I really should give it another try in my own glassware just to see what was going on in the soap department, so I'll keep an eye out for it at Ye Olde Package Store, aka Ryan & Casey's.

-Jon

Lucky U

Beer Name: Lucky U IPA
Brewery: Breckenridge BBQ & Brew Pub
ABV: 6.2%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I picked up this mix-pack of beers a while back, but there wasn't room in the fridge for it so I hid it away out of the light. Now that I've finally cleared some space, it's time to hit these 4 beers from Breckenridge.

Lucky U is a hazy beer, somewhere between orange and light brown in color. It poured with slightly less than a finger of head, which faded away pretty quickly but left a bit of lacing behind. There is a nice hop aroma, but there's also a whole lot of malt (for an IPA) as well. It's very citrusy from the hops, and the malts have an appealing sweetness.

The flavor of this beer is surprisingly mild after the aroma. There are some nice hop flavors, but they are not overly strong and the bitterness is very low. There's a light maltiness to each sip as well. I was a little bit sad that it wasn't as citrusy as the aroma had led me to expect, but there was still enough hoppiness to keep my tongue happy. The beer has a good carbonation, and only a light aftertaste.

Final thought - This is a nice drinking IPA. The hop flavors are very muted for an IPA, so I could see drinking a few of these without my palette suffering from a hop overload, which sometimes happens with the more hop-forward beers. I would enjoy having this beer again.

-Jon

Sculpin India Pale Ale

Beer Name: Sculpin India Pale Ale
Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company
ABV: 7%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I seem to remember saying something about trying a wider variety of beers this year and not just drink stouts and IPAs all the time. Well that's dumb. I like stouts. I like IPAs. So that's what I'll be drinking, and variety be damned. You know what? Out of spite, I think I'll brew a stout myself this weekend. You might be wondering who I'm spiting, and that's a valid question to which I have no answer.

Sculpin is, possible, a nice coppery ale. I say possible because I drank it at The Hangar, and the lighting in there is horrendous for beer color judgment. It arrived with a fluffy head around a finger in height or so. This head faded very slowly and left a heavy lacing pattern behind. The aroma here is a fantastic citrus hop, with just enough malt in the background to suggest that this beer is going to be amazing.

There were several beers on the menu that I wanted to try, but I have a fridge full of beer at home that needs drinking so I had to pick just one. I ended up panicking when the waitress asked for our drink orders and picking the Sculpin because it had a weird name. Well, I must have pleased the beer gods, because it was a good choice. The flavor has a great citrusy punch to it, and there is a big malt backbone to add a sweetness to the bitterness from the hops. There was only a light carbonation, but that's good because the beer itself was a great accompaniment to the hot wings we were eating. What a delicious brew.

Final thought - I enjoyed this beer immensely, and it also received Kate's highest IPA rating of all time. Granted that rating was "I don't really like it, but if I had to drink an IPA, this is the kind I would drink," but that's really high by her standards. Seriously, this is on par with me recommending a Belgian white*. Clearly you need to go out and try this beer.

-Jon

* Ok, in the interest of honesty, I should probably admit the following: I was at the restaurant Judie's once, and my mother asked me for a beer recommendation. Based on her previous beer drinking, I suggested Allagash White, which of course she loved. Obviously I need to open up a beer store and sell craft beers to people. If I can get my mother to drink craft beers, I can get anyone to.

Maximus

Beer Name: Maximus IPA
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
ABV: 8.2%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Lagunitas has a standard IPA, and then they have this beast with an ABV 2% higher. This is the one you want if you're up for some hoppiness, but you are pressed for time.

Maximus is a orangey-amber beer. My first bottle poured with a nice fluffy head that lasted for a little while before fading away with a good lacing pattern. My second bottle did not have any head at all, which makes me think I might have banged the second bottle and loosened the cap, as that definitely seems like something I'd do. There is a good aroma of fruity hops, and some sweetness mixed in as well.

There is a lovely mix of hops and malt here. The fruity hop flavors are very noticeable, but there's a whole lot of malt to keep it from overwhelming the taste buds. There are some citrus flavors, and it seems like an almost tropical taste. There is a nice bitter finish, and a slight aftertaste that sort of clings to your tongue. It's nicely flavored though, so it's not a problem. Light carbonation helps to accent the hop flavors.

Final thought - I prefer their original IPA to this one, but if you want a bigger beer, you can't really go wrong with Maximus. It's like their normal IPA, but with more of everything: alcohol, hops, bitterness, malt... what a delicious beer.

-Jon

Third Voyage

Beer Name: Third Voyage Double IPA
Brewery: Boston Beer Company
ABV: 8%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This bottle has a whole bunch of numbers and letters on it, but none of them can be converted into any kind of date which means I have no idea what they are or when this beer was brewed. Third Voyage is a limited edition beer brewed in honor of Captain Cook's third voyage around the world or something and uses hops from the various areas he visited. Something like that. I read the back of the bottle, but I wasn't really paying much attention. I guess the history lesson will have to wait until another time.

Third Voyage is a fairly dark IPA, with a deep reddish amber color. It produced a whole lot of head that lasted for a very long time and left a lacing pattern that basically enveloped the entire glass. By the end of the glass though, some of that lacing had disappeared, leaving behind a fairly heavy pattern. The aroma has a good amount of hoppiness, but there's also a strong malt presence. The hop aroma fades pretty quickly, which is kind of surprising, especially for a double. I don't know what kind of effect that might have on the flavor.

The initial flavor here is bitter hops, mostly piney. There's also a lot of maltiness going on here as well, much more than most IPAs. Each sip starts off with a bitter punch, and then finishes with a caramel malt flavor, along with a bitter aftertaste. The carbonation is medium, and combined with the bitterness makes this beer a sipper.

Final thought - As a limited beer, this one works. I don't think that I would drink it regularly, but it was nice to see something new and experimental from this BBC. Maybe beers like this can get into their normal rotation and crap like the White Ale and Cranberry Lambic can hit the bricks.

-Jon

Racer 5

Beer Name: Racer 5 IPA
Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Company
ABV: 7%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

People have been recommending this beer to me for a long time, and, as usual, that has caused me to avoid it. Don't tell me what to do!!

Racer 5 is a golden colored beer, slightly darker than what is generally characterized as dark. It poured with a big fat head, nice and thick, and it faded slowly, leaving a very heavy lacing pattern behind. There's a nice hop aroma here, mixed with some sweetness. It smells mostly piney, and there's some maltiness in there as well.

The taste is as advertised by the aroma. It's nice and hoppy, with some sweetness to keep things balanced. Piney flavors are upfront, with the sweetness following. Each sip ends with a little bit of bitterness in the form of citrusy hop flavors, and it finishes slightly dry. The finish is mostly clean, with a little bit of a bitter flavor that hangs on briefly. The bottle suggested a serving temperature of 45º - 50º, so I let it warm up for a few minutes before I drank it. That seemed to let the malts come through a bit more, so keep that it mind if you're interested in a more malty experience.

Final thought - Despite the major build-up, which usually results in my being disappointed with the beers, this one lives up to its reputation. Anyone that's a fan of IPAs needs to add this one to their "To Drink" list if they haven't had it already. I can't be the only one that walks around with a list of beers to try on my phone, right?

-Jon

Full Throttle

Beer Name: Full Throttle Double IPA
Brewery: Sebago Brewing Company
ABV: 9.1%
Serving method: Draught beer in a goblet
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Again, I get a beer in a new and confusing glass shape (it's a goblet! Like I'm a king!!), so I don't really know how much beer I am getting. On the plus side, this beer had a surprisingly high alcohol content, so I would still be getting my money's worth if it wasn't a full pint.

Full Throttle Double IPA is a fairly dark IPA, with a deep coppery color. It arrived with very little head, but there was a thin ring around the outside that left a little bit of a lacing pattern behind. I am not positive, but I think that the etching pattern on the glass may have made it difficult for any lacing to remain for any long period of time. The aroma is a whole lot of hop, with both fruity citrus hops and piney hops distinctly noticeable. There also seems to be some kind of tropical fruit hops, and some malt as well. It's a complex aroma.

The flavor here is pretty hoppy, but it's not as hoppy as the aroma advertises. There just seems to be a conflict of hops going on. Maybe the hops are all big-flavored ones, and they don't know how to play nice together. There's definitely some kind of inconsistency happening in the flavor. The back of each sip has a nice malty flavor, so the sips are nicely balanced. The beer is lightly carbonated, which works well with the flavors.

Final thought - I like this beer, but there's something jarring about the combination of the different hops. It was very good with the food, but I'm not sure it would have worked on its own. Maybe a trip to Maine is in order for some more taste testing.

-Jon

Hoptical Illusion

Beer Name: Hoptical Illusion
Brewery: Blue Point Brewing Company
ABV: 6.8%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a Weizen glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

If you're wondering, the answer is yes: I ordered this beer strictly because of the name.

Hoptical Illusion is a coppery orange beer that started off with a nice head that mostly faded away in the first few minutes. A thin layer remained, and it left a moderate lacing pattern on the glass. There is a strong hoppy aroma, mostly citrusy. There is also some maltiness, but it's only faint.

Lots of hoppiness and bitterness in this beer. The hops have a nice citrus quality to them, but there isn't enough malt in the background to give it a nice balance. It's also incredibly dry. And what I'm saying here is that after each sip, I feel like I need to drink something else to get my saliva flowing again. This beer is pretty highly carbonated, which, when combined with the bitterness and dryness, makes it a little bit rough in the drinkability department.

Final thought - This is alright, but wouldn't be one of my top choices for IPAs if there were others available. It's a bit too dry for me.

-Jon

Leviathan IPA

Beer Name: Leviathan IPA
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
ABV: 10%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Something on 10/15/11

After trying this beer at the Harpoon brewery, I was eager to get some of this particular Leviathan (it's a whole series of giant ABV beers) for home use. This turned out to be surprisingly difficult, as the only bottles I was able to find were all supposed to be consumed by April. 2011. As in, over half a year ago. I finally found some that had a date that was close enough, so I jumped at the opportunity.

The Leviathan IPA is a slightly cloudy beer with a golden orange color. It pours with a thin layer of surprisingly thick head. It fades fairly soon, but it leaves a nice lacing pattern behind. There is a strong hop aroma here, mostly piney hops.

Strong hop flavor here, but also a lot of malty flavors. It's slightly bitter, but it finishes with a combination of bitterness and sweetness with a light aftertaste. The piney hop aroma was an accurate precursor to the piney flavors present here. The beer is pretty smooth, with a light carbonation and a slightly creamy feeling to it.

Final thought - While obviously not as good as it was when it was fresh straight from the fermenter, this is still a delightful beer. But be careful, as it also will kick you right in the head with it's alcohol content. Ten percent is a pretty strong level for a beer that is pretty easy drinking (for an IPA). Watch yourself.

-Jon

Encore

Beer Name: Encore
Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company
ABV: 6.4%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Best by 2/29/12

Encore is another addition to Magic Hat's IPA On Tour series of beers. I believe this is the last one, although maybe they'll add some more to the rotation.

Encore is a cloudy beer with a pale orange color. It pours with about a finger and a half of head (and yes, "finger" is the measurement unit for a beer's foamy hat) that lasts for quite a while before slowly fading and leaving a heavy lacing pattern behind. The aroma is strongly citrusy hops, with a little bit of a florally hop smell in there as well.

This beer has a nice hop flavor without being overly bitter. That's a little surprising since there really isn't much of a malt presence here that often balances out the hops. I could see that being an issue, but since Encore doesn't really pack a hop wallop, everything works out nicely. I doubt that this beer would convince the hop-haters out there to change their tune, but I don't find it to be an overwhelming hop-bomb like many beers out there. The beer has a nice light carbonation, and it finishes with only a slight aftertaste.

Final thought - This might be my favorite of the touring IPAs, although hI.P.A. is certainly a close second. However, if you ask me while hI.P.A. is out, that ordering might be switched around. I guess they are both quite good. I like Encore's hoppiness without the dry finish that a lot of IPAs have. It also works well both with food or on its own, which is a great quality.

-Jon

Lagunitas IPA

Beer Name: Lagunitas IPA
Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company
ABV: 6.2%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in an octagonal glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I don't know what kind of glasses they use at Magpie, but they definitely have some tasty beverages to put in them. And for me, that's good enough!

This particular IPA from Lagunitas is a nice golden color with some orangey highlights. It's a little bit cloudy, and it came with a nice amount of head. The aroma is strongly hoppy, mostly in the citrus department. There's also a little bit of piney hop aroma, but it's faint.

As expected, this packs a hoppy punch. I am getting only the citrus flavor, which is just fine with me. There's also a malty flavor in the background, but it's only very faint and just enough to keep the hops from overwhelming the tastebuds. This beer is pretty smooth, even with a medium amount of carbonation. The finish is bitter, but not too bitter for an IPA, and it's not as dry as a lot of others. I think you could probably drink a couple of these without suffering from a hop overload.

Final thought - Fantastic IPA. I tend to prefer the citrus hops with at least enough maltiness to notice, and this one works perfectly. California tends to be the king of the American IPAs, and this is no exception.

-Jon

Woodshed IPA

Beer Name: Woodshed IPA
Brewery: Vintage Brewing Co.
ABV: 6.5%
Serving method: 16-oz draft in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

This beer was actually my 4th choice, but my 3rd choice (a double black IPA) was not available despite being listed on the menu as being newly tapped. Luckily, I always have a backup choice of beer for just such an occasion. I haven't really thought about what I'd do if my backup choice wasn't available either. My guess is probably panic and curl into the fetal position under the table.

The Woodshed IPA is a cloudy copper beer with a quick fading head that leaves a small layer behind. This beer has a very strong hoppy aroma, but it's a very different aroma from the Hop Harvest. Whereas that one was a grassy kind of hop, this one is all about the florally citrus hops.

And the flavor follows right from the aroma. There are major grapefruit notes from the hops. It also has a very light maltiness (and sweetness) that balance out the hops and keep them from being too much. Sadly, there is not nearly enough sweetness to keep this beer from causing a Kate-face. This beer has a very dry finish that makes you immediately ready for the next sip. As it warms up, the sweetness increases as the hop flavors decrease, so you can wait it out until the balance is right where you want it, as long as you like hops at least a little bit.

Final thought - Even though it was a backup beer, I enjoyed this beer very much. Citrusy hops with enough sweetness to keep them in check generally make for my favorite IPAs, and this was no exception. All in all, I think Vintage is a great brewery (based on only 3 beers, but they were still 3 for 3 in my book), and I'm glad it's the one that I randomly chose off my list of Madison breweries.

-Jon

India Pale Ale

Beer Name: India Pale Ale
Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company
ABV: 7.3%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: DOB was 8/12/11

August is a much more reasonable time for a beer to be born if I'm drinking it in September. Hopefully that means things will go better with this beer.

Southern Tier's IPA is an orangey copper beer that poured with a thin head which quickly evaporated, leaving a thin layer around the edges. It also left a medium lacing pattern. The beer has a hoppy aroma, with a mix of floral hops and pine hops. There's also a little bit of citrus hops in the background. It seems like there is even some maltiness in there as well, but it's very faint.

This is a good flavored IPA, with enough of a hoppy kick to let you know it's an IPA without being too bitter. It is balanced with a bit of malt as well, so the flavor is both bitter and sweet. The beer is lightly carbonated, and it finishes with a bitter hop flavor. There's a little bit of an aftertaste, and it has some bitter and sweet components. After a little while, the beer's flavor sort of weakens, so drink this one sort of quickly.

Final thought - This is a pretty good beer, with only one minor drawback. I would say that it has a perfect amount of hops, with enough malt to keep things balanced. The only flaw in my opinion is that after a few minutes, the beer's flavor sort of fades away and it feels kind of watery. I bet if I drank it a little bit faster, then that wouldn't have been an issue. But that is dumb, because I like to enjoy my beers. If I wanted to chug down 10 beers an hour, I'd just drink Random Macro-brew Light.

-Jon

My First IPA

Beer Name: My First IPA
Brewery: Homebrewed by me (with Bill), brewery name still pending
ABV: No idea, but higher than it was supposed to be.
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Brewed 8/11/11, bottled 8/24/11

I'm not sure if I should be reviewing my own beer here, but since I'm the one in charge, I'm going to let it slide. Considering the amount of mistakes I made during the brewing process, I'm shocked that this even came out as beer at all.

My First IPA is a very dark beer, making the "P" part of IPA a bit of a lie. It poured with about an inch of head that quickly evaporated. As the beer level falls, it leaves a light lacing temporarily, but nothing long lasting. The aroma is lightly hoppy, but not as hoppy as an IPA should be. There's also a sweet maltiness to it, presumably a direct result of me adding the priming sugar to the boil where it absolutely did not belong. It's actually not a bad aroma, but it's not appropriate for an IPA.

The beer is very average. It doesn't really taste like an IPA though, which is disappointing. I am not really sure how to describe the flavor. It's mostly malty and sweet, with only a little bit of bitterness in the background. It finishes fairly cleanly, leaving a slight aftertaste. Light carbonation here, meaning I probably bottled it correctly. Score one for me.

Final thought - Even for a first beer, this is still not that great. Other people have had a slightly more positive opinion, but I suspect they're just being nice. They also didn't try it after being in the bottle a week, where it tasted like someone had bitten my tongue. Yeah, that's a taste now. However, it's still beer that I made, so I'm going to either drink or spite-drink all of them. And maybe give a couple away, if anyone wants them.

-Jon