The BR Beer Scene: IPA

After that warm-up everyone else started trickling in and the real fun began. Following the 17th Anniversary DIPA, the IPA list kept growing... Left Coast Hop Juice, Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel Corne De Diable, Squatters IPA, Mikkeller Stateside IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Red Brick Double IPA, Saint Arnold Divine Reserve 11, Bridgeport IPA, Dogfish Head Squall IPA, Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, Moylans Moylander DIPA, Moylans Hopsicle TIPA, Full Sail Hop Pursuit, Maui Big Swell, BrewDog Mashah Belgian Dark IPA, Boulevard Double-Wide, Cigar City Jai Alai, Breckenridge Lucky U, Sweetwater IPA, He'Brew Lenny's Rye IPA, Avery DuganA, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, Bear Republic Racer 5, and an Eel River IPA to finish it off.

Yeah, quite the lineup! About half of them were new to me... I think the highlights of the tasting were the Left Coast Hop Juice, Full Sail Hop Pursuit, Boulevard Double-Wide, and of course the Bell's Two-Hearted. Everyone had their favorite though, and all of our taste buds were shot by the end of the night. Thanks to everyone who came by and brought beers, and I hope everyone out there enjoyed a fantastic IPA Day!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Happy International IPA Day Everyone!

Just wanted to say that real quick... it's International IPA Day for those who didn't know... this is a social media driven "holiday" to celebrate one of beers most widely spread and widely celebrated styles. It apparently was created by another (and more successful I'm sure!) beer blogger called The Beer Wench and with the help of Twitter and some breweries, International IPA Day was born!

Here's my lineup for tonight... I might get through them all with the help of a few friends...

Cheers, and enjoy International IPA Day!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Review: Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA

Time for a quick beer review Saturday... I hope you are all grabbing a beer of your choice later tonight! Or this afternoon, that's cool... I'm not judging. This featured beer was brought back to me from Pensacola by Jay of Bite And Booze.com, so thanks to him for hooking a brother up!

This stunning beer pictured to the left is coming to you from Terrapin Beer Company (@terrapinbeerco) out of Athens, GA. Yeah, they may suck at football up there, but they do have some pretty good beer. I've had a few Terrapin beers before including the So Fresh & So Green, Green ale, and they almost always are winners. (#WINNING) This one is their Hopsecutioner IPA, a standard year-round offering although a little strong at 7.2% abv. Sounds good to me, I like strong beers.

This one pours a clear orange color, from a 12 oz. bottle into an RSAK pint glass. It has a decent sized bubbly head with good retention and lacing.

The aroma is a nice blend of grapefruit and pine hops with a little underlay of sweet caramel malt. A very nice, model IPA aroma. The flavor is dominated by the bitter and slightly sour grapefruit hop flavors. It's a little harsh and not as well balanced as the aroma, but still pretty damn tasty.

It's very well carbonated and medium body mouthfeel, with a little hit of a lingering bitter aftertaste.

Overall a good IPA. Definitely in the upper half of my IPA range. Next time I'm passing through Georgia or Florida or even Alabama I believe, I might have to pick up a 6-pack of these.

My Rating: B+

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

IPA Time At The Black Labrador Pub In Houston

A few trips ago to Houston I met up with some friends at The Black Labrador Pub for some beer and dinner... I knew they didn't have the best beer selection around but they DID have a couple of good IPAs available, including one I had never tried before. To kick it off, I went for that new one, the Bridgeport IPA from the Bridgeport Brewery (@bridgeportbrew) out of Portland, Oregon. I had previously tried the Hop Czar IPA from these guys and enjoyed it, so why not try a new one?

Served on-tap... in a standard pint glass. It was a clear amber color, with a finger or two of foamy white head. Pretty good retention and lacing!

It had a nice citrus hop smell, not too rough... and a very palatable hop-dominated flavor. A very solid IPA and a good start to the evening!

After that I went for a Hardcore IPA from Brewdog out of Scotland. This was a much hoppier and more bitter IPA, that I would recommend to any hop heads out there. It only came in bottles (despite the picture... that's the bottle label on a pint glass!) but was worth the price. The two IPAs were a great compliment to good friends and some fish & chips.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Beer Travels: Brewery #4 - Saint Arnold Brewery, Houston, TX

As I'm sure my readers are aware, I've been spending a lot of time in Houston recently. And I know this is the BR Beer Scene, but we share a lot in common with Houston. I've even read that LSU makes up the 3rd largest alumni base in Houston? On a recent trip, Mandi and I headed to the Saint Arnold Brewery, where we met up with my old roommate in BR Chris Perry and his wife Emily. Thanks again to the guys at Mockler for getting us on to the guest list!

The first thing of note is that Saint Arnold has a relatively new home on Lyons Ave. in an industrial area on the Northwest side of downtown. We plugged it into the GPS and it took us right there. There is a small parking lot just adjacent to the building but unless you're the first person there or need the use of a handicap spot, you're going to be shit out of luck! They do tours now on Monday through Saturday with I'm sure Saturday being the most popular. Officially the doors open at 11 but we pulled up around 10:45 and made our way in. And thankfully we were early because the place was already packed with people hanging out and waiting for the taps to open! Fortunately we were able to find a small section of table unoccupied and as soon as the taps opened at 11 I went for an Elissa IPA and grabbed a Fancy Lawnmower for Mandi.

Elissa IPA, the standard tasting glass, and the Fancy Lawnmower.

For a little bit about how the tastings work, it's a $7 admission normally and you get a tasting glass (like pictured above) with 4 beer tokens. If you bring in your own Saint Arnold glassware they will fill that up instead, although not necessarily a full pour on the big ass mug I brought in. You can also purchase glassware there, with a discount for trading in your tasting glass. The tours on Saturday run at 12, 1, and 2, so you can drink for a while then get in line for the noon tour... or just keep on drinking until the 1:00 tour... or just drink for a while and then bail out! You are also more then welcome to bring whatever food you'd like or cards or games for entertainment, and as a result the scene really starts to resemble a lively beer hall!

After the first beers I went for the one on the list that I'd never tried before... the Saint Arnold Texas Wheat, which I was told is also set to be discontinued so I guess I was just in time!

To be honest, I can see why this one is being discontinued. It's not a bad beer, but it's rather unremarkable. An easy drinking summer thirst-quencher but the craft beer scene is moving away from these types of beers and I'm sure the fermenting space is needed for something more unique and interesting to catch the attention of the beer fanatics out there.

After a few more beer samplings, including the Brown Ale and Spring Bock, it was time to move on, but I really like the way the Saint Arnold crew does their tours and tastings. No bullshit, they are there to serve some people some good beer and show them how the whole process works. A highly recommended excursion to anyone making a trip to Houston.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Drinking At The Hammond Smokin' Blues & BBQ Challenge - Part 2

Alright, after checking out that delicious BBQ, it's time for the beers! Thanks again to Calandro's for sponsoring our BBQ team, including a handful of beers to drink as we let the meat smoke all night. (I actually reviewed these properly a few days later... but here are the action pics...)

The first beer I tried was the He'Brew Genesis Ale from Schmaltz Brewing, which is originally out of California but also contract brews out of New York. It was an overly hoppy beer for an Amber Ale, but still not bad. There is definitely a malt warmth to it but the hops dominate the aroma and the taste.

After that it was on to the Bald Eagle Brown Ale from RJ Rockers out of South Carolina. I'd never heard of RJ Rockers before spotting a few of their beers at Calandro's but hey, anything is worth trying once. (When it comes to beer at least...) I thought it was a very tasty beer, but a bit of a one-trick pony. It's all malts, all the time. The flavor is great but I wanted a little something extra in there to mix things up. This is definitely one I'd share a pitcher with amongst friends though, and one of the more pleasant surprises of the night.

The next two beers I tried both hailed from the Boulder Beer Company (@boulderbeerco
) out of... you guessed it... Boulder, Colorado. The first one was the Mojo IPA, a good crisp piney IPA that really worked well. A great flavor to it but some of the ancillary factors (appearance, aroma) were a little lacking. The second was the Kinda Blue Blueberry Wheat Beer, which was unfortunately a little disappointing as far as blueberry beers go. It has a wheat-heavy earthy flavor but not a whole lot of blueberry taste to it. Oh well... still glad I gave it at try!

Finally I broke out another beer from the Schmaltz Brewing Company... this time the He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's Rye India Pale Ale. Damn, that's a lot of name, and fortunately this one was a lot of beer. It was a 10% abv imperial IPA brewed with rye malts. It had more of a barleywine aroma to it than an IIPA, with a strong balance of malt and hops and a sweet molasses feel. The taste was more of the same... a fantastic beer and certainly a highlight of the contest as far as the beers went!

Thanks again to Sammy at Calandro's for helping us out and providing these taste beers to drink while we cooked! It was a great time with great people.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Smuttynose Brewing - 5 New Reviews

This is one of the last installments from the trip to Gainesville a couple of months ago... 5 different beers from Smuttynose Brewing out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Before this trip to Gainesville I had heard of Smuttynose but never had a chance to give them a try. They aren't available in Louisiana unfortunately, and also aren't available in Houston which is my second most likely place to find new beers. Fortunately for me, they had several different varieties in Florida!

Up first, the Smuttynose "Finest Kind" IPA:

This is a fantastic example of a regular IPA, in my opinion. The aroma is a little on the weaker side but the taste is bold and in your face. More of a west-coast piney feel to me, and really easy to drink. It's a 6.9% brew so you'd feel it after a few but it's not overwhelming.

My Rating: A-

Next up... the Shoals Pale Ale!

American Pale Ales are quickly becoming one of my favorite styles due to their intended blend of hoppiness and malt sweetness. This example is high on the list when it comes to my favorites of the style. It's a little hop forward for a pale ale, but still has a good caramel malt sweetness on the sip too. Easy drinking and at only 5% this could be a fantastic session beer... if only I could get it in a pitcher at the Chimes. Maybe some day...

My Rating: A-

BeerAdvocate: B+

The third Smuttynose brew I tried was the Big A IPA...

Mmmmmm, another IPA. This time it's an imperial IPA originally created for Smuttynose's "Big Beer Series" and carried over into their regular rotation. I wish Abita would take this approach with their select series... take the most popular and put them into regular rotation! Anyway, back to this beer... it's a good looking bubbly beer with a great hop blend on the nose. It wavers on the edge between floral and pine notes in my opinion. The taste is a little more on the pine side and the 9.6% alcohol is hardly noticeable. A fantastic IIPA and another I would love to have more readily accessible.

My Rating: A

Hitting clean-up for Smuttynose... the Old Brown Dog Ale!

Okay, back to a more tame style, the American Brown Ale. This flagship brew clocks in at a strong 6.7% abv though so I expect a little more flavor than a more mundane example of the style! The smell did not disappoint, with note of molasses and toffee and a little roasted note to it. Even the alcohol comes through a little, which is strange for a brown ale. The roasted notes come through more in the taste... it's a little thin though. I like the sweet malt flavor on the tip of the tongue as a compliment to the roasted flavors at the end. It's insanely easy to drink... just a little thin on the mouthfeel.

My Rating: A-

And last but not least... the Smuttynose Robust Porter!

This is another of the Smuttynose flagships... a dark porter with a couple fingers worth of off-white head. The smell is as expected as well... notes of coffee, roasted malts, and a little dark chocolate come through. The flavor is a little more substantial than the aroma... the coffee flavors come through the most to me, with a bitter roasted aftertaste. Good mouthfeel, pretty easy to drink for a porter. I think the problem is that I'm just not really a fan of porters... this is a good example of the style, has good ratings overall but in my opinion it's just an above-average beer and not great. So I guess I lied... this actually is the "least" among these five Smuttynose beers. It's not BAD, by means, just not quite as tastebud stimulating as the four before it.

My Rating: B

And that's it for my foray into the world of Smuttynose Brewing Company... a few that I'd love to try again and a few that I would take a pass on. Overall the beers were well above average though, so I'd definitely check out any new Smuttynose brews I came across and would highly recommend them to someone with the chance to drink a few.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Review: Victory Brewing HopDevil & Golden Monkey

Time for a review of a couple of beers from Victory Brewing Company out of Downingtown, PA. This is another brewery that I had heard of and read about, but until I hit up the bottle shop in Gainesville, I'd never seen their beers available. They claim on their site to distribute to Texas, but I don't ever remember seeing their beers available in Houston. Maybe I just overlooked them? Anyway... in true beer nerd fashion I grabbed a couple, and now a month or so later finally got around to drinking them!

The first one I tried was the HopDevil IPA, one I'd read about and was really looking forward to trying! For this one, I poured from a 12 oz. bottle into an imperial pint glass.

It's a dark caramel color, clear with a finger worth of white head. There is a little creamy lacing and the retention is alright. It's hoppy as it should be... more of a citrus hop flavor as opposed to a piney west coast IPA. Makes sense considering this is coming from a Northeastern brewery. One of the things I've really learned since I've gotten into craft beer is how different regions of the USA regard the same style.

The flavor is similar... a little malt balance in there too almost like an APA. It's a good beer, an easy drinking IPA for sure. It's not as bold as I was hoping for something called HopDevil, but I'm still a fan. I think my tastes are just more geared towards West coast IPAs than East coast.

My Rating: B

Up next was the Golden Monkey tripel. I've always been a big fan of Belgian ales, so I'm always excited to see an American take on them. For this brew I poured from a 12oz. bottle into a Chimay goblet... always a goblet for a dubbel, tripel, quad, or strong Belgian ale. It's a cloudy beer with a gold color, befitting the "Golden Monkey" moniker, and a small white head. Not much lacing or retention to it, which would usually be present in this style.

It has a floral and honey smell to it, hints of coriander... pretty tasty. Typical for the style but right on point with how a good tripel should smell. In my opinion at least. The taste is a great reflection on the smell... maybe a little more floral and slightly bitter with a little hop hit in there. I'm really enjoying this one, for an American brewed tripel it's one of the best I've had in recent memory.

The mouthfeel is a little harsh, with a slight hint of the alcohol content in the aftertaste. This one is a pretty robust 9.5% alcohol so a little flavor from that isn't unusual at all.

I'd still go for another one of these... if it was available in Louisiana I could see some Golden Monkey finding its way into my regular rotation.

My Rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: B

Tripel

So, check a new brewery off the list... that wasn't one of my resolutions but it's still nice to try new beers from new people!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Review: Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

Another brew day beer! Last week Dustin and I, with the help of our friend Kyle, set out to brew a noble pilsener. While picking up a few ingredients from Marcello's on Perkins we also picked up one of the key components to brewing... some beers to drink during the process. One that surprisingly neither Dustin or I had tried before was the Latitude 48 IPA from Sam Adams. I've tried plenty of beers from the Boston Beer Company before, even a variety pack around Christmas time, but I guess their IPA had always slipped under my radar. No longer!

As always, proper glassware is important to enjoying a beer... this one was poured from a 12 oz. bottle into an imperial pint glass. It's an amber color, very clear with a bubbly off-white head.

It's got a hoppy aroma, but not powerful. Grapefruit seems to be the dominant flavor with a little caramel note to it. There is definitely a nice malt balance on the front of the sip. The hops come through stronger at the end. It's good, with a bitter aftertaste but drinks really smooth for an IPA.

A pretty good beer, but I'm not blown away. It's not up there with the Stones and Racer 5s of the IPA world, but it's definitely another good one for someone trying to get into craft beer. But then, I think a lot of what Sam Adams is about, at least as far as their flagship brews are concerned, is getting people into craft beer. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, the move converts the better!

My Rating: B-