Monday Rant: Not Much Was Quenched

Man, oh man I love the flavor of a really bready IPA. The one that reigns supreme in that category is Lagunitas IPA and may it reign for all of eternity. To give a little premise of this tale, let me fill you in on my adventure (if you could even call it that) from Saturday.

I went with some friends and got sucked into seeing the movie Divergent. I wasn't too thrilled to actually be there as I had no idea what it was nor that there was a book. We went to view the movie and I decided I deserved a little snack splurge and bought a pack of Reese's Pieces. Usually my staple at the cinema.

I don't drink pop/soda anymore. So, I usually end up thirsty after snacking at the movies. We went to a bar across the street and I found the Lagunitas IPA on draft. I've never actually thought about it before, but I was really dry and thirsty when I came across the street for a drink. I didn't calculate hoppiness at all in terms of quenching said thirst. That's because it didn't get the job done that I intended. Maybe it's also my own fault for not taking that into account before I chose so poorly.

About a third of the way through the 20 oz. draft I realized that I was still thirsty. This led me to the conclusion that hoppy brews don't do much to fill such and endeavor. This event gave truth to the old saying that we learn something new every day. To me, the beer can be as cold or refreshing as possible. Still, if there is an above-average level of hoppy bitterness it can even make me thirstier.

I guess hops do have some form of an ability to dry things out a little further. This all brings up the notion of irony in American craft beer culture. I pose this - if a major point of drinking something is to quench a thirst to a certain extent why do we need to eccentuate a flavor that would make some of us thirstier? IPA's area major player in the beer scene here in the states. That's a fact, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Thus I haven't since I started this blog over two years ago. Just a little food for thought. I'm complaining about IPA's and hops once again. Big shocker, right?

Also, let's go Bucs.

Beer Review: Lagunitas Maximus

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 8.2 percent

Appearance: Maximus had a chroma of a very vivid orange/amber color. There was also a bit of sediment that stirred up as soon as I poured it. So, I'm not sure how long this sat in the cooler where I purchased the bottle. There also wasn't much carbonation at this point, but the bubbles did appear and slowly rise a little while after. The head was a bit volatile at first because the foam funneled over the rim of the glass, but once it settled it was fluffy and bright white. It was also quite sticky.

Smell: In the aroma department, this beer seemed very potent. There were generous amounts of both pine and resin. These two aspects seemed to drown out anything else that might have been present. The scents were on levels of sinus destruction for me, but this is a double IPA.

Taste: I was once again bombarded with the pine and resin flavors. Both of these were really intense for me. I thought for a second that a touch of sweetness was on the front tip of my tongue, but once again I couldn't tell entirely due to the intensity of the piney hop bitterness. This all lead to an intensely bitter aftertaste.  Still, everything did ease a bit as the beer warmed. The resin flavor actually drove itself to the forefront at this point which I enjoyed. This brew was also a very sticky experience. Lips, fingers and table top. Kind of like that annoying syrup bottle that we all have somewhere in our kitchen.

Overall Rating: 

I love the regular lineup by Lagfunitas, but I've been severely disappointed with two of their bolder offererings. It doesn't help that I'm not Mr. Imperial/Double either. Not exactly my thing. I don't want all hops. I want multiple aspects in a good beer. The stickiness of this also just made it more of an annoyance. This might be a hop head's delight, but I'll stick to the regular Lagunitas IPA.

Holy Thursday: Hops at Pipers and Blue Dust

"They went with divine intentions of quenching their dry thirsts, but then proclaimed; thine ale tastes bittereth!"

Once again on the theme of the newly-released hoppy brews (a time of year in which I disdain.). I have some good news for all of you fans of hops. All of the hop bombs are currently in the Pittsburgh market as I see it.

Two of my favorite places in the entire area for craft brews and pub grub are currently boasting the presence of both Lagunitas Sucks and Troegs Nugget Nectar. The beers are listed on Blue Dust's (close to me here in Munhall) website draft list and on some of Pipers Pub's social media pages. Pipers is even boasting a battle between good and evil to the death! Sorry, I meant East and West coast.

Hell, If I end up at either establishment maybe I'll even go as far as trying one or the other.

Just vented firkins of @TroegsBeer Nugget Nectar & @lagunitasbruhws Sucks. East Coast vs West Coast hop war begins tomorrow.
— Pipers Pub (@piperspub) January 29, 2014

Holy Thursday is a weekly post (usually every week) generally about beer. It includes almost any topic relating to beer, but with a certain spin. A slightly religious spin Still, I'm not doing it to preach anything but beer. I'm just poking fun at myself for a being a terrible mass attendee!

Beer Review: Stoudt's Pils

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.4 percent

Appearance: This brew boasted a bright yellow color. It sort of glistened in the light with it's golden hues. Up towards the fluffy, white and bubbly head was a few layers of hazy fog. It looked as if this aspect sort of dissipated as my eyes went down to the lower portions of the glass. The bubbles in the head helped to leave some thick and ample lacing. I also noticed a few solid columns of carbonation bubbles in the middle of the body that danced slowly upwards.

Smell: I got decent portions of bread and grass aromas. That was pretty much it. In a good way it was clean and simple for the aroma department.

Taste: Despite the lower portions of the brew appearing transparent and watery, that wasn't the case once I began to drink this. On the front of my tongue I got a helping of bread and cracker flavor along with a touch of sweetness. I even got a bit of citrus, most likely lemon albeit very faint. There also was a nice hop bite on the back. Still, I must admit that it was fairly strong for my taste.

Overall Rating: 

I enjoyed this as part of the Stoudt's sampler I purchased a good while ago. I measure German Pilseners based on comparisons to Troegs Sunshine Pils. This was surprisingly close. The cracker flavor was close to the typical biscuit I enjoy in this style of beer. To some, biscuit and cracker might be considered the same taste. I don't toss them in the same basket. Maybe that's why I'm a snob? Who knows. Not on par with Sunshien, but still an enjoyable drink.

The Session No. 83: Against the Grain

The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry

For the first round of Session posts in the newly-christened 2014 Rebecca from The Bake and Brew has chosen a topic curiously entitled "Against the Grain." The question she poses is as follows:

How much is our taste or opinion of a craft beer affected by what friends and the craft beer community at large thinks? What beer do you love that no one else seems to get? Or what beer do you say “no thanks” to that everyone can’t get enough of?

The phrase "against the grain" has always been an important term for me as it should be for just about any male out there. We first hear that phrase upon being taught to shave once we reach the proper age, or whenever it is that the stuff begins to sprout from our faces.

That group of words resonates with me especially because I've gotten quite serious about shaving over the years. I'm very adamant about wet shaving. Water, cream and a razor are all it takes. I hate the scratchiness and tugging of electric razors. Thus, I have my blades and cream that has some sort of peppermint essence delivered to my doorstep every month via Harry's Razor Company. The phrase "against the grain" comes into play on the second razor stroke on an area of the face. At least I was always taught to shave downward with the grain first, then bring the blade back upwards against the grain to smooth everything out. As someone with a beard that feels like copper wire when it grows back, that sound and smooth feel that follows is the tops. The euphoria lasts only for matter of hours before that tingling sensation of regrowth comes back.

Now, how do we apply this when it comes to tasting, trying and enjoying beer? I've been known as one of the few beer bloggers that goes against the grain when it comes to hops and IPA's. This is no secret. I'm a strong proponent that hops should only act as a compliment to the rest of the beer. My favorite IPA's have a decent hop bitterness, but with a strong bready backbone.

Sometimes I write my thoughts on social media about beers I end up trying. Sometimes I end up in discourse with other Twitter users/readers on thoughts about a certain beer. This has even happened on Untappd at times. From my recollection only one beer style has drawn sharper responses from readers/tweeters when I've expressed my thoughts - IPA's.

I've seen alarmed responses upon seeing that I might not have liked an IPA or Double IPA. I've mentioned numerous times on this blog and on my Twitter feed about how I sometimes feel pressured to say good things about beers I might not like because of the fact they are popular within the confines of the beer community. I guess you could say that it kind of works like peer pressure. If I don't like it, I'm probably not going to like it again. There have been a few exceptions.

Indeed, I have gone against the grain when it comes to sharing my thoughts on beers. Still, I've always made it clear that taste and preferences are strictly subjective. Everyone likes what they like. That's why I have some distorted view that tastes aren't uniform throughout society. Extremely hoppy beers to me are just hops and nothing else in most cases. For some of you, it might be nectar from the gods. Here's the thing - it's entirely possible for many to like the taste of something and others to not enjoy it as much. Quite a concept!

Beer Review: Lagunitas Lucky 13

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 8.65 percent

Appearance: Lucky 13 looked very much like a lucky beer (no pun intended) to have a vivid red color as this one did. It also had some orange-like highlights on the outer portions of the body. Overall, the body had a certain glisten to it. There was a foamy beige head of about two and a half inches that had amazing retention and web-like lacing. It eventually settled and remained at a quarter-inch layer of foam fueled by a ton of slowly rising carbonation bubbles.

Smell: I caught just a dash of caramel malt and that was the extent of what I got. Whatever else was present was heavily disguised by the intense hop aroma.

Taste: The taste profile sort of went in the same direction of the aroma. There was (once again) that dash of sweet caramel up front before a solid roasty profile. The hop bitterness seemed to dilute anything else that wanted to join in on the flavor party. This tasted more like an IPA than anything. This is supposed to be an imperial amber/red ale.

Overall Rating: 

I've become a big fan of the brews that come from this brewery. I was a bit disappointed with this. Just too many hops. Just intensely bitter. Not floral or citrusy. It's a beautiful-looking beer, though. Color glistened and the head was nice and foamy.

Many Subtle Layers

I've been hard on very hoppy brews, especially IPA's over the years. Let's just put it this way. If a brewery comes up with some creative way to incorporate the word hop into the name of a certain beer I'm stubborn enough to convince myself to never try said beer. It's always been as easy as that.

With that said, I'm still open to having my horizon's broadened. Take for example a bartender at one of your favorite establishments giving you a small sample of a beer with hops in its name. I'll try pretty much open to anything if someone will put even the smallest effort in recommending a beer to try.

I was given a sample of Helltown Brewing's Idle Hands Zythos last week. Idle Hands is (or has been) Helltown's flagship IPA. I'm guessing that the addition of Zythos hops is fairly new. To be honest, I've never heard of a Zythos hop until last week when I tried this beer. Just as easy as it was to hear about Zythos hops, it was maybe just as simple to be blown away by the scents and flavors it can impart in beer. I was utterly floored. I'm so used to hops in IPA's making me feel like I took a big sniff of ammonia that the fruity aroma I got took me away to an island of paradise somewhere in the Caribbean.



There are some hopped-up ales that make me nauseous with the imparted aromas of intense grapefruit and/or pine. I never thought a hybrid scent imparted by hops could be so satisfying. It turns out that the point of the Zythos existence is to add more layers to a beer's flavor. Here's a screen cap of the Zythos page on the Northern Brewer website.

Wow. Not only grapefruit and pine, but there's also tangerine and lemon? That's mind-blowing. I really enjoyed the beer. Not only did I just have the sample that I was generously given, but I ended up getting a glass of it off of the hand pump afterwards.

The experience of this beer was only helped by the chorizo-dominated I was eating at the time. We all know how a beer higher on the hop scale goes with spicy foods. I'm glad to have finally become familiar with the intricacies of the Zythos hop. Still, the experience only reinforces my view that a hoppy beer still can't only be hops. There should be other great flavors to enjoy in beer and the Zythos hop gets the job done.

Monday Rant: Word Play

Behold. The definition of the word I screen-capped from a quick Google search.

I mentioned last week about the disdain I have for the use of the word "adjunct" in the beer community nowadays. It doesn't make me very happy. In some facets brewers and breweries have been outcast by using ingredients that are sometimes considered adjuncts i.e. corn and/or rice. Corn I really enjoy in certain brews. On the other hand, rice doesn't get me nearly as excited.

That's not to exclude any regular malt that's used in many breweries. I love some Crystal and Biscuit malt more than I do the corn. I just like going against the grain once in a while.

If an adjunct is truly something that is added to only be a supplementary part rather than an essential one, how come hops never fell under the same category? Maybe it's just that I'm one to believe that hops should always be a compliment to the final product? Ah, word play is fun.

Yikes

One consistent aspect of my odd, but eccentric lifestyle is the morning routine before heading off to work. Make breakfast (usually either a bagel or two pieces of toast with peanut butter) then a cup of black coffee. Once both of those tasks are done, it's time to either flip on my Sirius Satellite Radio or the Weather Channel to get the weather report for the upcoming day.

Well, when the Weather Channel is on in the mornings it isn't entirely weather anymore. there is some news interjected at certain points. I usually don't pay much attention to them, but I looked up at the television yesterday morning when I heard of a potential world wine shortage.

Something that's certainly not as scary as a beer or hop shortage for those of us that are really into beer, but it's still very possible. With that said, I think I have a fabulous idea for an April Fool's post one day in the future.

Happy Halloween.

 

Beer Review: Boulder Mojo Risin'

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 10.5 percent

Appearance: Mojo Risin' looked very similar in color to its IPA brother, Boulder Mojo. It was a vivid orange. Instantly looked like an IPA, to me. It had a slight fogginess to it, but didn't appear dreadfully saturated in hop oil as some IPA's appear to me. I know I'm not Mr. IPA, but I really like a vivid orange IPA in terms of appearance. There were a few carbonation bubbles. The brightly-white head was somewhat thin, weak and eventually lead to much weaker retention.

Smell: The aroma was very peppery, initially. I expected an overload of hops, but the hop presence was a little subdued as I'd usually prefer. This was also a little citrusy.

Taste: The citrus was very pungent and was ever so present on the front. It was a combination of both orange and grapefruit. The hop presence in the taste wasn't as strong as I would have thought for a Double IPA. It was also a little weak here, but for me that's not anything bad. Not really boozy at first sip, but be ready for a little warm sensation when it goes down once the brew has a chance to get closer to room temperature.

Overall Rating: 

For a Double IPA, I actually enjoyed this. It plays quite mellow. I also enjoyed getting another citrus flavor other than grapefruit. The orange was a plus for me. That was backed by a nice piney bitterness that even a staunch Hop Nazi like me would enjoy. I wish i got a few more layers and complexity in the taste, though. Maybe some caramel or creaminess from the beer's head (which wasn't really present to begin with)?

Beer Review: Anchor Liberty Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Six percent

Appearance: This beer was a pretty shade of orange. It was an attractive combination of orange and mango, to be more exact. There was a initial layer of vivid white foam for the brew's head. A little bit of weakness was evident by the extreme lack of lacing, but there were a few noticeable carbonation bubbles. Still, these bubbles didn't appear to provide for any decent texture later in the process. There was also the slightest of hazes in this.

Smell: The aroma of this brew was very fruity, overall. Still, it was citrusy and floral. It had an easy-going hop nose. Amazingly, my sinuses weren't destroyed! The smell of this reminded me more of a fruit beer than an IPA, which I liked.

Taste: This was very balanced. There was a hint of citrus and fruit up front before getting some hop bitterness on the middle and back portions. A tasty cracker/bread flavor accentuated the finish. A touch of paleness was the explanation point at the end of each sip. Very smooth.

Overall Rating: 

I don't want to make a pun given the name of the beer, but this is best described as what I'd call a "free IPA." It's not totally dominated by hops as many of the style are nowadays. The flavor is all there, but I'd like a little more feeling and texture to it. Not a lot of carbonation and the head was hardly present in this beer. I still enjoyed, though.

Monday Rant: Fragility of Hops

Hops have been known for the preserving quality they have upon being thrown into that lovely concoction that eventually became what we all know and love - beer. For that reason, British brewers began to use a larger helping of them in batches in order to ensure the beer's stability as it began the long voyage to India. That is hop we ended up with the India Pale Ale style, or so the legend has it.

I hoard/collect a decent amount of beer. Sometimes beer that falls into my hands can remain as such for anywhere from just a few weeks up to a full calendar year. Most brews usually half a shelf life of approximately six months.

I obviously take that very liberally. I'm in the camp that says if you take care of the beer your store (that means with minimal temperature changes and out of direct light) you can have that beer remain in good order for a long time.

While doing all of this, I've started to notice that one style of beer doesn't adhere to the legend behind it. Yes, it's the beer style I harp on at least once every other week. I haven't noticed so much that the older IPA's that I have are changing in terms of color, smell or taste. Some of them seem to have a sediment that pours from the bottom of the bottle and into my glass.

I'm not entirely sure if this is the beginnings of the brew breaking down or just simple signs of age. Sometimes I get a bit turned-off because of this and other times I just say hell with ti and drink most of the beer while trying to keep as much of the sediment in the bottom as possible.

Maybe I should start having an extra bottle or two on the weekend in order to get more bottles consumed on a quicker basis!

Beer Review: Battlefield Brew Works Red Circle Ale

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 5.2 percent

Appearance: Red Circle Ale appeared to be the second-darkest brew available at the Gettysburg establishment that I constantly bring up. This beer was as close to a dark brick red as it could be without actually looking like a brown ale. A few ruby red portions of the brew were also noticeable to the eye. The dark color of the brew disguised the appearance of any carbonation bubbles. The head was just short of being called a beige. I'd go with an off-white to describe it best. The head featured a layer of foam that was about a half-inch thick, but faded back into the beer quickly leaving some thin lacing.

Smell: This beer seemed to be a bit deeper and sweeter than than its amber counterpart I reviewed last week. This too had plenty of caramel and roasted malt undertones. Wait, I don't mean undertones. They were the co-stars of this beer's aroma. There was a slight hop nose that nicely complimented the two dominant scents.

Taste: The caramel and roasted notes were prevalent once again once I began drinking this. Those two flavors were very complimentary in there own respective roles, but were slightly weaker than they were in the smell of this. The hops work well with the other two for a slightly bitter and well-balanced finish. 

Overall Rating: 

I enjoyed how this version of the amber was a little more balanced. Still, I'd like to see a head with some more staying power as well as just a kiss of more strength in the flavor. Still, this was a quality brew. I also love this place as well as the town it's close to. So, I can feel quite comfortable giving this the rating I did.

Beer Review: Victory Summer Love

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.2 percent

Appearance: This one  had a body that was bright, blonde and golden. I bet that if I hadn't told you that this was a blonde ale you would never guess it, right? Nevermind that. Anyways, there was a ton of carbonation in this. Especially in what appeared to be a thick column of bubbles in the middle portions of my glass. There was a thin layer of white foam atop the brew as well. This offered some above average retention. It wanted to hang around for a good while. In turn, this left some average lacing as well.

Smell: Holy hops. Some potent hop aromas jolted my sinus cavity. They were extremely piney and citrusy. A tiny bit of sweeter malt was able to peak through. How that was I'm not entirely sure.

Taste: Unfortunately I wasn't able to notice much of anything until the hops bit me on the back of the tongue. Still, the hop bite was an interesting and tasty one. The other aspects of the flavor seemed really lackluster and light. Aside from all of that, the aftertaste of this was quite crisp and refreshing. The texture created by the carbonation came through on the entirety of each sip. This brew still had enough juice to remind me that this was summer.

Overall Rating: 

I've heard a lot of great things about this beer. Thus, this is just another example of going into a beer with very high expectations and not getting exactly what you thought it would be. I have a feeling that those of you that enjoy this beer likely enjoy a stronger hop presence than I do. I need a little more cracker taste or sweetness to compliment the hops in this one.

Beer Review: Schell's Pils

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.3 percent

Appearance: This pilsner poured something close to a neon gold. The color was quite vivid. The body was hazy, but the majority of the haze seemed to settle towards the upper portions of the glass. The bottom portions of the brew were a bit more transparent. The body was crowned by a half-inch head that came off as a lemon meringue color. The head would end up leaving tiny, intricate rings of lacing on the inside of the glass.

Smell: Initially, I picked up loads of grain and sweet corn. I instantly recalled the Brewers Association fiasco that involved August Schell Brewing Company and the use of adjuncts such as corn. I generally don't mind corn in my beer, but this was as close to a bag corn in the barn as I've been when drinking beer. It was interesting, but not totally sure if I enjoyed it. Consider me on the fence.

Taste: A positive of the corn came through in the taste department for me. The corn provided plenty of sweetness on the front. This beer also had a biscuity, bitter and very noticeable hop bite on the back.  The bitterness was a nice compliment to the sweetness and lingered in the aftertaste for quite a while. I couldn't see much carbonation due to the haze, but it was very noticeable once I started drinking. The texture of this beer is crisp and fizzy. I enjoyed it.

Overall Rating: 

The only thing I was feeling odd about was that I felt like I was opening a bag of corn on a farm and sniffing it. Maybe the corn was a bit too potent for me? The head and the body also had intriguing colors to gaze at. The taste left me refreshed as well. I'm glad I have a few more of these left from the sampler I bought.