Monday Rant: It Gives You Focus

Hops. More Hops. Hop oil. Resin. Grapefruit. Sometime maybe even some orange. All are key characteristics of American IPA's that I've noticed over the three to four years that I've been indulging in the craft beer scene. Characteristics that many of you out there find appetizing and inviting. I've grown to find them overly intense, drab and boring. The race to see which brewer puts the most hops into its IPA's has not entertained me much and you're not wrong for being excited about it. It's just not my thing. It's kind of reminiscent of the multiple times the Major League Baseball home run records have been shattered since my adolescence.

Twitter has always been ablaze with the popularity of session IPA's. I've taken special notice to it with the addition of Founders All Day IPA to the craft beer spectrum (was it some time last year?). I decided to have an All Day IPA as my dinner cap on Saturday and someone almost had to mop up the puddle of drool that I left on the bar.

It was fruity and had layers of flavor other than the ones I mentioned above. It didn't appear as if it was saturated with hop oil. It was somewhere within the spectrum of being both transparent and opaque. A lovely color, too. Why don't we brew more of these session IPA's? They go down easy. The flavors seem to be more focused. You probably won't taste remnants of these brews in the ones you decide to try afterwards. The beers have a mild and bitter bite on the back, but the point is that 85 percent of the drinking experience with one of these isn't entirely on the hops. I don't think that any beer should have the main focus of the hops that are in it, but all of the ingredients that go into the brewing process. Remember that beer is quite subjective!

Then again, this is probably why I'm not a brewer somewhere in the middle portions of Pennsylvania. Still, I think it's a good thing that we are experimenting with the session brews here in the states. So many beers have hit the market that have too high ABV's and are just too complicated in the least. Whatever happened to the simple beers?

Speaking of simple, yet stunning brews...

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.

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: Rogue Brutal IPA

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.80 percent

Appearance: This brew had a creamy orange-colored body with somewhat of an opaque look to it. It was quite hazy and foggy. I assume it was from the hop oils as this was an IPA. I stuck this under a lap and the color just dazzled under the light. I also peered in close to notice a few carbonation bubbles dancing slowly upwards. The head was thick, fluffy and also cream colored. A small contrast to the color of the body. The head slowly caved in after reaching its peak. The lacing that was left was thick and had no breaks.

Smell: The aroma of this was quite sweet and tangy. Somewhat citrusy, too. Mostly dominated by the scent of orange peel. I also got a touch of both pine and spiciness.

Taste: This was clearly not as "brutal" as I had initially anticipated. Which for me is a positive thing. It was quite biscuity on the front. There were some pine and orange notes mid-way back. The finish featured a nice hop bitterness. Just enough to make this an enjoyable IPA for me. I wanted some carbonation to even out some texture and mouth feel with this one, but I found some luck in the foamy head providing some smoothness on each sip.

Overall Rating: 

This is a winner for me with my unique tastes in the IPA style. I want a bready or biscuit flavor backbone in there to counteract some of the intense bitterness provided by the hops in these brews. I definitely got it in this one. The color was very attractive. The activeness of the foam just added to the luster. Can't wait until I have this one again.

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.

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!

A Nearby Path

When I read the phrase "India Session Ale" the first thing that comes to my mind is that it has to be an oxymoron. I was cruising around at CraftBeer.com and noticed the phrase once again on the top story scroll. Being curious, I clicked on it.

I'm notorious for downplaying the tastiness of big hoppy brews. Especially the likes of the Double IPA. I wasn't expecting much to change upon reading that article, but I will admit it whenever I'm wrong. Such is the case in this instance.

A true winner in this department.

Could it be possible that some IPA's are much more subtle than they're intimidating brethren? Maybe so. There are a few of these session IPA's mentioned in the article that could possibly be within reaching distance here in my area. Founders All Day IPA, Uinta's Trader Session IPA and Matt Brewing's Saranac Session IPA are all brews I've heard being talked about around Pittsburgh.

I have fallen in love with a few IPA's that were more balanced in recent months. I'd hope that some of these so-called session IPA's have some of the same characteristics. I like a little of the hop bitterness, but with a little more to the flavor that just that.

For the love of God, be easy to drink.

Beer Review: Dogfish Aprihop

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Seven percent

Appearance: The body of Aprihop is on the darker side of the copper slope with some ruby red hues here and there as well. There was a prominent cream-colored head almost immediately after I finished pouring it. The head ended up leaving some thick lacing which was really sticky. I mean sticky to the point where there were still bubbles popping as it stuck to the inside of the glass. I mean that in a very good way.

Smell: The beer's aroma consisted mainly of hops. I wasn't expecting anything different. With an IPA, you usually get a grapefruit scent/flavor with it. This is mostly from the hops used in the brewing process. That wasn't so with this one. I got a small appetizer of apricot fruitiness.

Taste: The fruitiness of the apricot hit me right up front on each sip. I wouldn't want it any other way. It disappeared as it drifted towards the back of the tongue and  transpired into the Amarillo hop bitterness. The apricot pops back into the taste picture a millisecond before everything goes down. As I mentioned earlier, grapefruit is usually a prominent citrus flavor in IPA's. I enjoyed the apricot in this beer's taste. It complimented the hop bitterness in quite an interesting way.

Overall Rating: 

I rarely say it, but this was an IPA that was a home run with me. I pretty much will love anything with apricot. This had some hop bitterness, but it didn't completely obliterate my taste buds as some IPA's are prone to doing. The apricot acted as a slight surprise as it drifts across the tongue. The fruitiness and bitterness compliment each other nicely.

Stirring the Wort

If I remember correctly, the New York Times' beer page has a bait of stirring the pot in the beer community. It wasn't that long ago that the winification of beer column hit the internet and struck up a storm (I'm pretty sure that was the New York Times).

One can make the argument that the beer community needs a kick in the behind once in a while in order to keep everything in check. Whether it be the LA or the New York Times, there is another interesting piece that was posted recently. Now, the argument is being made that the Saison should now be considered as the top summer beer.

I'm still getting used to the intricacies of the style. I've even had a few rough go-arounds with some of them. Still, when you justify that any beer should be a top beer in any season by calling the public "IPA-swelling" you'll have my attention.

Monday Rant: Of Much Importance

When I started this blog, it was mostly just an outlet to share my thoughts on beers that I've tried and whether or not I enjoyed or disliked them. As time went on, I took notice that beer readers actually wanted a bit more than just beer review after beer review. That's why you rarely see more than two on this blog each week.

I've tried to write about different issues and happenings in the craft beer world other than just writing beer reviews. The beer reviews have been shoved to the back burner, so to speak.

In my usual internet musings, I come across a few things that inspire these rants each week. I found a post via Focus on the Beer concerning whether or not beer reviews were BS.

It actually hits the nail on the head concerning something I've brought up consistently. The concept of not liking a beer that a lot of people tend to is an alright thing. Hey, it's a free country. Just like politics, it's important to see both sides of things. The same can be said for beer. You might like all of the hop-centered brews, but be sure to take in those of us on the other side of the fence.

That post has a paragraph that puts it all into perspective. Taste is subjective. Just because any one of us loves a beer to the point where it should be the greatest ale in all of the land doesn't mean that it is. It's just the greatest in your land. Thus, I conclude that beer reviews can be of some importance in the blogging world.

Beer Review: Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 6.9 percent

Appearance: East India Pale Ale has a body that's light amber/copper and has that stereotypical hoppy haze to it. I couldn't notice an overwhelming amount of carbonation present, but this beer's white head was very active after the initial pour. It ended up fading away after about two or three sips and left some above-average fluffy lacing. Overall, this is a pretty-looking brew.

Smell: I only was able to pick out two things in this beer's aroma. Those were a maltiness that seemed spicy and a decent helping of floral hops. The spiciness slightly turned me off as it was pretty pungent. When I think spicy in beer's I enjoy, I think of something more of on the peppery side.

Taste: This beer was very malty and spicy on my tongue. I was surprised that the hops were subdued in this department. The spiciness dominated both the taste and the smell. For whatever reason I couldn't get the spiciness out of my nostrils. That goes for each sip!

Overall Rating: 

I heavily contemplated whether or not this was a one of two for me. This certainly wasn't my cup of tea, uh beer. It's a pretty beer, but the taste was miles away from what I usually look for. If you're a hoppy brew person you might give this one a completely different score. The oddest part for me was the spiciness of the malt. I've never come across something of that sort in a beer. Perhaps it's something I still need fine tuning with?

Beer Review: Lagunitas IPA

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 6.2 percent

Appearance: Lagunitas IPA has a body that can be classified as anywhere between a darker blonde and a gold. There was a plethora of fizzy carbonation present. The bubbles seemed to rush towards the crown of the glass with speed close to that of a DeLorean reaching 88 MPH. The head of the brew had a thickness of approximately three inches, but it was soft and had many large bubbles that could be popped easily. The head did end up leaving lacing that was really thick inside my glass.

Smell: The most prevalent scent in the aroma that I picked up was sweet and sourness of grapefruit. There was also some malt present that was on par in terms of sweetness with the grapefruit. A noticeable hop character also found its way into my nostrils.

Taste: The malt and grapefruit somewhat dominated the taste of this beer. Both gave me a great combination of sweetness. The grapefruit didn't give off too sour of a taste. There was an actual fruity essence. It was just right. The finish was the explanation point on this one. There was a slight hop kick that was followed by a crackery taste. Surprisingly, the hops did not dominate this brew.

Overall Rating: 

I absolutely loved this. Lagunitas IPA might be the best IPA I've had. It wasn't completely full of hops, In fact, the hops worked well with all of the other fabulous flavors of this beer. I never once said to myself that I'd eventually want to purchase a case of an IPA. That changed the second I started drinking this one.

Beer Review: Founders Centennial IPA

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 7.2 percent

Appearance: Centennial IPA pours a solid shade of copper. It has a haziness that's cloudy enough to keep you from seeing anything on the other side of the glass. It has a massive head that had awesome retention and left tons of lacing sticking to the inside of the glass. As I continued to drink this beer the head receded somewhat, but it remained as a fluffy layer between me and the rest of the brew.

Smell: The aroma consisted mainly of floral hop notes. other underlying scents included a bit of sweet maltiness as well as citrus and pine. This is pretty much a typical IPA scent, in a good way.

Taste: First I got the sweet malts on the front of my tongue. Then came a touch of dryness from the pine and what I figured to be grapefruit. I'm always brace myself when I drink beers of this type to be blown away by the hops that are present, but I must admit my experience with this one went well. The hops weren't overbearing at all. They were pungent, but complimented the rest of the beer's flavors really well. As the brew warms, the hops to tend to become even more pungent though. Fortunately it's not quite enough to ruin the good experience you can have with this beer.

Overall Rating: 

I went into this one fearing I was going to a ton of hop notes. I was pleasantly surprised that all of the flavors played off of each other very well. The hops tend to nip at your tongue a bit as the beer gets closer to room temperature.

Very Complimentary

I obviously wasn't too thrilled with Bell's Hopslam ale when I got the opportunity to try it last year. I can't say there wasn't any lack in my effort to get myself a glass, because I was in the bar the day after it was tapped. I just didn't like it, as is the usual result when I have a beer that's very hop-centric.

I made a promise to someone that I'd try this year's version and I must give credit where it's due. This year's batch had many more flavors other than just the intense hops! I was actually able to taste some honey and a touch of fruitiness. There even was a tad of malt in there. A completely different experience compared to the one I had last year. Every flavor I picked up was complimentary of the rest of the brew. The beer's color seems to be a bit darker as well.

I still don't see myself buying a case of Hopslam yet (that's if there are even any left), but myself and this beer are on somewhat better terms. This post originally was supposed to be about the new IPA glass tossed out there by Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada, but I wasn't quite sure if it was a great idea to ruffle everyone's feathers. A lot of users on Twitter didn't seem to happy about it being named the "standard for hop-centric beers." I certainly don't need the bitterness of hops in my beer to magically become stronger.

Sorry. I don't need an IPA glass to "amplify the hops." Some are a struggle to drink as it is.
— Bill K. (@BurghBeerSnob) February 5, 2013

Beer Review: Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: Six percent

Appearance: Great Lakes Burning River pours somewhere between a light amber and a dark copper. There is a remarkable amount of bubbles trickling towards the fluffy, white head which provides its gazer with a thickness of a half-inch. The head has somewhat weak retention as it doesn't leave much lacing on the inside of the glass.

Smell: The first thing I noticed was a slight over abundance of hops. I know that American styles of pale ales tend to be hoppier than their British counterparts, but it sometimes reminds me too much of an IPA. I also picked up some citrus notes (yet another characteristic of an IPA). The maltiness that I expected was very weak in the aroma.

Taste: As I expect from a pale ale, this beer was decently malty and crisp in the taste. The problem I had was that the hops and the citrus seemed to creep back onto my tongue now and again and provided a harshness I don't get that exuberant over. Yet again I was reminded of an IPA. I prefer to pick up a few sweet, but subtle hints in a pale ale.

Overall Rating: 

I recognize that there are many people out there that have fallen in love with this beer, but I think it's just that I look for something different in pale ales. Maybe it's that I prefer more of a British style? It's even possible that pale ales in America tend to be more experimental. I'd just have to do a little more research on that topic. This beer was alright. It's just another episode of going into a beer with such high expectations.