Know where your IPA has been

I don't always trust an IPA. You don't always know where it's been, and if cold then warmed and them cold again, it will lose intended flavor, replacing it with some oxidation. At least that is my theory.

I had a few IPAs that accompanied me to a tasting recently and then came back home with me (I know, the horror).  None of them were as good as they were the first time. One was almost not drinkable (the Ass Kisser Double IPA).  I can't recall if it was great the first time, but I'm confident it wasn't the drink that tasted like it came from ass that it was the second time.  Others from the same tasting didn't taste as good after re-refrigeration.  It was actually quite disappointing.

I picked up some beers from a local brewery and was excited about their Imperial IPA. Ugh!  It was horrible!!!  I dumped it. I can not believe it was intended to taste that way.  Not possible!  And again, this went from the refrigerator at the brewery to my trunk for a few hours, and then back to refrigeration.  It was a few weeks before I had a change to actually try it.  So, time and changes in temperature seem to be a recurring theme.

It's gotta be those fickle hops!

Lesson 1:  Drink IPAs fresh.  And be cautious to keep the environment friendly.

Now it's been told that some stronger IPAs will age well.  The Dogfish Head encourages the aging of 120 Minute IPA, and I can't say that I've actually tried it fresh.  It's one of the special occasion beers for me.  I've promised myself I will purchase one each time I see it.  They brew 120 Minute maybe 3 times a year at the most and with limited distribution.  Even at $12 a bottle (12oz) they go fast.

There is a Hopslam still sitting in the back of the refrigerator too, waiting for another special occasion.

Over time the hop bitterness in beer will subside and oxygen will become more evident.  The good kind of oxidation results in a sherry-like flavor.  The bad kind results in wet newspaper staleness.

When properly cared for an IPA can be wonderful.  Be cautious and know where your IPAs have been.

Dunerbrew Review: Hopslam

It's hyped, hard to get, and photographed & uploaded to Instagram by all who are either skilled enough or lucky to get their hands on one.  This is Hopslam, the seasonal Double (Imperial) Style IPA by Bell's Beers.

With all the hype, one question remains.  Is it good?  The perceived answer is "yes", of course, because it won't stay on the shelves.  And perhaps that is correct.

But I wasn't so sure initially.  I first had it at last year's Deland Craft Beer Festival, and I truly wasn't impressed.  It seemed almost too sweet...which seems strange for a high IBU style beer.  Beer festivals are great, with a lot of opportunities to try many beers.  At the same time, all the flavors can become confusing and often can counter balance one another.  Of course, it was here and gone last year, leaving me without the change to truly check this beer out.

This year too, I had the opportunity to try a Hopslam at the Deland Craft Beer Festival, and this time I rather enjoyed it.  Smooth to drink, clear, flavorful...all around nice.  I took my time drinking it as I casually walked around the festival area.  Of course, this was just with a 3 oz pour.  The opportunity subsequently presented itself to enjoy an entire bottle of this beer.  I truly enjoyed it. 

A nice white head, which lingers and laces the glass nicely.  A ton of hop aroma and flavor were present (as to be expected).  Sip slowly and savor every flavor.  It's a nice blend of bitterness, flavor and aroma.  And yet with 10% ABV, there remains malt enough to keep it rather balanced.  There is nothing boring about this beer.

Is it worth the hype?  Sure.  Why not?  One cool thing about beer (especially seasonal beers) is the anticipation of the release, followed by the thrill of the hunt, and then finally enjoying the spoils of a successful find.  Make the most of it after all.

Cheers!

Beerfest Recap and a Few Highlights

I can tell you for sure that I had a good day.  I can tell you with less certainty that I tried 19 different beers, a cider, and a mead.  I can in no way tell you which was the best.  Off the top of my head (and with a little help from iPhone photos), the breweries listed below were represented (in no particular order).

Weyerbacher, Rogue, Dogfish Head, Southern Tier, Victory, Stone, Widmer Brothers, Bells, Fox Barrel, Blue Point, Cigar City, Terrapin, Sam Adams, Lagunitas, Samuel Smith, Orval, Lazy Magnolia, Wells & Young's, and I know I'm missing some others.  All in all, it's a nice list.  I'm not going to place links to all the brewery sites here, but check back soon, as I'll add each to the Craft Breweries list on this Blog.

So, without boring you or getting too detailed, I'll list a few of the highlights from the day.

IPAs: There were either a lot of IPAs or that is where I tend to focus.

• Weyerbacher Double Simcoe - A nice IPA.  A must try.
• Southern Tier, 2XIPA - It's OK, I think.  I'm not sure it made a huge impact.
•  Wider Brothers Rotator IPA Seried - Worth checking out, at least a way to keep it interesting.
• Bells, Two Hearted Ale - Another nice IPA.
• Cigar CIty, Jai Alai - One of my favorites.  A must try.
• Blue Point, Rastafa Rye - Very good beer.  And a cool label.  If you find one, get it.

 Some other highlights:

• Fox Barrel, Blackberry Pear Cider - not a beer, but refreshing and tasty.
• Wells Banana Bread Beer - Very enjoyable.  Kinda sweet, but nice flavor and the banana is not hidden.  I didn't get a photo, so check it out on their site here.
• Victory, Festbier - I like Oktoberfest/Marzen beers, so I felt the need to drink one at a Sept 29th Beerfest.  This seemed rather OK.  What can I say, I drank a lot of beers and perhaps it is the over-the-top flavors that stood out the most.  This was worth the mention though.  If you choose to drink a Victory beer, select the Golden Monkey.

What else is there to say?  Probably a lot, but I'm tired and you are probably tired of hearing about it right now anyway...