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Staying on the West Coast for a bit longer but climbing to a High Camp…
“Named for the ski lodge atop our local White Pass Ski Resort, this apres-ski sipper warms from the inside out with aromas of caramel, coffee, citrus, pine, and spice. Taking Bale Breaker’s signature hop-forward style to the dark side with the addition of chocolate and rye malts, this balanced IPA is dry-hopped with Mosaic®, Simcoe®, and experimental hop HBC 630 hops.”
Fremont Brewing of Seattle (and Earth) has a pretty solid reputation and thankfully we get a bit of their beers here in L.A. Specifically a couple of IPA collaborations with sone equally well-known breweries…
Let’s start with Specific Void the ominous sounding IPA with Burial Beer Co.. Even the NW Fremont bird on the label has a museum exhibit quality to it.
This smells very NW to me. Pine backed by a slight fruit note. Very precisely targeted. Little banana on the taste. More malt than hops initially. Has a soft quality to it. Tastes closer to a Belgian Pale Ale to me and not in a bad way.
The next partner is Bale Breaker who also farm hops, so why not put those hops into a Cold IPA, Cultivision. Bird seems a little less goth on this label. Great aroma here. Quite earthy and dank to start. Very crisp. A bright yellow color to this one. Grassy overall.
I would take the Cultivision over Specific Void based just on crispness alone.
Jameson Whiskey is going “hyperlocal” with two new editions of Irish Whiskey. Here is the quick summary, ” The Jameson Caskmates Hyperlocal Limited Editions were conceived when Bale Breaker Brewing and Revolution Brewing traveled to Ireland earlier this year to brew their signature beers and season Jameson casks. Jameson then reused these casks for their whiskey, resulting in two different and distinct Jameson Caskmates Editions that have been patiently finished in local craft beer-seasoned barrels.”
Considering the hops that Bale Breaker may have used from their own farm, makes me pick that one first but Revolution Brewing is no slouch either.