Frogtown Brewing is hitting an anniversary mark and part of the celebration is their 2nd Tiki Series IPA, this time they are going back to an old IPA sub-style.
2nd Piece of Magic
2018 Holiday Beer # 14 – Shortest Day Winter Ale
The mascot of the Winter Solstice adorns the label of Shortest Day Winter Ale from Full Sail. Read on for more info on this CDA: “Brewed to celebrate the winter solstice, Shortest Day is a Cascadian Dark Ale brewed with 2-Row Pale, Crystal, and de-husked Chocolate malt. It pours a deep dark black with a lacy tan head. With aromas of dark roasty malt and hints of tropical and citrus fruit, Shortest Day offers bold flavor with excellent balance. De-husked chocolate malt imparts dark chocolate flavor while crystal adds depth and complexity. Generous additions of Mosaic, Simcoe and Citra hops lend flavors of fruit and sweet floral notes.”
Review – Next Adventure Black IPA from Fort George
This stranger than usual collaboration between Fort George and Next Adventure is a Black IPA. Why strange? I don’t know of any other beers done in concert with a new and used outdoor equipment store. Do you?
It pours a dark black and if you like your black IPA’s to be 50/50 between roast and hops. (Like I do). Then this will not be that one. Not to say it isn’t a good beer. It is. But from the aroma to the flavor and the aftertaste, this beer is more roasty. Loads of coffee ground bitterness in the aroma. Same with the initial flavor notes. There is also a floral/spruce/pine note of bitterness floating around as well which does tie the beer up into a nice bow. The coffee taste wins me over in the end.
I still won’t buy any camping gear though.
Review – Hoppy Feet from Clown Shoes
Clown Shoes got off on the wrong foot (pun intended) with me. Some of their names seemed chosen for shock value and attention. Plus ever since Stephen King’s “It”, clowns and I don’t mix. Even when my dad started donning clown make-up to entertain at his church, I was still spooked. But now, since some of their beers are wending their way to Los Angeles, I had to put the maxim of “It’s the beer” first and forget the backstory. So on to Hoppy Feet….
For me, a good black IPA has an equal balance between roast and hops. Not many get that. But happily Hoppy Feet does. Good citrus bitter notes intermingle with the the medium (not milk-not dark) chocolate notes. And it packs a punch of bubbles and hops that melts into a caramel taste at the very end. But the balance remains from the first sip to the last.
Oh and in my new tradition, here is what I am doing outside of craft beer. Reading The Capital of the World about the race to be the city to host the United Nations. South Dakota had a moment where it might have been the place instead of New York. Crazy. And I am still raving about Much Ado About Nothing. It may not be playing anymore since it is the silly blockbuster season and the White House has to be saved by Channing Tatum but when it comes out on video/streaming, watch it. Funny stuff and a classic story.
Lord of Darkness
One of my favorite series with nary a clinker in the bunch is the Brewer’s Share series from Full Sail Brewing.
“Brewed by Brewer Gavin Lord, celebrates that in darkness you can find light. Gavin’s beer is a Cascadian Dark Ale.”
As good as the beer is the best part is the charity aspect to it, “With each Brewer’s Share series beer, Full Sail picks a local charity to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the beer. Gavin has chosen to support the Groundwork Portland so every keg of Gavin’s beer benefits this organization. Groundwork Portland is the primary non-profit in the Portland metro area focused on brownfields redevelopment and conversion of such land into greenspace, parks, community gardens, and multi-purpose sites.”
Eclipse Black IPA
Crabtree Brewing. Yet another brewery that is new to me and yet another that is onboard the can train. And this concoction sounds like a great 4-pack…”Eclipse, our Belgo-Style Black IPA is an exquisite fusion of black, roasted chocolate malts, and a generous heap of hops. It’s bitterly aggressive with a roasty quality, fruity esters and a spice scent making this one superior brew.”
Mostly because I am still looking for that great BIPA.
Trout Hop review
This month I review two beers from Idaho’s Grand Teton Brewery.
First up is a black IPA called Trout Hop…..
New 21st Amendment can
The first Cascadian dark in cans comes from 21st Amendment. Beer history being made yet again. Now you can do an canned San Francisco IPA taste comparison. Pick up Brew Free or Die and Back in Black and invite the beer gang.
And if you are in San Francisco and it is still available, you can try another iteration of 21st Amendment IPA with Bitter American.