One more review before we get to the #FWIBF ones that I will sprinkle throughout the rest of January. This is Head Over Heels from Rob Ruben’s Distillery and Brewery. I found a bottle of this IPA at Sunset Beer before I knew that the El Segundo based brewery was bottling. HoH pours a dark orange color. Initially pine aroma that has a sub-layer of some citrus. Woodsy taste on the first sip. Pretty good bitter bite overall. But that woodsy/earthy note dissipates and I am left with something that is a little too heavy and a little too carameley for my tastebuds. Nothing about this popped out but it holds on to stay in the middle of the pack for this crowded style.
Segundo Six
Coming on the heels of 6 Bursted IPA’s is a classy silver label from El Segundo for their upcoming 6th Anniversary.
Offshoot
This news item from The Bruery did appear on April Fool’s Day and unlike the other attempts at humor, (Some succeeded more than others) it seemed even more fake. I mean, what brewery has shied away from hops more than The Bruery. (shade thrown) We all sorta talk about canning IPAs or their hazy brethren that seems more business decision or credit card for equipment purchase.
But a few days past the Fools and no retraction or gotcha seemed forthcoming, so lets sort through the beers listed from OffShoot Beer Company.
Fashionably Late™ a juicy, hazy IPA
Hops: Citra, El Dorado, and Mandarina Bavaria
Malts: Two-Row and Pale Wheat malts, rolled oats
Yeast: S-04
ABV: 6.5%
Better Late Than Never™ a juicy, hazy Double IPA
Hops: Mosaic, Vic Secret, Citra
Malts: Golden Promise, Wheat Malt
Yeast: BSI-Barbarian
ABV: 8.5%
with another pair….
Out of Context™
IPA with a West Coast personality and Western World malt bill, featuring Vienna malt, a light haze, a slightly bitter personality and equal heaps of Simcoe, El Dorado and African Queen hops.
Perjury™
Double dry-hopped Double IPA, fabricated from a malt bill featuring two-row, pilsner malt and oats, and an intense, fruity hop character forged from heavy doses of Simcoe, Citra and a dash Huell Melon.
Delayed Gratification™
Juicy East Coast-style IPA, with impeccable timing and mouthfeel, thanks to a malt bill featuring two-row, wheat and oats, and a fruity yeast character complemented primarily by Citra, with El Dorado and Mandarina Bavaria hops.
Born Again
It seems that IPA’s have well defined life cycles now. It starts with an IPA. That IPA then becomes unfiltered. (Case in point, see above). Then the IPA gets draft only special dry hops. Then it gets fruited.
I have been impressed with the Born Yesterday beers that I have had and I can’t wait for Lagunitas to open in Azusa but I fear that blood orange Born Yesterday is coming down the pike.
Burst Through
The folks at El Segundo Brewing not only raise fresh IPA awareness with their Day 1 releases, this year they have added the Super Beer Bros. hoppy collaborations and now the Bursted Single Hop series with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe.
They are using all the hops they can.
Review – Earth That Was from Brouwerij West
Making the most of a simple circular label on a silver can, Brouwerij West has been canning a few of their beers. This “skeletal” IPA is the first that I have tasted from the San Pedro brewery.
This canned Belgian IPA or NE IPA pours a slightly hazed straw yellow color. Woodsy and earthy spring to mind when drinking this beer. Has that NE habit of green hop taste that gritty sticks to the roof of the mouth. The bitterness does linger. Some lemon notes at the back. Super cool label. Love the name too. This beer warms my cheeks quick for some reason despite only rolling in at 6% abv.
Another Save the Date
60+. That is how many IPA’s that Mohawk Bend will have on offer for their 4th iteration of the L.A. IPA Festival. The bitterness starts on Saturday, March 4 and continues the on Sunday, March 5, 2017.
MARCH 4: THE MAIN EVENT
The judges start tasting and voting at 9:30am with awards at 4pm. In between and after will be large crowds and sharp elbows so plan accordingly and make sure to vote for your favorite in the People’s Choice poll.
MARCH 5: TASTE OF THE IPA FEST
This is the day that I usually attend. I can arrive and grab a seat and select from the flights on offer all day. Of course, the winner is usually long gone as are many other beers, but there is still a strong showing of IBU’s to choose from.
10 oz tastings are $5 and you can buy the custom glassware for an additional $5.
For 2/10
Now this is a Valentine’s Day gift. Super fresh collaboration IPA’s from El Segundo Brewing and partners TBD.
Get ready for Level 1
Beer Book Review – Complete IPA by Joshua Bernstein
Joshua Bernstein has made an admirable stab at the inimitable and intimidating IPA style (and sub-styles) in his book Complete IPA – The Guide to Your Favorite Craft Beer and he mostly succeeds.
Where I find fault is not so much the execution but the format chosen at the beginning. A book based on primarily reviews of IPA’s or in this case, more accurately, highlighting beers from U.S. regions that signify the IPA leads to a certain almanac type of style which can be repetitive even in the most descriptive of writers hands as Bernstein is.
It also leads to the inevitable stale aspect. Bernstein tosses out fun facts and covers a wide swath of breweries in this heavy hardback book which is great. I now have breweries to check out all across the country but he also tosses in other beers brewed of the non-IPA variety that distract from the topic at hand. It is great, overall, to know that brewery A in state B has a great stout but I would have preferred to know about the IPA philosophy of that brewery and how it was brewed to showcase the hops used. If that means less beers focused on, that is fine. I would rather have read ten longer pieces that detailed ten different IPA’s than a Top 10 list however well curated.
All of that is not to say that Complete IPA is not helpful. It is. It is succinct and clear and the beers that appear in the book are fine choices. (Though L.A. got extremely short shrift with only Beachwood getting a page for Amalgamator and Smog City getting a quick mention.) I really like Bernstein’s writing style as well. For such a narrow-ish topic, the book never gets repetitive with its adjectives. For what it wants to do, it is absolutely fine.
In the end, I am also still waiting for a history of the IPA in America to date.
Invasive Species – 4 Beer Review
I prefer to think of the beer name as a derogative toward a certain coming sorta-president (check it Merriam-Webster) but this 4-pack is a smack to a certain brewery that landed in Long Beach in 2016 with all sorts of Sculpins.
Here are my capsule reviews of the four IPA’s
“Plain”
Getting grapefruit pith here. Dark yellow, orange in color. Coats the tongue. Getting done grain in the back too. Rye spice notes here too. At 7.1% this is a strong and not necessarily neutral base for the other beers to follow.
Grapefruit
Lots of ruby red in the aroma. I was worried that the original was too grapefruity to differentiate much but this does that. Little bit more sawdust type grain here. Not as much pith here but more of the juice bitterness.
Mango
Initial thought is sweeter but that is incorrect. Aroma is fresh cut mango. Seems lighter than the two previous beers. The fruit is forward until the last few sips when a hearty bitterness takes charge.
Habanero
Wow. This is spicy. I can feel my lips tingling from the spice which lingers on and awaits food to suck up the heat. This beer subdues the hops for habanero too much but on its own is a fine spice beer.