Tag: IPA

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WhiskIPA

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Whisky and beer are connected but sometimes that connection becomes ever firmer when distillers see the maximizing effect of putting the initials I-P-A on a bottle.

But I would certainly try the latest Experimental Series variant from Glenfiddich because they have gone all in to make a hoppy whisky. They collaborated with a brewer to first create an IPA that they thought would impart hops into the oak casks. Hard work choosing from amongst the beers but the 2nd recipe won out and they then had to figure out how long it needed to season the cask that had formerly held Glenfiddich.

All before putting the whisky in and aging it. The distillery claims that they created a whisky with “unique zesty citrus notes of ripe green apple, William’s pear and spring blossom. Complimented by the subtle tang of fresh hops followed by a long lasting sweetness.”

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Vote for Independence

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The best way to defeat the bitterness of this election, (We say that every election nowadays, don’t we) is by having a bitter IPA that makes us feel independent even when the election process doesn’t.

So sit back and follow the results with a 22oz bomber from >Beachwood Brewing.

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Muntz

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You may have become blase about the Day One releases from El Segundo. I, for one, still marvel at the logistics of the endeavor on L.A. streets and am glad that I am not the delivery person.

For the jaded, there is a new beer (not 105) coming on November 11th. You will need a passing knowledge of The Simpsons to get the connection but even if you are more a Family Guy or live in South Park, you will want to taste this IPA.

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Double Duck and Double Cover

photo from Angel City.
photo from Angel City.

The Angel City Warehouse Collection has a new addition. And it is a big one. 80 IBU’s and 12% ABV, this is either Triple IPA or Imperial IPA but then again Double Double makes as much sense in this crazy IPA world too.

Duck and Cover Double Double IPA blends Warrior, Citra, Centennial and Cascade hops to create tropical flavors with a “resinous hop aftertaste”. Making it much more potent than past Warehouse releases like their Peach Berliner Weisse.

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Singled Out

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Alpine Beer Co. continues their single hop series with the new Mosaic Singled Out. Azacca, El Dorado amongst others have been featured earlier and now it is Mosaic’s turn.

Alpine is one of those that I haven’t tried since the full takeover by Green Flash and the new branding that deleted out the central circle imagery.

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LD3

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The third Revolution has arrived. Which means 1. Triple-check the neck of the can or bottle for 003. You don’t want to accidentally get 002 or 001, god forbid.

So what hops are featured in Firestone Walker’s Luponic Distortion – Revolution No. 003? It’s a blend of nine different hops with two German hops in the lead. Both currently nameless it seems. The first gives off a mandarin orange character while the second hasn’t even been presented on such a big scale and stage yet. The last hop to mention is Comet which lends a fresh fruit aroma.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two in the series and I look forward to the newbie too.

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IPA Flight Test at Pacific Plate

Pacific Plate hosted a holiday weekend, IPA 4th of July. I arrived via the Gold Line which drops you off a mere 4 block from the brewery without the hassle of traveling the increasingly worsening traffic of the 210 East. And I had my beer in time to catch the pk’s of Germany vs. Italy in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euros. Worst penalty kicks I have seen in a while. Buffon did all he could do in goal for Italy but I have seen grade schoolers do better.
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I settled down with the 6 beer flight and jotted down my notes:
Mango IPA – lighter orange not as cloudy as guava. Potpourri a bit. Bitter first.
Guava IPA – wins the fruit IPA cup. Cloudy. Grapefruit. Fruit first.
San Andreas IPA – grassy and a little weird. Not as good as the rest.
South Pacific Smoked IPA – Very smoky. Good balance even though the burnt notes take over.
Widowmaker DIPA – caramel. Sugar. Bitterness comes in at the end.
Black Widow Black IPA – British at first then the hops kick in.

Overall, the Guava is the leader for me with the Black IPA coming in second. With more hop bite, the Smoked South Pacific could sneak into the top three.

Next anniversary for the Monrovia brewery is in August. Number three.
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Review – Unity IPA (bottled) from Three Weavers

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After experiencing Unity 2016 from Three Weavers and the LA County Brewers Guild in the cask format, it was time to try the bottled version. Though I am not a fan of the artwork on the label, I can see why a certain niche would think it is cool.

I cracked open the bottle and immediately the hop nose bubbled up before even pouring into the glass. It was a dual hit of pine and tropical fruit with berries swirling around. After that though, the beer sorta fizzled out. Bitterness was there, but the aroma just didn’t carry through into the flavor and when that aroma faded off, I was left with a bit of an underwhelming IPA.

I had a can of Stone’s Go To IPA earlier in the night and that beer had a well executed juicy orange character to it. Did that influence my taste buds? I don’t know but I couldn’t help but compare the two and hoping for Unity16 to pop a little more. Instead it just sorta rolled downhill into a bit of dankness at the end.

It leaves me perhaps to try it on tap and see if that is the optimal dispense for this beer.

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Review – Hello LA from Highland Park Brewery

Rain doesn’t visit L.A. all that often but it came out on the day of the first canned release from Highland Park Brewery. HPB crew and brewmaster Bob Kunz were selling their beer in the cold and drizzle at the Hermosillo.

I got there three hours into the sale and was glad that they had four packs of there Hello LA IPA left. (They would all be snatched up by the end of the night, so sayeth social media.)
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And for a first effort on can design the label is way cool. If these had been on a shelf, you could not have missed it. The white background wrap around is bright and cheerful and not only locally brewed but locally designed as well.

The beer itself is light and fruit forward and dare I say a sessionable IPA. The Mosaic and Citra hops really work well together and also pack a late punch of bitterness that adds a layer to the beer. A great combo of the lighter side of IPA (which I gravitate towards) but with a nice kick.

Bob has made one of my favorite pilsners, he won the recent LA IPA Festival and he does very inventive sours and now he does canned beers that are perfect for sending to other parts of the country to show off L.A. beer.

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Pineapple V. Watermelon

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The whole frooty IPA thing seems to be knee deep in gimmick territory and it is only March. But instead of just bemoaning the fact, I went ahead and tasted two of the newest arrivals from Ballast Point.

Pineapple Sculpin started strong and sweet but it cooled down well. Sculpin might be a prime base for these experiments even though I am not a huge fan of the grapefruit and habanero that came before. There is little too much fight between the hops and sweet. And I had the same issue that I do with “flavored” beers in that, it tastes candy like and not like fruit.

Watermelon Dorado the Double IPA was much harder to drink. In fact, I could not finish it. There is a melon daiquiri aroma and the taste of hard candy flavor throughout was too strong and became cloying. It had a daquiri type aroma and oddly enough the hops came through less than the Pineapple Sculpin.

I certainly won’t be trying to many more IPA’s in this sub-style unless I get a super strong recommendation.