Tag: IPA

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Review – Tenaya Creek Hop Ride IPA

To some Las Vegas means only Sin City, but to those in the know, the glittering city also has some beer spots. Maybe not rivaling the beer soaked Portlands and Denvers of the world, yet,but they are moving in the right direction.

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That is the semi-ling preamble to my review of Tenaya Creek’s Hop Ride IPA.

Spooky rattler on the label. Pours an orange/yellow color. Fluffy head on this one. Spicy and floral aroma. Bitterness is medium to me and it sticks around on the roof of the mouth. Little bite at the beginning of each sip. A little caramel taste around too.

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Video Review – Mother Earth # 1 – Kismet IPA

June takes us to San Diego and Mother Earth Brew Co. I will be reviewing two of their hoppy offerings that have become available in Los Angeles.  First stop: Kismet.

“Do you believe in fate, destiny, chance, will? Does it really matter? Something brought you to drink this beer. Oh wait, could it be a mad man of an IPA that reeks of NZ Nelson hops and leaves a lingering anesthetic bitterness that is sure to ruin any beer consumed after it? Columbus tends to do that. You forgot what we were talking about didn’t you? Did you care in the first place? That’s what we thought. Just relax and savor every sip, that is, if you can take your schnoz out of your glass.”

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20 for Avery

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I am an Avery fan with a bit of a caveat, their IPA’s leave me a little cold.  Maybe I expect too much but they just don’t have the zing of their saisons and especially their Rumpkin and barrel aged beers.  That being said, I will not be missing this anniversary IPA….

“This year marks our 20th time around the sun brewing craft beers we love to drink. Each May, we release a special recipe in honor of our anniversary, and this year we present to you Twenty XX India Pale Ale.

A beautiful dosing of Amarillo hops gives a citrus punch to this aromatic double IPA, while the Simcoe® hops provide intense dankness. What else would you expect from us, a bunch of severely hop obsessed brewers, to celebrate such a glorious occasion?”

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Review – Sculpin (in cans)

My bier buddy Richard aka Cap’n, recently went to San Diego and he brought back the new, canned version of the iconic Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point.

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Here is what I found when I opened the cans….

Pours a lovely orange color.  I am a little dubious about the variety of fruits listed on the label but I am surprised to get quite a bit of apricot balanced out by a charming hit of hops.  The bitterness isn’t super big but it adds a nice punch akin to sea salt too caramel.  Just tastes more frutier than I remember and I like it.

And here is the website info from the brewer, “The Sculpin is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops.”

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7 Times as Hoppy

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Port Brewing’s Anniversary Ale has reached the 7 year mark.  And I bet that each year it gets hoppier!  This year the recipe is brewed with Columbus, Amarillo and Simcoe and then to add more kick, dry-hopped with Columbus, Amarillo and Citra hops.

According to folks at Port, “Anniversary Ale has pleasant tones of citrus and pine, a screaming hops presence and just enough malt character to add a hint of sweetness. Port Brewing’s Anniversary Ale comes in at 10% ABV”

Anniversary 7 will be available at the brewery and through distribution in draft and 22oz bottles.

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Is it over-rated?

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File this under “beer names that make me chuckle”. Surly Brewing does some impressive beers that I wish I saw more often in my ‘fridge and this one might make for an interesting flight alongside some West Coast IPA’s that might have inflated ratings.

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A French IPA from New Belgium?

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For awhile it did not look like New Belgium would play the hops game.  They seemed content with their sours and barrels and their lovely flagship Fat Tire but since the release of Ranger they have caught the bug and now they have an entire Hop Kitchen!

Out of the kettles of the Hop Kitchen first is Hoppy Bock Lager followed by the beer whose label you see on this post,  French Aramis that utilizes an under-used hop variety grown in the French region of Alsace. Still in “the oven” so to speak will be an IPA using Oregon hop varieties.  These unnamed hops will be certified by Salmon-Safe, a nonprofit “works to keep our urban and agricultural watersheds clean enough for native salmon to spawn and thrive.”  They have worked with Deschutes in the past.  A final Hop Kitchen IPA will take us time traveling to hops that were popular back in the day.  The days being the ’80’s and 90’s.

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Saint Archer Brewery

San Diego has (yet another) brewery to frequent! I know new San Diego breweries was my theme in January but I have a feeling that it could be my theme every month.
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Here is their mission: “Saint Archer Brewing Company was founded on a unique strain of creative talent: World-class brewers. Artists and musicians. Surfers, skateboarders, and snowboarders…. All coming together with passion and commitment to express our collective true love — handcrafted beer. Saint Archer’s been a long time in the tank and we hope you taste our appreciation and gratitude in every sip.”

They have a starting line-up that includes a blonde a pale and the de rigeur IPA. You can probably now spend a full month drinking in San Diego and not get your hands onto every brewery’s beers. Amazing!

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Beachwood + Pliny (yes, the Younger)

Readers of this blog know that I firmly, staunchly and unabashedly cannot stand the hype around Pliny the Younger. Granted, it is a really good beer. But I can usually find Blind Pig or the Elder and I don’t have to fight a frenzied crowd and I can get a full pour.

That is why I love the way Beachwood handles it. Raffle the tickets off. Donate to charity and people who win can get a peaceful experience of the beer when they want to. This is the way to do it.
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