Tag: IPA’s

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Review – 2 IPAs from Unsung Brewing

I found two different IPAs from Anaheim’s Unsung Brewing at one of my bottle shop haunts (Talon) and thought it time to review their new hoppiness with a bit of a spooky season theme to the beer names.

Strange Tentacles – lot of hops going on here. Simcoe, Mosaic, Chinook, Amarillo and New Zealand Cascade. New and classic together. pours a dark yellow color. fruity on the nose with a pine accent. medium to low bitterness and light on the palate. summer IPA vibes here.

Alter Ego – into the haze, a light orange one nowhere near murky. super big coconut here which I blame on the Talus hops which are paired with Citra and Strata. a vinous mouthfeel on this one. bit of a milkshake quality as well. falls firmly into weird territory.

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IPA Codified

IPA’s have evolved and wibble wobbled all over the map of aroma, flavor and popularity.  Now is a good time to check back in and remind ourselves of the lanes for the IPA styles.

Just in time Matthew Curtis from Pellicle Magazine has given a sturdy look at IPA as of 2022.

(on a side note, if you can, please donate to them so they can continue their excellent writing)

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3 from 3

Three Weavers is hitting us with (3) IPA’s in the 3rd month of the year. After having Expatriate IPA for the first time in a long while, I am intrigued by the West Coast, Light Trails the most but if you like Pineapple, that could work well too.

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Sean Suggests for August 2019

Let’s stay local and stay hoppy.  We will start in San Gabriel and then head to Hawthorne for the bigger IPA’s.

~LIGHT
Ogopogo / Hafgufa 5.80% ABV
“Hazy Pale Ale. Hafgufa is the Icelandic name of a massive sea monster reported to have existed in the Greenland Sea, which was said to disguise itself as an island or pair of rocks rising from the sea. Hafgufa was the mother of all sea monsters and fed on whales, ships, humans, and anything it could catch.”

~MEDIUM
L.A. AleWorks / Digimax 7.50% ABV
“Ella, Citra and Ahtanum lend notes of floral orange, pineapple and dank guava that make for an easy drinking Juicy IPA.”

~BIG
Common Space / Random and Dangerous 8.40% ABV
“Monstrous citrus and tropical flavor and aroma from over six pounds per barrel of hops snap you awake from your boring beer stupor.”

All of these beers can be found at Sunset Beer Co. (unless they got bought up real quick)

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Featured Reviews – Hops from Figueroa Mountain


Figueroa Mountain has expanded their canned offerings and for the first of two “doubled-up” reviews, I re-taste Hoppy Poppy IPA and Lizard’s Mouth DIPA for the first time from cans and for the first time in quite a while.

First up is Hoppy Poppy IPA which pours a real dark orange. On the nose is a soft orange blossom aroma but this tastes much stronger than a normal, regulation IPA. There is a really strong malt backbone to this beer along with some pine notes that lurk in the background.

Next is Lizard’s Mouth DIPA which also sports an orange aroma but this is more hearty than just a blossom. There is heavier alcohol with a bit of burn to it putting this closer to a Barleywine in my book. The Lizard also holds a big malt presence and it is bitter but more in a radicchio way.

From these two examples, it appears that FigMtn is just upleveled hop wise which would make a Session IPA more in the IPA realm. Of the two, I like the Poppy a bit better due to the less heavy presence.

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Wait for It

I have a pair of early April Fool’s suggestion. Granted they will most certainly infuriate Whale Hunters but they REALLY need their protective bubble burst.

#1
I need a brewery to create a mock-up of a label for cans of a new hazy IPA. No need to brew one. Then tweet out a thanks to all the customers who came in to buy cans earlier in the day with a photo of said can.

I will sit in the tap room as people roll in and pretend to finish off the last can with empties at my table for added effect. Anyone who comes up to me and asks for a can will get a coupon for a $1 off an experimental hopless amber ale or a sticker that says that they are an April Fool.

I say this after reading this ARTICLE in the NY Times from Joshua Bernstein about waiting in line for can releases.

#2
My second April Fool’s idea is to heavily promote an IPA can release for 4/1 and then at the last minute say that the IPA didn’t meet rigorous standards but that there will be cans of an Abbey Single on sale.

Just to see who stays in line and which are paid line dudes (yes, it is almost always “dudes”) and, of course, to see who gets the joke.

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Complete IPA Brewery # 2 – Great Notion

We have reached the 2nd stop pulled from the book Complete IPA – The Guide to Your Favorite Craft Beer, Great Notion Brewing of Portland, Oregon.

What a combo! Great Notion Brewing is next to a Pine State Biscuits. Now if only there were apartments right above.
GNB is a 7 Barrel brewery plus tap room in N.E. Portland which is appropriate since they “focus primarily on juicy New England-style IPA’s and creative sour ales”..

As you will see from my choices, they don’t stop there. Really cool fun fact: they age some of their beers in clay amphoras.
Instead of starting with their lauded hoppy ales, let’s go breakfast first, then finish with more breakfast for the initial taster flight….
Blueberry Muffin Sour Ale
This Blueberry sour will remind you of your Grandma’s freshly baked blueberry muffins!

Mandela (with Nelson) IPA
Mandela (w/ Nelson) is an IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic and dry-hopped 100% with Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand.

Over-Ripe IPA
Over-Ripe is an experimental IPA brewed with Azacca, Simcoe, Columbus & Motueka hops. We get loads of overripe fruit like cantaloupe, honey dew, and papaya.

Juice Box Double IPA
Bursting with pungent American hops, with aroma’s of peach, mango, and passion fruit. Juice Box is brewed with over 4 pounds of hops per barrel, but the creamy smooth mouth feel and mellow bitterness makes this Double IPA dangerously drinkable.

Double Stack Stout
Imperial Breakfast Stout brewed with Clutch coffee and Vermont maple syrup.

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Event Review – Flip-Flop Fest

Not only does Blue Palms have a BIG anniversary party coming up, but they also found time to do their Flip-Flop fest of Port Brewing beers, named after the iconic logo that double as footwear.

Following BSP procedure, I arrived near opening time to best find a stool and have a full slate of choices. Such as…..
Once You Go Blackberry Saison w/ Blackberries – Gnomercy Belgian IPA – Flyin Hawaiian Hef – Trashkannon Brown Ale – California Honey Blonde Ale – Kung Fu Elvis Strong Ale – Way Heavy Scotch Ale – La Flama Dorado Belgian Triple – May the Port be With You Imperial Stout – Rocky Top American Stout – Dust til’ Dawn Imperial Coffee Porter – Red Leader Imperial Red Ale – Beer Monkey IPA – New Break Pale Ale – Chronic Amber Ale – Ponto Session IPA – Kook Double IPA – Pick Six Hoppy Pilsner

(That list are the ones that I didn’t try off the tiki themed tap handles)

Here is the report:
Saison Persuasion was my first choice, I was beguiled by the Yuzu and peppercorns and I was let down, the beer was a little harsh on the palate and there was barely any peppercorn or yuzu or even ginger to be found.

So I went with a taster flight of (4) fruit IPA’s
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Well three at least, the One Love was a Mandarina Hop and it was the weakest of the quartet. Coming in at number 1 was the Haole passion fruit IPA which had a big and bold aroma that was almost too much but the beer itself was super well balanced bitter and fruit in equal amounts then at # 2 was Grapefruit Puncher which also had an excellent aroma and really brought the citrus. The Lono Mango was only third because the other two were so great.

I finished up with County Line Pub Ale on Nitro which was quite solid. Super smooth. Nice malt texture to it and a perfect hop antidote. Plus, it looked super cool in the glass.
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Can that Seasonal

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You saw these Modern Times beers in bottles or on tap, now they will be canned too.  And on a schedule….

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I missed out on City of the Sun so I will be looking forward to this time next year for that one.  But first I will be grabbing as much Oneida as I can.