Hello friends,

Let me take you on a journey through the mind, heart, and mouth of the consumate beer enthusiast. This tale will be in many parts as it is part instructional and part reflection. A memoir to what may be a new frontier in my life as a brewer, of the home variety. Make no mistake, this was a first attempt, at what I am now lovingly referring to the Bitches Brew. Now I did not take on this path to thirst quenching on my own, I was joined by friend, colleague and fellow brew lover Ben Jeavons.

We set out to make a Pale Ale that could actually be consumed by our friends without them having to pretend to like it to save our feelings. We had some tools, a book and some patience and through it all we had fun. We dreamed of a delicious concoction all our own and we were over all pleasantly surprised with our creation. Remember that you can do this. People have been brewing beer almost as long as they have been baking leavened bread.

Patience is really your key ingredient. Fermentation, Carbonation, Bottling and Boiling all take time. A lot of time. Some secrets to our success may have been our ability to neglect things. But in some places it did create minor havoc. Forgetting that you are brewing Beer and that the fermentation could take a few weeks to complete is the biggest point I can stress. So relax and have a cold one.

What we used:
1. Car Boy – 5gallon glass bottle
2. Boiling Pot – can be a stock pot, needs to hold over 2galons of liquid
3. 2stage Filter – removal of particulates before entering fermentor
4. Funnels
5. Homebrew starter kit – included wert, yeast, grain and hops (and some instructions)
6. Towels
7. Kitchen
8. Home Brewer’s Guide
9. Patience

First, Boil the grain in an athletic soc basically, for a certain amount of time so that the natural flavors of barley into the water. A sort of barely tea if you will that needs to be slightly boiled. Make sure that the grain doesn’t sit on the bottom or it will taste burned which is bad. To get around this obstacle we tied some string to the top of the bag and then suspended it from a spoon that went across the top of the kettle.

Afterwords you will have a lovely smelling bag that looks like this:

From this point on its boil boil boil, starting with the wert and ending with the hops, which are added at 2 different times. The wert is the sweet honey syrup and is as thick as such. Once that wonderful roll starts after a few moments you add your first portion of hops into the drink.

After the first hops you wait a while (about 20min) and through in the last portion and wait about 15min. Then its time to move it to the car boy which is the last stop for the brewing. This is a single staged fermentation. 2 stage fermentation essentially uses 2 carboys. You move the contents from one to the other during the fermentation process. It being our first time we decided that single stage would have to suffice.

As we poured the very warm elements into the carboy for cooling and eventual fermentation, we used 2 stage filtering to try to limit the impurities going into the bottle, which, in retrospect, may have been an error. As it got close to the end we could only pour a couple of pints at a time before having to stop and scrape all the goo out of the 2 filters.

Super badass right?

Next you have to add water to fill the carboy to the appropriate level which is the last line before the neck (approx 5gal mark). As you add your cool water to the warm brew, you will want to watch the temperature drop to the desired area for your yeast to be added. To warm you risk killing the little monsters and too cold they won’t activate quickly.

Our last step in this post is the topping off and hiding. You want to cap your newly minted batch quickly and feed a long tube out of the top into a spill catching bucket. Why? Well within the first few days, if all was successful, your yeasts will go to town eating all the sure they can find in the bottle and foaming like crazy. This foam, combined with the low ceiling in your bottle will need to displace itself somewhere. A little bucket nearby should be good enough.

Store your masterpiece in a dark (seriously lightless, a closet would be great), cool, dry place and allow at least a week and a half so that all the heavy foaming is over before you put the secondary (fermentation) cap on that has a water valve to allow the bag gas to escape and the good environment to promote the fermentation process.

Now, have yourself a beer and relax. You did some good work.

Thanks for reading.

Zach (brewmaster in training)

Summer. I love summer. I love love love love love love summer. Now that winter is finally over in Colorado, I find it more than compelling to have the season of summer speak with its very loud and perfect voice. Enough pensive adoration of the sun! ON TO THE BEER!

The Belgians, a relationship that I can only describe as mysterious. One minute you can sing their praises and the next be totally unimpressed with their offerings. Summer is the time for Wheat Beers to take their place and remind us that winters cold breath doesn’t need quenching with an IPA, the summer requires the delicate breath that only a Belgian Ale can give us. Ironically my last deep journey went to the Duvel and now I find myself absolutely enamored with the sweet-sour palette dance of Maredsous.

I really don’t know what to say about this particular brew outside of what you don’t know, WHICH IS EVERYTHING! MUAHAHAHHAHA!

Put that awful New Belgian swill down the drain and find yourself a liquor store that has the inventory prepared to enlighten you.

This pretty little ditty rings in at 10% ABV and is of the Tripel variety. Crafted by some of the most patient brewers I have ever known, the gentlemen at Duvel Moortgat have really done something with a belgian ale that I really didn’t know was possible. They infused mystery into the full bodied potpourri of the this delightful Tripel. It sings of summer fruits and fields warm and healthy with sunshine and overrun with the sugars of land never marred by industrialization or abused to bear more then they should.

The Beer Advocate had this to say about my dear Maredsous Tripel, the fools. Seriously can you even grade something so heavenly? Could you really be bright enough to fully appreciate something like this? I’m not, and therefore neither are they.

Oh wild flavors of some other land, oh sweet yeast and fruit of the field in a land that I don’t know. Your mouth is ready to be reborn into a new and full life, let the sweetest form of summer accompany you in this season.

Raise your glasses friends, Cheers.

Zach

There are many sour notes that really punch up the flavor and leave your mouth with a clean feeling fresh and the lacing on the glass invites you to return to the cool treat time after time.

This special brew is not to be missed.

Zach

Who are you?

This will be fairly concise compared to my usual articles because there is only one subject, craft beer with an Owl on it In Japan the mega sized beer corporations sort of rule the landscape and are composed mainly of Kirin, Sapporo, Yebisu and Asahi. All of which offer a lager style dry beer typically on tap and in nearly every refrigerator of every home.

When looking for “craft beer” or what the Japanese refer to as Ji-Beer, or the place this was made (local) beer. While perusing the “import” super market I found a small row of HITACHINO NEST BEER from the options available I went with their Pale Ale and upon the sampling I will be back to sample their other offerrings.

The KIUCHI BREWERY, located in the sleepy prefecture known as Ibaraki has definitely produced a more than high quality product that rivals the Pale Ale offerings from my previous posts hands down. The weight of the liquid itself commanded more than the passive consumption but a bit of reflection. Lightly hoppy, crisp and bright the Pale Ale more than satisfy, it compelled me to seek out more of the company’s products, which according to their website there is an abundance. Next to its American cousins it definitely casts a tall shadow.

The one quality that didn’t quite fit the usual Pale Ale profile was the absence of the cave funk. Typically the finish is a little musty and drawn out but this beer seemed to remain bright and sweet till the very end which is definitely appreciated. I would say that in some sense its not really that much of a Pale Ale in the traditional sense but it is a damn fine Beer!

I hope this wasn’t a fluke but a standard to expect when sampling other Local Brews here in Japan.

Many thanks to the Kiuchi Brewery for their awesome work and to you my friends for reading about what I think

Zach “always hungry” Meyer

That’s right the holidays are here and, Lord help us all, the drinks are flowing. I asked for the wonderful assistance of my good friend, Dave Hilgier, once again to join me for a tasting of winter seasonal brews only. The appeal for this occasion was the unique chance to judge the best tasting winter ale. To my surprise, the winter seasonal brews are almost entirely comprised of ales. There were a few porters on shelves but we figured for the sake of standards that selecting one type of beer for blind tasting would be best.

Making their debut/guest appearances were my brother Robert, and David’s lovely lady Ms. Erin. Although my brother was not technically a judge, he did provide us with fresh cups and clean samples with which to experiment.

This time it wasn’t really about who was the best brewer or how refined the bottle was, it was more about the overall taste of a holiday brew. Since as a group we tend to stay away from winter seasonals due to the Russian roulette nature of the unknown, we thought this would give a sort of level playing field. As luck would have it, none of us had consumed the majority of the selection and there were nine healthy candidates to test drive.

We tried to judge purely on Overall taste, hoppiness, finish and of course plain old drink-ability. The BJCP would probably classify these as Specialty Beers, due to the unusual nature of their components. The theme, of course, is the holidays so the labels and ingredients contained Christmas esque elements like:

• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Juniper Berry
• Ginger
• Frankincense and Myrrh

Jokes aside, let’s get it on!

I think we will go ahead and list these in the same order that they were served to us.

1. K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale by Flying Dog Brewery, 6.4% ABV & 30 IBU

Flying Dog was the first bottle out of the gate, and usually I find FD to be a substantially above average producer of fine beverages but unfortunately their winter ale only fared as average across the panel. Its wet taste with some sweet high notes had a nice head and was quite drinkable without being a stand out item. The hoppiness was quite unnoticeable and the finish had all of the funk of a pilsner with no sign of reward.

It was really an average beer but couldn’t escape an average rating of 3 out of 5 stars.

2. Christmas Ale by Breckenridge Brewery, 7.4% ABV & 22 IBU

Breckenridge is performing as I expect it to, even during the holidays they seem to really be really proud of the slurry that is being bottled in Denver. The Christmas Ale is no exception to their usual performance, strong alcohol finish and lackluster flavor. With a nutty texture, dark color, malty strength and watery flavor, this beer gets the Holiday Wino Beer award. Much higher ABV concentration than most of the other entrants, the overbearing fumes of booze crush all the other flavors and lead one to spit out the contents quickly. One can almost see old St Nick with a brown paper bag sipping ho ho ho-less glups of the stuff to erase the memories of Christmas past.

1.5 out of 5 stars thanks but no thanks.

3. 2 Below Winter Ale by New Belgium, 6.6% ABV & 30 IBU

New Belgium started to round out the evening without really trying. Nice head and clean aroma starts to prepare you for the aroma of Christmas that follows. The lightly carbonated and fruity accents lend themselves to balance the easy hoppiness and clean finish that rounds out the taste. Honestly, I usually feel 2 Below as a middle of the road sort of brew but this seemed like a breath of fresh air amidst the last 2 entries.

3.5 out of 5 stars for something reliably delicious and unique.

4. Never Summer Ale by Boulder Beer, 5.94% ABV, IBU unavailable

I am almost certain that this was the first beer that I have ever tried from the Boulder Beer company (at least on record). From the initial warm brown nutty appearance came a sweet fresh and clean brew that not only had a great beer foundation but all of the distinctive qualities of a seasonal brew. The hoppiness was palatable but not overwhelming and the finish lingered but in a way that was welcomed. I was surprised by the aromatic and flavor qualities.

3.75 out of 5 stars.

5. Nutcracker Ale by Boulevard Brewing Co., 5.9% ABV & 31 IBU

Hands down the FAVORITE of the evening and an absolute show stopper coming straight from Kansas City, Missouri. This was another first for the panel. The strong aroma of Juniper berries is a Christmas morning in a bottle for sure. The creamy texture and sweet hops really projects an appeal that no other beer in the evening could match. The Nutcracker lives up to its name like a liquid combination of gingerbread cookies and egg nog bottled and fermented to foamy perfection.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

6. Isolation Ale by O’dell Brewing Co., 6.0% ABV & 29 IBU

O’dell seems to have a hit and miss policy. They perfect somethings and then others seem to be so average. Not that I have ever had anything unappetizing from them. I have to say that the brew seemed to tie with the 2 Below in terms of taste and quality but it wasn’t a really big winner with the whole panel. The burnt nutty brown ale had some flavor and complexity to it but the slightly skunky finish kept it from being a real contender.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

7. Anchor Christmas Ale by Anchor Brewing Co., 5.5% ABV, IBU unavailable

There are some mixed feelings about this beer, I for one really love the drink but I try not to think of it as a beer. The drink really captures the essence of Christmas or the winter holiday flavors all at once. It is by far the most complex of the group but with almost no hops it seems to be an entirely different animal. It fades quickly at the end but over all is hard to grep as a beer, in my opinion. I like it for being something totally different than the other competitors but I graded it lower because it doesn’t really seem to have any beer attributes besides the name and the bottle.

2 out of 5 stars.

8. Celebration Ale by the Sierra Nevada, 6.8% ABV & 62 IBU

Sierra Nevada attempts to slide some random ale in and call it a winter seasonal without possessing any of the real tenants of its competitors, those being good flavor and seasonal themed seasoning. Thanks to the reefer like skunk which seems permeate the overall aroma of the brew there seemed to be no real high point to grab onto. Strong hops and lingering after taste seem to only complicate the despair of this simple beer.

1.75 out of 5 stars.

9. Special Holiday Ale by Stone Brewery, 9.0% ABV, IBU (satan?)

Stone Brewery Holiday Special Ale is misleading because 3 different brewers were responsible for its unholy conception.
In my opinion it should have been titled Black Christmas, because there is no chance that any holiday cheer could be gleaned from the venom like liquid that lurks under the cap. That black syrupy bile has a kick like an imperial stout and its tar like texture sticks to the back of your throat for what seems like eternity. It hates you, me and pretty much anything that it comes in contact with.

1 out of 5 stars.

Final Analysis

Nut Cracker Ale was unanimously declared the favorite of the pack and to our surprise 2 Below and Never Summer were not all that far off. This was a first time drink for all of us and we were impressed with Boulevard’s offering as it was not only the most delicious of the group but the highlights were both Wintery and supported by a great Beer Foundation, which was rare among the offerings.

Seasonal brews are often a mixed bag and this group was no exception to that. Though through all the twists on holiday favorite themes, flavors and techniques, the true test for any great beer is the foundation. Without this your gingerbread house will collapse.

For your pleasure and consideration, delicious bottle caps.

To close out I would like to first thank:

• David Hilgier
• Ms Erin
• Robert Meyer
• Total Beverage
• Beer Advocate
• CraftBeer.com

For providing great information and resources for our little testing. Dave Hilgier also deserves all the credits for the photos and typography.

Please send us feedback and recommendations, they are always welcomed.

Happy Holidays — ZACH ATTACK MEYER

There are a lot of strange things about the Pils that truly identifies it as a class all its own. The Beer’s brewing history and process truly add the proto nature of its form and flavor. And when I say proto, I merely mean that its a Beer that hearkens back to simpler times, ingredients and methods of making alcohol. According to Wikipedia this fascinating Czech addition to the “Lager” family of brews is based on the Bavarian cave fermentation method most popular in Germany. This idea of caves should be something to note, as most of the beers that we tried out had a very distinctive “stale or skunky” smell, aroma or aromatic.

My good friend and Beer accomplice David Hilgier joined me in examining 6 brews, half local and half foreign. When selecting our contestants from our beloved Total Beverage we found it very hard to actually locate a large array of actual Pilseners.

For this brew celebration we followed a BLIND TASTE TEST method for trying everything out, as suggested by a comment from Pete following our review of the IPA’s early this year. This revealed several things to us that were quite surprising. We found ourselves entirely exposed as cocky American Beer drinkers after learning the origin of each of the beers.

1. VICTORY PRIMA PILS by the Victory Brewing Company, 5.3% ABV & 44 IBU (the ABV and IBU were not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

This sad entry to the world of beer has been touted by many on the Beertutor.com website but has no true legitimate place in our pantries. It had a disappointingly dull flavor with a small amount of hoppyness but no real bright components in the taste. After a short period of time the foam began clumping into a strange pattern that reminded me of curdling milk, which added to the undesirable nature.

The pungent odor was reminiscent of stale beer left open or on the floor of a college frat house. Simply not the sophisticated image that I had in my mind of Pilsener.

Certainly not the worst beer of the evening but ranking at a 1.75 out of 5 for our overall tastes, this beer didn’t make any friends.

2. LEFT HAND POLESTAR PILSNER by the Left Hand Brewing Company, 5% ABV & 33 IBU (the ABV and IBU were not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

And this here gets the prize for being the nastiest beer of the evening. I can’t think of one piece of good constructive criticism for Left Hand accept maybe think about replacing the graphic of the 2 explorers on the front of the bottle with a picture of a urinal. This is the sort of beer you would serve to prisoners on Guantanamo bay while trying to pry information from them. True, it was less skunky than the previous ale and held the shape and structure of its thin foam a bit longer than the last brew, but the overall watery finish made me gag. I literally could not bring myself to finish the serving I was given.

This sad little horse receives a 1 because it wouldn’t be right for me to grade under the lowest number.

3. BLUE PADDLE by the New Belgium Brewing Company, 4.8% ABV & ? IBU (couldn’t find IBU info on the bottle or online)

The Blue Paddle is usually my beer of choice when I think of a Pilsener. Its clean refreshing taste and smooth finish almost always goes great with really greasy food like cheeseburgers and fries. It had a bright fruity sweetness that was quite pronounced and overall it was from sip to finish exactly what I was expecting. There was no funky aftertaste and for the most part it was a bit more aromatic than the 2 atrocities before it.

Everything about the production of this beer seemed to sing the Red White and Blue praises when I first started drinking it, and thankfully I was right about the prediction.

The Paddle is tied for 4th best of the night garnishing a 3 out of 5 for being a palatable example of good beer making.

4. KöNIG PILSENER by the König-Brauerei GmbH Brewing Company, 4.9% ABV & ? IBU (couldn’t find IBU info on the bottle or online)

Here we have the silent winner. Divine in its execution and delicious in its consumption. The German Brew Konig, was without a single doubt the shining light in a rather bleak array of finds. Extremely rich foamy head, fresh fruity taste that waits till the end to hit you, fresh, crisp and frighteningly drinkable. From the look of the bottle to the contents inside, this affordable libation is nothing short of an engineering feat. I can’t recommend this beer enough and I hope that your local spirit retailer has plenty of stock, for just in its consumability this will find its way into your fridge more often then not.

A stunning 4 our of 5.

It still amazes me that given region and ingredients there seem to be limitless opportunities for stand out beers to achieve a level that is really unparalleled.

5. BAVIK PREMIUM PILS by the Bavik-De Brabandere Brewing Company, 5.2% ABV & ? IBU (couldn’t find IBU info on the bottle or online)

Aside from the attractive type on the bottle and the eye-catching curb appeal that the beer may have, this Belgium brew is a dud. It’s thin, watery but sweet flavors have nearly no hoppy influence whatsoever. I think that the beer suffers from a lack of overall personal identity in terms of flavor and overall composition. The real tragedy here is that the Belgians are usually regarded for their craft and this is clearly not a good representation of it. This limp, lifeless and seemingly artificially flavored or sweetened beer takes one step off the wagon and continues to tumble. The nearly syrupy finish is enough to remind you of why you enjoy dry crisp beer.

Bavik, you gets a 1.5 out of 5.

6. PILSNER URQUELL by the Plzensky Prazdroj Brewing Company, 4.4% ABV & 30 IBU (the IBU was not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

Wow, I was totally taken by surprise by this little gem. It really stood toe to toe with my beloved Blue Paddle and was considerably less expensive. Dave felt that it out performed the BP overall in taste and drink ability. Aside from the cheesy fake wax seal on the front of the bottle the contents were surprisingly sweet, cheerful, refreshing and fruity. There are some other notes that really separated this little Czech wonder, a woody or earthy undertone really gave the beer some character as well as the unmistakable cave funk smell slightly wafting off the top of the bottle.

Upon first inspection I had assumed that this was a domestic brew and possibly one from Boulder since there seemed to be an almost HippyLettuce like aroma that accompanied the usual frat boy party smell. Another interesting thing is that it was in a green colored bottle with a tramp stamp of a mark on the backside of the neck. Possibly a relic of the old facility but it was unique.

The Urquell received a generous 3 out of 5 points.

To close out I would like to first thank:

• Total Beverage
• Beer Tutor
• Beer Advocate
• Wikipedia

For providing great information and resources for our little testing. And also David Hilgier again for his great photographic contributions, comments, observations and Cheers!

I think that the bottom barrel brewing process found in the structure and history of this pale lager is an overlooked remnant of the early production of beer and can still be appreciated and enjoyed. It is obvious that while not every Beer is great, there are some enjoyable new things to try and I really hope that you do.

Please send us feedback on our little experiments and of course recommendations are always welcomed.

Hope you have enjoyed this little information piece.

All the Best — ZACH ATTACK MEYER

Blackened Chicken BLT at Hornet with Sweet Potato Fries

Hornet is one of our favorite restaurants in Denver.

I usually get “Buffalo Chicken Wrap” but today I tried “Blackened Chicken BLT” instead. The side must be  “Sweet Potato Fries”

“BC BLT” was good but too much bread?!  for me. I guess I like Wrap better.  But the grilled Chicken was seasoned really good.  “Sweet Potato Fries” always satisfies my expectation….

Check out this fabulous restaurant! Saturday, Stella is $3.50.

Sour Beer

Have you had Sour Beer before?

Check out http://www.beachwoodbbq.com/

Hop cam tells you what kind of beers on tap daily.

http://www.beachwoodbbq.com/beer.php

This last weekend I had the pleasure of trying a panel approach to reviewing the IPA. A friend of mine, David H., sat down and selected 8 different IPA’s and started grading them on a scale of 1 to 5. We graded them on overall presentation (which included design), palette feeling, flavor, fruitiness, hop levels and after taste.

We used fruit and cheese and water to clean our palettes between each delicious mouthful and even with this attempt to separate the contents of each bottle orally, they are very hard on the constitution all at once. In retrospect I may not have started IPA as my first beer panel guinea pig because of its strength, but it was still enjoyable.

The IPA can be a very misunderstood monster due to its characteristic sharp hoppy flavors and aromatic punch. People who have limited themselves to basic American ales and lagers may be in for quite a shock at first glass. Mind you, I am also still a beer neophyte by many standards but I know what I like and I think you will too. ON TO THE BEER….

Pyramid Thunderhead IPA

First up, THUNDERHEAD IPA by the Pyramid Brewing Company, 6.7% ABV & 64 IBU $1.52 (the IBU was not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

We enthusiastically cracked THUNDERHEAD open first, due to some twist of fate, but quickly wished we had pumped the brakes a little and started with a slightly more “grown-up” brew.

The contents were (as you can see) a light amber gold and had an inviting aroma that would lead one to believe that the first mouthful would be nothing short of pleasing. Even the quickly evaporating white head that had formed gave one the sense that we were poised on the edge of averageness (I know this is not a word). We were of course wrong.

There is nothing terribly wrong with this beer but every component seemed to be a fake. It was the most effervescent of night but in the wrong way, like when someone leaves the CO2 tank turned up and your coke starts attacking the pores of your mouth. The label design and consideration was mediocre (what do pyramids have to do with India Pale Ale?), there was a twist off cap (I thought I was having beers, not Mike’s Hard Lemonade) and for whatever reason it went flat so quickly neither of could bring ourselves to finish the bottle.

Overall it could have been worse, there were some very smooth elements of the flavor but it didn’t seem very genuine and I think they should reduce the amount of carbonation and fire their designer before releasing something as distinguished as an IPA into the market.

Overall score 2 out of 5

Stone IPA

Second, STONE IPA by Stone Brewing Company, 6.9% ABV & 77 IBU $1.81(the IBU was not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

The Stone IPA is actually a beer that I have  regularly at some of the pubs in Boulder during happy hour.

It has a fairly smooth finish and texture. This IPA you can definitely have in quantity due to its lightness as far as IPAs go. There are plenty of strong aromas and happy surprises but the overall sweetness or fruitiness of the contents really tone down the harsh bite that most IPAs leave you with.

This may be the only thing that stops it from being a real contender with other IPAs. No clear distinction. The color of the beer and the head were both adequate for the price of the bottle and I wouldn’t turn down a 6 pack of these if given the opportunity. This was one of the only two bottles to have no paper and get ink jetted directly onto the exterior.

Overall score 3.5 out of 5

Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA

Third, SNAKE DOG INDIA PAL ALE by Flying Dog Brewery, 7.1% ABV & 60 IBU $1.52

Darker, richer, more full bodied, aromatic and flavorful then any of the beers thus far, the Snake jumped ahead of the pack quickly as its rich tones, like a great bass player, and sharp hop accents created a refreshing and imaginative balance.

There seemed to be a decent lace created from the creamy head that stood up to the atmospheric oppression of our altitude and the light carbonation danced and faded into the rest of the band like a great improvisation.

The flavor came in like a great wave and washed away jush as smoothly after crashing against the shores of my pallet. There seemed to be very little (if any) after taste that bothered my experience. The Snake seemed to really be owning up to the identity or at least what I think a great IPA can offer. Something unique without being over powering. Enjoyable but accessible on many different levels.

I also really enjoyed the labeling, in fact this was the only label that featured a unique hand drawn image that really had a mind of its own.

Overall 4.5 out of 5

Deschutes Inversion IPA

Fourth, INVERSION IPA by Deschutes Brewery, 6.8% ABV & 80 IBU $1.45 (the IBU was not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

If IPAs have evil-dark-secret relatives this must be one of them. There are no good feelings or memories coming into view as I reflect on that very first damning sip of Inversion.

Setting aside the great brown/gold appearance, firm frothy head and strong lumberjack like aromas, this thing is bitter and unpleasant. I can’t really recommend it to anyone because of its really rough entry and exit… …

The laughable illustration of majestic mountains on the label lead thoughts of supreme tranquility, while the cold indifferent liquid trap that lies within, prepares to utterly devastate your mouth and stomach. The cold calculating brew master who saw fit to summon this great evil into this world should take some time off and explore knitting, or some other vocation that will not evoke ruination.

Overall 1 out of 5

Red Hook Long Hammer IPA

Fifth, LONGHAMMER IPA by Red Hook Brewing Company, 6.5% ABV & 43 IBU $1.23 (the IBU was not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

First let me just say that this was the most well designed bottle/label combo of the evening, which makes the mediocre contents all the more dissapointing.

The split label, colors, shape and the embossed wheat stalks give the appearance of care and consideration. The flavors, on the other hand, did not seem to get such a generous helping of creativity. Much like the Thunderhead, there was a great sense of shallow effort put into this IPA.

There were descent visual and aromatic markers that seemed to have all the right cues for a good middle of the road IPA but the final analysis revealed a shell of its promise. Overall there was no real strong punch of hops and the light texture of the beer overall seemed like the unfortunate result of mixing a lager with an IPA. Not authentic to say the least but not the worst beer of the evening.

Overall 2.5 out of 5

Avery IPA

Sixth, AVERY IPA by Avery Brewing Company, 6.3% ABV & 69 IBU $1.52  (the ABV and IBU were not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

This may be a point of contention for some people but I think that the finish and the punch in a beer should not be reversed in a beer. I like desert after dinner call me old fashion.

This beer overall does not really appeal to me because of the above established principal. There is a textural smoothness and a crispness of the liquid but the floral bouquet hits first and then as you swallow an overwhelming hop tidal wave crashes the party. It was jarring for me and I personally won’t be trying any other Avery products without some sort of incentive.

Oh and the label looks like one of the interns found a map on Google images and added a red line to represent the path of the boats traveling from England to India (which is supposed to be the reason for the name and brewing process). Not classy.

Overall 2 out of 5

Breckenridge Small Batch 471 IPA

Seventh, 471 IPA SMALL BATCH by Breckenridge Brewery, 9.2% ABV & 70 IBU $2.54 (the IBU was not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

Wow. On further introspection Breck really hit this one out of the park. There are things about this beer that are so well executed that it seems to not belong in the IPA category.

A word on strength, this was the most expensive and luxury level beer of the evening but for all of its strengths, it never seemed like much of an IPA to me. It has IPA elements but it was so much smoother and heavier than any of the other beers participating that it seemed to be on a playing field of its own.

If there is an award for sexiest printed bottle and this 471 totally takes the cake. There is excellent lacing from the frothy head and a warmth from the golden brown liquid. I felt like I was eating the Dagwood of beers. Its mythical like a unicorn but somehow not really an IPA at the same time. I will revisit this little gem in the future to see if there is something that I missed.

Overall 4 out of 5

Odell IPA

Eighth (finally), INDIA PALE ALE by Odell Brewing Company, 7.0% ABV & 60 IBU $1.74 (the IBU was not listed on the bottle, I had to find it online)

I will admit that I have a bias here, I love the Odell IPA so much that before this little panel started I would have immediately claimed that they were the best thing on the block. Frankly, this is still true for me. Everything about this beer screams care and balance. The exact formula that makes me a dedicated consumer.

Its like alternating current bottled and sold. The parallel delivery of hops/sweetness/hops/sweetness totally leave your mouth satisfied and at the same time hungry, for more. There is an incredibly engaging texture and flavor that makes this brew not only hard to resist but hard to deny as a top level brew for a really decent price tag.

The bottle’s shape, wood block style artwork and total tasty delivery makes this beer the undisputed champ of my refrigerator. It may not take this position in yours, but that just means more for me.

Overall 4.5 out of 5

Thanks for sticking it out with me. I think next time I will only do six instead of eight because this was a lot of ground to cover.

Till next time,

Zach “still hungry/thirsty” Meyer

Photos (and fellow beer panel member) by Artist/Designer David Hilgier

Beers selected from the ever cool fridges at Total Beverage, Westminster Colorado.

IBU information was gathered from either the brewery’s official website or BeerTutor.com

India Pale Ale Samples