Archive for the 'IPA Showdown' category
And the Winner is. . .
Okay. For the IPA showdown, it was necessary to take one contender out of the competition completely, and that is the Samuel Smith IPA. This beer is delicious, and it would’ve placed highly in our rankings if based on taste alone. However, it was simply a different beast than any of our other beers – it was an English IPA, and exhibited entirely different flavors. So, that being said, it is time to place our IPAs in the order that Matt and I have (after some debate) agreed upon. Here you go, hungry masses:
1) Edenton “Big Boss” IPA
2) New Glarus “Hop Hearty” IPA
3) Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
4) Otter Creek 15th Anniversary IPA
5) Lost Coast “Indica” IPA
6) TIE – Avery IPA & Carolina Brewery IPA
Shipyard IPA
9) Wolaver’s Organic IPA
Special Mention: Samuel Smith India Ale – Delicious, but out of the scope of this tasting.
Edenton Brewing Company “Big Boss” IPA
Surprisingly (to me), this is a very good IPA. Honestly, usually Edenton loses before they even play due to their labels. I have certain preferences in label art, and Edenton doesn’t appeal to any of those preferences. So, this is probably the reason that I rarely reach for one of their beers unless a tasting such as this demands it. But, honestly, I may have to reconsider after this beer. This IPA pours dark, smells bitter and malty, and tastes nice. In the mouth, hops are immediately apparent, but they are well balanced with the malt. So, while this is a quite hoppy beer, it isn’t overly bitter. It also isn’t overly sweet. It is simply a well balanced beer with a lot of flavor, and I would consider it a more complex IPA than most we’ve had tonight. I can discern at least two stages to this brew, from the initial refreshing mild hops to a harsher bitterness that hits high on the mouth before the lasting bitter aftertaste. Very good beer. -Ben
It just came to our attention that this is beer is brewed in Raleigh, NC. That probably won’t mean a lot to most of you but given that we liv 20 minutes down the road it is sad that we didn’t know who brewed it. This smells and tastes like an IPA, piney aroma with noticeable but not overbearing hoppiness. The taste is well balanced and crisp. This is a solid IPA and one that I recommend. I must agree with Ben that the label, and most labels from Edenton, are terrible. Fortunately that doesn’t affect the taste. -Matt
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head has made multiple versions of their IPA, depending on the length of the boiling of the hops, 60, 90, and 120 minute. The latter of the two have already been reviewed on this site and both are among our favorite beers, ever. Thus it wouldn’t have been fair to include them but the 60 is more comparable so here we go…This is lighter than most we have had tonight, more golden than copper. It smells slightly smokey which is a little different. The sweet, malty undertone is not as apparent in this beer and in my opinion that is a good thing. I prefer strong hop flavor in my IPAs which is different from my counterpart. It leaves a very clean taste in the mouth when all is said and done. As with all Dogfish Head beers, this is a quality brew and while it is less complex than the 90 and 120 (obvioulsy) it is still thirst quenching and refreshing. -Matt
This IPA surprised me tonight. To be honest, I thought FOR SURE that this would take the #1 spot in the IPA tasting. But, oddly, it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, though – this is delicious. The odd part of this one is the hint of smoke that Matt mentions. To me, this even translates into a coffee aftertaste – very bizarre, but oddly pleasing. Both the aroma and the flavor have slight hints of coffee flavor, and this same flavor lasts well into the aftertaste. In addition to this, there are lots of good hops in this beer, floral and fresh with a mild shock of bitterness. This is, to be sure, a great victory for DFH. Sadly, however, it isn’t the best interpretation of the genre that we’ve had tonight. -Ben
Otter Creek 15th Anniversary IPA
Okay – we cheated a bit. This one is actually a big-bottle IPA that you probably can’t find at your local grocer. When we decided to do straight-up standard IPAs, we put away a few of the big boys (including the DFH 120-minute, the Weyerbacher IIIPA, and the Stone Ruination IPA). But, gees, Otter Creek did so terrible with the Wolaver’s that we really wanted to give them another chance, so we pulled this one into the mix. The good news is that this isn’t a re-bottled version of the Wolaver’s. Actually, this is fairly drinkable. The aroma is, again, a bit too malty for its britches. But, there is just a hint of candi sugar and hops there to help balance it out. In the mouth, the beer is a bit sweeter than our previous IPAs – really, it’s almost like they sugared this beer – and it exhibits a light hoppiness. They could’ve gone a bit heavier with the hop here – it’s just a subtle taste. But, altogether, it blends well. Honestly, to me, this tastes like a tripel/IPA blend. Two good varieties, and they mix to make a pretty tasty brew, but I wish they had been a bit more staunch with the IPA interpretation. A pretty good beer, but I’m not quite sure how I’ll position it relative to the other competitors yet. -Ben
This seems to be the most “balanced” of the IPAs we have had tonight. There is a sweet maltiness that is combined with a moderate hop flavor. The metallic aftertaste is more noticeable in this beer than in others but it isn’t overbearing. I should note that Otter Creek also makes Wolaver’s so given the drinkability of this brew they have redeemed themselves after the debacle that is the Wolaver’s IPA. As with all others we have tasted tonight this isn’t my favorite IPA but I should add it isn’t half bad. I would buy this beer again assuming I can still find it. -Matt
Lost Coast “Indica” IPA
This beer is a bit of a new beast. I can say that it’s not quite like any IPA I’ve tried. The aroma of this one carries some hop, and it also has hints of fruit and pepper. In the mouth, this beer has a lot more bite than our previous competitors. There are certainly hops here – there is also some caramel malt and spice. All in all, this is an enjoyable drink. Also, I would say that this DOES fit the description of an IPA, albeit a unique one. Also unique is the fact that this is an unfiltered beer, and there is a great deal of debris floating around in the glass. The only down-side I can find from this beer is the slightly abrasive aftertaste. Other than that, I think that this is an altogether tasty brew. -Ben
This is an interesting interpretation of an IPA. I taste mango and pineapple which as strange as it sounds is not half bad. There is a heavy bitterness to the aftertaste but it is not overbearing, just very apparent. Interestingly enough the sweetness from the initial flavor reappears in the nasal cavity when all is said and done. This by far the most complex brew we’ve had tonight and one that I want to try again when my palate hasn’t been tainted by terrible brews. -Matt
Carolina Brewing Co. IPA
Carolina Brewing Co. is right down the road, hailing from Holly Spring, NC. But no worries, we will remain objective, unbiased beer reviewers. We certainly wouldn’t want to hype a local brewery or suggest they were the best on the slim chance they would catch wind of our kind words and send multiple cases of free brew…OK, back to the task at hand…I’m going to stop writing about the color because they are pretty much all the same and won’t comment on the smell unless it is awful or exceptionally good. In my opinion the taste is mediocre with no outstanding characteristics good or bad. Light hoppiness and standard hop backbone = blah. I don’t dislike it but definitely prefer others, many others. -Matt
Matt and I are fighting about this one. He thinks that the Avery beats the Carolina. I think that the Carolina beats the Avery. In my opinion, this is almost a hoppy amber ale. It exhibits a subtly malty aroma with little hop. In the mouth, there is a light hoppiness blended well with a malt undertone. It makes for a well-rounded beer with just enough hoppiness and a pleasant caramel flavor. Personally, I like this. It IS lightly hopped, but we also have to keep in mind that this is an IPA, not a double IPA. So, I think it works. -Ben
Avery India Pale Ale
Okay – I won’t lie, this is NOT a favorite IPA of mine. But, at least it has balls enough to exhibit some real hop flavor. This one pours a little lighter than the rest, and the aroma is, frankly, quite sour and unpleasant. However, in the mouth, this beer comes with a heavy hop bitterness that begins on the front of the tongue and lasts far into the aftertaste. It isn’t the floral hop that I prefer, but seems more like a bitter English hop to me. I wouldn’t consider this a complex brew – the hops are straightforward, and the taste is fairly uniform through the mouth. Nevertheless, after the last couple of IPAs, I would give this one a thumbs up. -Ben
Well we all know I love Avery brews and I am hoping this one gets us back on the IPA track. This copper colored ale pours with a frothy white head and has a piney aroma. The taste is more subdued than I imagined. The flavor doesn’t reveal itself until the liquid reaches the back of the tongue. There you will experience a moderate hoppiness that flattens out into a rich maltiness that coats the throat. I agree that this is a simple interpretation of an IPA but given that it at least mimics the genre it is in the head of the class this far into this beer tasting. -Matt
Shipyard IPA
Hmmmm…apparently some brewers were absent for the “How to make an IPA” lecture in brewing school. Ben and I were very excited to try this beer after our experience with their Pumpkin Ale. And now after tasting this beer I wish we wouldn’t have explored other varieties. The smell is heavy with spice and the taste is “grassy” and bitter. The earthy flavors are not crisp and robust but rather simple and mundane. I also sense a hint of lemon flavoring at the back end of the taste. I don’t think this beer is terrible but it is not my idea of an IPA. -Matt
Mine and Matt’s interpretation of this beer are slightly different – our only similarity is that we both find it mediocre (at best) and a poor representation of an IPA. The predominant flavor that I get from this beer is bubblegum, which is quite bizarre. The pour is too heady and there is a heavy aroma of bubblegum. In the mouth, this same bubblegum flavor emerges, blended with a slighty grass and lemon (lemongrass?) flavor. This is much more palatable than the Wolaver’s IPA, but it still isn’t what you expect when you pick up a bottle labeled IPA. Stick to the pumpkin ale, Shipyard. -Ben
Wolaver’s Organic India Pale Ale
What in the bloody hell is this?!? This is certified organic and I’ll put my stamp of disapproval on it and say that it is certified terrible. There is nothing about this beer that comes remotely close to being an IPA other than that fact that hops were added, just like any other style beer, and yeast was used during fermentation. I kid you not, it smells like walnuts or almonds and it tastes like a lager. Tell you what: take a bunch brewing ingredients, throw ‘em a pot, boil it and let it sit for a while, carbonate said liquid, then pawn it off as any number of beer styles without regard to the actual characteristics and you will have done no more (or less) than the folks at Wolaver’s. -Matt
I am insulted by this beer. This beer is an insult to my knowledge of beer, and the fact that Wolaver’s thinks they can fool me into calling this an IPA is a personal affront. This beer exhibits tons of malt and nothing else. Perhaps they had a hard time finding organic hops to use, because, frankly, I can’t taste any hop at all. This is actually made by Otter Creek, which is a bummer, because Otter Creek is already on thin ice with me due to their lukewarm past performance. Allow me to finish with an anecdote – One time, I paid about $2 for a chicken sandwich from a certain fast-food restaurant. Upon taking said sandwich back to my table, I took a bite and swallowed, only afterwards realizing that the chicken on the sandwich was completely uncooked. It was disgusting and mildly nauseating. I think that the $2 spent on that sandwich was money better spent than the $1.79 I paid for this beer. It’s that bad. -Ben
New Glarus “Hop Hearty” IPA
This, the first of our IPA tasting, is actually not one that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can find at their local grocer. Rather, you’d better live in Wisconsin if you want to get your grubby paws on this one. My first impression of this is that it is a rather tasty brew. The color is a bit darker of an amber than I might typically expect from an IPA. The aroma is actually a very subdued & sweet floral hop. Quite pleasant, although I wouldn’t be offended if it were just a touch more pungent. In the mouth, there is a slight hop-burn that follows through the mouth with a strong bitterness and no considerable malt backbone. This one seems to focus more on the bitter than the sweet, which should appeal to the real hop-heads out there. -Ben
I agree that the aroma is not as hoppy as I would like, in fact I noticed a rich malty smell. In my opinion the name describes this ale fairly well. Although there is not a noticable hop burn, the hop flavors engulf the mouth. One thing I find to be very appealing is that that this beer doesn’t create that lingering metallic aftertaste characteristic of some IPAs. This seems to be a standard IPA, and one that you could enjoy at length. If only those cheese-heads would share the wealth… -Matt
