Avery duganA IPA

November 29th, 2009 beckel

Today I have an ale that I finally got around to picking up from The Four Firkins the other day and was very pleased to see they still had plenty in stock. When I first read that Avery Brewing was producing a new Imperial India Pale Ale I was simply ecstatic. I forget where I first read about it but they suggested that the hop loving brewers over at Avery intended to create another seriously hoppy IPA for their lineup that fell somewhere between their year round IPA and their massive 10.24% Maharaja Imperial IPA to allow ones hop thirst to be quenched without passing out. According to Avery their mantra for this ale became “Unity of bitterness, hop flavor and aroma” which sounds lovely to me. So I was every so pleased to see Alvey’s email a few weeks ago that it had come into our state and was available for our drinking pleasure. This ale pours an moderately light orange red hue that is very translucent. Three fingers of tight off white bubbles were easily produced but the majority of the head dissipates within a few minutes leaving only a small amount of lacing around the glass. Aroma is delightfully hoppy with resinous pine, sweet floral notes, a melody of gentle citrus and beautifully mellow bitterness and a good dose of malty sweetness to back it up. A small amount of alcohol is noticed on the nose but it is not offensive or surprising considering it’s ABV of 8.5%, reminding me of a gentler Maharaja. Flavor is quite nice. A good dose of sweetness is present as to not immediately bombard you with a boatload of hops, regardless you will quickly be rushed with a variety of citrus notes from orange to grapefruit, more gentle pine notes, and a solid hop bitterness, finishing with some added caramel sweetness as to not make you want to scratch your tongue too much afterward. While the 93 IBU of Simcoe, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook are more than obvious and plentiful for lovers of hops such as myself this Imperial IPA was brewed with not only respect to hops but also to allowing said hops to contrast and compliment the two-row, caramel 120L, victory malts used in this ale. Mouthfeel is rather clean and the body is medium. Over all I would say that Avery meet their mantra in making a delightfully hoppy ale that all Lupulin fans will be able to appreciate plentifully. If your not into hops I suppose you shouldn’t bother with this ale, but it’s still darn tasty.  Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Avery Dugana IPA

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

August 27th, 2009 beckel

Upon seeing this beer in my fridge moments ago I couldn’t help but review it immediately. I am a huge fan of the creative and energetic Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head who is ever  so inspirational and dedicated to the spirit of home brewing and inventive craft beers. I have managed in the past to get my hands on their delicious 60 [review] and 90 Minute IPAs [review] but until now the 120 Minute IPA has eluded my grasps. Conveniently a good friend of mine made his way to Wisconsin a few weeks ago and brought be back a bottle as well as a bottle of their Punkin Ale. This ale is Dogfish Head’s rendition of an Imperial brew based off their well received IPA recipe and hopped continuously for 120 minutes just for hop heads like me. Bottled on 11/08/08.  Pours an attractive bright reddish orange hue that is not at all opaque with just over a finger of off white head that lasts for a little over a minute. Smells strongly of alcohol and some heavily bitter hops and just a bit of citrus but mostly alcohol. Tastes incredibly interesting. Intense sweetness from the malt that reminds me a bit of a sweet sherry and orange marmalade which is complimented by bitter, citrus and floral hops as well as a good deal of alcohol and gentle herbal notes. Body is medium and the mouthfeel is quite clean for how sweet this brew is. Dogfish Head has change how they brew this beer a bit from a previous ~20% ABV to currently ~18% ABV which they find  to be the ideal alcohol level. I can’t say I am certain when they started these changes so I can’t attest for my bottle but I can still safely say that producing a beer this strong is no easy task and Dogfish Head has put forth on amazing effort. The massive malt profile required to get the sugars to produce this alcoholic of a brew unquestionably detracts from the potential massive hoppyness of this brew but that is not necessarily a bad thing. This ale definitely has hard alcohol qualities but even with its massive alcohol the complex sweet notes make it incredibly drinkable for such a strong ale. An incredibly interesting Imperial India Pale Ale that can be appreciated by fans of IPAs and Belgian Strong Ales alike. So long as you are not afraid of the massive alcohol present in this brew I would encourage anyone to sample this beer if only to see the complexity of flavors that are possible in a simple concept yet innovative brew such as this.  Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Great Divide 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

August 6th, 2009 beckel

Here I have what is sure to be a brilliant beverage from the skilled brewers of Great Divide to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Based on their most popular beer, Denver Pale Ale but hopped up to 90 IBU, aged in French and American oak and brought up to a serious 10% ABV with a solid malt profile. I can’t wait to indulge. Upon opening this 22oz bottle at close to room temperature plenty of carbonation built up in the neck and slowly continued to overflow until I simply decided to pour the beer filling the glass over a third with creamy tight off white head which slowly dissipated. Color is a deep red hue and incredibly translucent. Aroma is wonderfully full of floral and fruity hop notes as well as a good deal of sweet malt and just a dash of alcohol. Wow. Upon my first sip I can see how intensely the oak aging effected the brew as a nice smooth vanilla flavor is one of the first characteristics I notice. Further the malt profile of this beer is no joke providing a wonderful array of sweetness and gentle dark pitted fruit notes. In case you forgot this is an IPA and not a Pale Ale present is a bouquet of fruity and floral hop notes from hearty passion fruit to gentle pine. The more I drink of this brew the more I notice how well the various attributes of this beer play together. The malty sweetness is plenty to balance the hops and contrasts with the fruity notes very well. The finish of this brew is plenty bitter but is softened by notes from vanilla to caramel and a hint of brandy. Body is a bit heavy but the mouthfeel is very smooth and clean. Though there is no questioning that you can taste alcohol in this beer there are plenty of other enjoyable flavors to distract ones palate provided you are accustomed to drinking stronger brews. This is a limited brew so if you enjoy strong Pale Ales or oak aging and aren’t opposed to fruity and floral hops I would find a bottle of this brew quickly. Unquestionably a well balanced ale and a wonderful adaption of Denver Pale Ale that I would happily enjoy any day. I found my bottle at The Four Firkins but I would call ahead wherever you intend to purchase it to make sure it is available as most retailers received limited quantities. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Great Divide 15th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

July 30th, 2009 beckel

Somehow this is the first review of a Founders brew I have gotten around to writing about but rest assured it will be a worthy post. Founders who brews out of Grand Rapids, Michigan started distributing to our fine state of Minnesota a number of months back and since then I have sincerely enjoyed a good number of their brews particularly their Centennial IPA and Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale. Recently bottles of their Devil Dancer which they are calling a Triple IPA showed up on the shelves and upon glancing at it I immediately had sticker shock as it runs close to $20 for a four pack of this industrious brew. After reading the bottle I was almost intrigued enough to purchase some but after being graciously offered a sample at The Four Firkins I had no choice but to acquire some of this delightful ale. Brewed with 10 varieties of hops creating 112 IBU and coming in at 12% ABV this is one serious Imperial IPA.  This beer pours an attractive deep red hue that brightens when brought to light but is not translucent at all. Head is a clean white color with just under a finger being produced when lightly poured down the center of my glass. Though there isn’t a ton of carbonation the head retention was very nice leaving me with a small ring around the surface of the brew after many minutes. I find the aroma of this brew marvelous, so much that I had a hard time drinking the sample I was offered because I didn’t want the aroma to go away. The aroma is so full of hops it is difficult to isolate them but I notice grapefruit and passion fruit aromas most strongly as well as some pitted fruit notes and a bit of malty sweetness on top of a subtle pine note and very little alcohol considering its 12% ABV. This is one complexly delicious ale. The wonderfully robust malt profile provides dark pitted fruit flavors such as date to contrast with with the serious hoppyness of this brew. Again in the flavor grapefruit and passion fruit notes are most noticeable to me but are interestingly dulled by the massive malt profile though are by no means discrete. On the other hand the way the malt profile contrasts with the bitter notes of the hops is quite marvelous as the dark fruit flavors in the malt contrast wonderfully with the bitter hoppy tones. Body is medium and the mouthfeel is quite clean for this strong of a brew. To simplify a brew that is anything but; this is one intensely flavored hoppy strong ale with a wonderful malt base to support it’s massive hop profile. One thing that I have noticed from enjoying this bottle and my previous sample is that this beer (like many) is very subject to temperature. When I initially tried this brew straight from a fridge I didn’t notice the strong pitted fruit notes nearly as much but it was the first thing I noticed when consuming this bottle that I left sitting out for about 20 minutes. Further when colder it seemed the hops were more noticeable but I think that is largely because the malty flavors are more noticeable then when warmer. To confuse things further as I allowed this brew to warm even further in my glass during this review the hops slowly became more and more prevalent. This probably doesn’t help any of you but I found it interesting and will have to do some experimentation with the three bottles I have remaining to further my conclusion. Regardless of what temperature you serve this beer at it is unquestionably an awesome beer to share with any of your hop head friends and though it is unfortunate that commodities are continually increasing in price this is certainly a delicious brew that I doubt you will be disappointed in. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Update: After consuming another bottle of this brew straight out of the fridge later in the evening I have yet to decide which I prefer as they both offer unique and delicious flavors. Although I will say when served colder the malty flavors present are much sweeter and do not forwardly present the dark pitted fruit flavors I noticed before until warming for about 10 minutes and even then they are much less dominate. Additionally the hop notes seem to be a bit more forward though equally complex during that time. Cheers!

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

Mikkeller Struise Double IPA

July 21st, 2009 beckel

Today I have a brew that I was very excited to get my hands on. A joint effort by Mikkeller of  Denmark and De Struise Brouwers aka The Sturdy  Brewers of  De Panne, Belgium. I stopped by The Four Firkins yesterday and was very pleased they still had a bottle available for me as well as a couple of Mikkeller Single Hop brews that I have yet to try including their Cascade which is sure to be the more traditional of the two to our American palates as well as Nugget which I’ve heard some mixed reviews of and am curious to experience for myself. But that is for another day. Even when poured gently this brew creates a massive thick off white colored head that will easily grow as large as you let it and remain for many minutes there after, leaving a good deal of creamy lacing around your glass. Color is a relatively dark date like reddish brown hue that is incredibly opaque allowing almost no light trough. Aroma is full of rich malty notes including a good deal of dark pitted fruits that are very deep and complex yet smooth and sweet. A small amount of alcohol is noticeable in the nose and balanced with a gentle dose of bitterness and some light citrus that is largely hidden by the pitted fruit notes. Wow, this is one complexly flavored ale and with 130 IBUs I suppose that should be expected. Strong pitted fruits such as date seem to be at the front of this beer followed by a melody of  nicely contrasting spices, citrus notes particularly grapefruit and a good deal of bitterness that almost completely distracts me from the hefty 9% ABV of this brew. Considering the complexity of this beer it is amazingly smooth and well balanced with a serious Belgian inspired malt bill and candi sugars that provides enough fruity sweetness to contrast the seriously bitter hop profile. The mouthfeel of this brew is very clean and the body is a bit heavy but not so much that it makes it difficult to down though it is certainly a slow sipping beer. If you are into Belgian inspired brews and seriously hoppy IPAs this beer will bring you straight to heaven. One complex ale that is not for the faint of heart but would make for some marvelous food pairings either with something nice and spicy or something with delicate flavors that contrast nicely with pitted fruits. Unlike many of Mikkellers Single Hop brews that I have sampled I couldn’t drink this beer every day, well not too many of them at least….but I would gladly enjoy it any day if it were available. Though they call this an Imperial IPA I almost think about it as an incredibly hoppy Belgian Strong Ale flavor wise. Regardless if you enjoy bittering hops and pitted fruits bike as fast as you can and find a bottle of this brew. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Mikkeller Struise Double IPA

My Fridge On A Good Day

My Fridge On A Good Day

Grand Teton Lost Continent Double IPA

July 10th, 2009 beckel

Prior to typing this up I knew nothing of Grand Teton Brewing other than the fact that they were new to our market. After a bit of reading it appears that they were founded in the state of Wyoming in 1988 becoming its first modern micro brewery and ten years later moved to Victor, ID. They like many brewers have dealt with the out dated liquor distribution laws of the state they were founded in and like many worked hard to get things changed, opening Wyoming’s first Brewpub in 1992. When I went to The Four Firkins about a week ago Alvey was sampling their Au Natuirale Organic a Blonde Ale and their Sweetgrass IPA both of which were quite tasty so I decided to grab a 6-pack of the Sweetgrass which I particularly enjoyed and opted to give their more limited Lost Continent Double IPA a chance as well. This beer pours a lovely bright orangish hue that is very opaque, even when brought to light. It is easy to creat a three plus fingers of white head when pouring this brew and after a few minutes you will be left with a good deal of lacing around your glass. Aroma is nice and floral, with a number of fruity and citrus hop notes particularly orange with very little alcohol on the nose. Flavor has a nice  sweet malt backbone and a whole bunch of orangy citrus hop flavor including a hint of tartness which cuts into the 8% ABV very nicely. The body of this brew is medium and the mouthfeel is very clean making this a very drinkable ale. This is definitely a well balanced and smooth Imperial IPA though I was a bit disappointed it didn’t have the assertive hoppyness present in their Sweetgrass IPA which though I already drank all of I’m sure you’ll see a review of in the future. If you are a fan of well balanced Double IPAs and particularly if you enjoy hoppy orange notes you are sure to enjoy this brew. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Grand Teton Lost Continent Double IPA

Steamworks Conductor Imperial IPA

July 2nd, 2009 beckel

Around a month ago I grabbed a bottle of this brew from The Four Firkins at the recommendation of Sean and sincerely enjoyed the bottle so I felt obliged to share my thoughts with all of you. Prior to consuming this brew I knew very little of the Steamworks Brewery other than the fact that they were from the remote Durango, Colorado and hadn’t been distributing their beers to our market for too long. Though I had the pleasure of consuming even more of their brew at Indulge including their Steam Engine Lager which is very refreshing. Conveniently The Firkins hosted a tasting this last Monday and I was able to converse with one of their brewers John and learn a bit more about the brewpub origins of Steamworks and about some of the work they do with their local community including the sponsorship of a couple of local bike races which always makes me smile. But this is about the beer so lets get the good stuff. This ale pours what appears to be a deep dark cherry red until you bring it to light where its hue immediately brightens and becomes quite opaque. Head is off white and will easily form over three fingers if you allow it, leaving some nice lacing around the glass after dissipating a few minutes later. Though this is a nicely hopped brew the first thing I always notice is its wonderfully rich malt aroma which is complimented by a nice bouquet of American hops (Warrior, Tomahawk and Simcoe) that create many floral, herbal and bitter notes with just a bit of alcohol noticeable. As with the aroma the flavor of this beer is full of delightfully rich malty sweetness which does a wonderful job contrasting with the solid hop profile of this brew which brings in plenty of delicious bitterness some gentle floral notes and just a hint of citrus. Alcohol is noticeable in this brew but considering its ABV of 9.24% I think it is dulled very appropriately with the lovely contrast of malt and hops present in this beer. This brew definitely swings on the malty side but it is simply delicious and shouldn’t disappoint those of us who love our hops, it is unquestionably a wonderfully brewed Imperial IPA. If you find many Imperial IPAs too bitter but still enjoy strong brews and aren’t opposed to some solid hop content this would probably be a good stepping stone. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Steamworks Conductor Imperial IPA

He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A.

June 17th, 2009 beckel

Today I have another brew that I was ever so excited to see on the shelves of The Four Firkins last Monday at their Flat Earth tasting (North West Passage rocks by the way) He’Brew’s Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. an IPA brewed with rye in honor of the “obscene” Jewish comedian Lenny Bruce. Upon reading about this brew on their website I was very curious about the concept of an offensively intense 10% ABV India Pale Ale brewed with some malted rye. So far I have been very pleased with the beers I have tried from He’Brew and from reading the solid list of hops contained in this brew (Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial) I doubt I will be disappointed. This beer pours a somewhat dark flat red hue that looks a bit like sherry but is relatively translucent. If you allow it to this brew will easily produce 3 fingers or more of off white head that lasts for a number of minutes and leaves a bit of lacing once settled. Aroma has some nice hop bitterness, dark pitted fruits, a bit of malty sweetness, a good dose of rye and even more alcohol. The flavor of this brew is quite interesting. Citrus and bittering hops hit my tongue first followed by a smooth malty flavors of dark pitted fruits particularly date with rye throughout and decent amount of alcohol in the finish though I find the hops and some malty sweetness lingering in my mouth after swallowing. While I wouldn’t call this brew obscene it sure does have a lot going on yet has a pretty nice balance provided you don’t mind a bit of an alcohol punch and the additional bitterness that the rye adds on top of the hops. The body of this beer is medium and the mouthfeel is smooth for this malty of a brew. This is one tasty rye beer and it will be interesting to contrast it with the other rye beers I have recently purchased. If you are not afraid of large doses of hops and malt and don’t mind alcoholic brews you will likely enjoy this beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A.

Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly

April 10th, 2009 beckel

Though I have consumed a number of pints of this beer I am only now getting to my very own bottle of Southern Tier’s ever so delicious Oak Aging experiment with Unearthly. This beer pours a very attractive orangish amber hue that is quite translucent producing just over two fingers of pure white head that lasts for a few minutes leaving a good amount of lacing. Aroma is deliciously full of hops, strong smells of apricot, grapefruit and orange as well as some nice bitterness that is slightly subdued by the scent of oak and the other citrus and floral flavors. Along with the hops there is some serious malty sweetness but it is easy to forget about that with all of the other aromas. Flavor is quite intense as you can expect if you have ever sampled their regular Unearthly [review]. As soon as you sip this beer you can tell that the oak aging had a very large influence on this brew as oak is the first flavor I get. Followed by some serious citrus and herbal hop flavors and a bit of bitterness. It then transitions into sweet maltiness wrapping up with a further dose of bitterness. Some of the flavors in this beer are almost bread like though not in the traditional yeasty way and a bit more sweet like a pound cake. Two things strike me about this beer, first that Chinook is one interesting hop variety that creates almost smokey flavors in this brew and further and perhaps more importantly this beer does a wonderful job showing what barrel aging can do to a beer. The somewhat overly alcoholic notes that I noticed when originally drinking Unearthly are completely subdued in this brew though it still rocks the same hardcore 11% ABV additionally some of the intense bitterness is toned down. Mouthfeel is smooth and the body is reasonably light for the style. This tasty brew encompasses myriad of hop flavors and probably isn’t for those who aren’t fond of those flavors but will unquestionably be appreciated by people who enjoy serious hops and unique beers. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA

April 1st, 2009 beckel

Today I have a rather exciting beer that unfortunately is probably quite hard to find any longer. I bought my four pack a few weeks ago from The Four Firkins and a recent review from dirtyspeed of Friday Night Beer inspired me to finally get around to writing my own. As you should know by now I am a fan of big beers and I particularly like the idea behind this one. The fine folk of Dark Horse Brewing wanted to make a big IPA and figured what better to do than double the recipe of their well received Crooked Tree IPA minus the water of course. This beer pours a very attractive deep ruby red color that is quite translucent and obviously filtered. Head was only about a half a finger and quite white in color. The aroma of this beer is full of fruit like malt aromas as well as plenty of floral hops. Just a little hint of dates and a nice fermented cherry scent are complimented by an array of subtle floral hops and very little bitterness though you can certainly tell it is one alcoholic brew. Flavor is quite interesting, initially I get mostly fermented fruit flavors, primarily a sweet cherry that transitions into some floral flavors and a moderate amount of bitterness. Though there are a number of contrasting flavors in this beer it is unable to hide its intense 13.6% ABV but considering how strong it is it was a valiant effort. This beer is more malty than most Imperial IPAs out there but it is certainly an interesting creation. Probably not the best beer for many people but if you are adventurous you will be happy to have imbibed. A darn tasty beer if you don’t mind some extra alcohol. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA