Newcastle Winter IPA

Newcastle Winter IPA

English India Pale Ale

5.2% Alcohol (ABV)

28 IBU's

It's officially 2013 and officially freaking cold!  I don't know about you guys, but it has been cold here, as in ungodly cold.  Like -5 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit, with windchills down to -20 degrees.  

Now that's hardcore.

And what better to hit the spot when the weather gets crazy cold than... a Winter India Pale Ale.  The Newcastle Winter IPA to be precise.

Steam Pumper IPA

Steam Pumper IPA

Fire Station 5 Brewing Company

India Pale Ale

Portland, Oregon

49 IBU's

6.5% Alcohol

I saw this beer awhile back at a Fred Meyer grocery store and bought it since I had never seen it before.  This is the Steam Pumper IPA from the Fire Station 5 Brewing Company.  

And why had I never heard of the Fire Station 5 Brewing Company?  That's because it's not a real brewery...

Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA

Samuel Adams

Whitewater IPA

Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams)

IBU's: 60

Alcohol Content: 5.8%

I believe this is the fifth Samuel Adams beer I've reviewed here on the site.  This is kind of weird considering how many tasty beers Sam Adams makes and the fact that I've tried a good majority of them.  Oh well, it's hard to review them all!

Stone Cali-Belgie IPA

Stone Cali-Belgie IPA

California/Belgian India Pale Ale

Stone Brewing Co.

Alcohol Content: 6.9%

IBUs': 77

Usually Stone Brewing Company never lets me down.  But maybe I'm getting bitter and old or maybe I'm becoming a beer snob because this time they have.  Sorry, Stone Brewing.  

Let's cut to the chase.

Elysian Brewing - The Immortal IPA

The Immortal IPA

India Pale Ale

Elysian Brewing Company

IBU's: 65

Alcohol: 6.3%

Make no mistake, I love hops.  The more hops the merrier.  So naturally, I love IPAs (India Pale Ales).  Especially double and triple IPAs, filled with gratuitous amounts of citrusy, piney, mouth puckering hops and a respectable amount of alcohol that makes you take small sips.  

So, when I saw this brew, The Immortal IPA from Elysian Brewing I instantly wanted to try it.  I mean, look at it, it looks badass with the hand strangling the lightning.  I figured, hey this looks like a massive IPA worthy of my time.  

Well, like so many other brews with cool names or labels, I bought it hoping the nectar inside would live up to the expectation.  And again, like many others, it did not.  Granted, this isn't as big of a let-down as IPAs like Rogue's Brutal IPA or Ninkasi's totally weak Total Domination IPA, but it was a let down nonetheless.

Elysian Brewing's The Immortal IPA pours a slightly hazy gold color with a decently thick head.  It has aromas of toasty malt and some mildly citrus hops (much less hops than you would expect from an IPA, off to a bad start).  You take a sip and get soft, sweet malts, some lemon and grapefruit notes, and a moderate dose of citrusy hops.  The finish lingers moderately, but is still rather weak.  

Now, this isn't a bad IPA, it's just lackluster.  And with such a cool name and artwork, I (wrongly) expected more.  This is an easy-drinking everyday type of IPA to drink with dinner, not something to sip outside while you stare at the stars.  

Drink This: if you want a basic, rather common-tasting IPA.

Don't Drink This: if you want a balls-to-the-wall India Pale Ale like Stone's Ruination IPA or Lagunitas' Hop Stoopid.  Personally, if I'm going to drink anything from Elysian Brewing, it's going to be one of their amazing pumpkin ales (they make several)...         

Odell Brewing IPA

 

Odell Brewing IPA

India Pale Ale

IBU's: 60

Alcohol: 7%

Some days only certain drinks fit your mood, which could be anything from a White Russian, bourbon served neat, or a nice glass of Pinot Noir.  Other days, it has to one thing: India Pale Ale.  IPA's are something of an acquired taste for many, especially those who prefer beer on the watery side of things.  The bitterness is something that once you get it, you love it.  Soon, if your beer doesn't have heaping buckets of hops you can smell ten feet away, you're dissatisfied.  Then it's official... you're a hophead.  For hopheads, there's nothing better than a good IPA.  

This all brings me to my point: Odell Brewing.  They make a couple really great IPA's.  A couple weeks ago I reviewed Odell Brewing's Myrcenary Double IPA, which is well, amazing and truly unique.  Today, I'm looking at Odell's standard IPA, an India Pale Ale with 7% alcohol and a moderate 60 IBU's (International Bitterness Units).  Whereas Myrcenary pushes the boundaries of IPA territory by having some rather distinct floral and fruit notes, Odell' standard IPA is a classic, American-style IPA.

Odell's IPA pours a semi-hazy gold and smells of strong yet sweet, piney hops, grapefruit peel, and a bit of toasted bready malts and caramel.  You take a sip and get well-rounded citrus, a bit of tropical fruits, some sweet malts, and a good hoppy, bitter finish.  It smells hoppier than it is, perhaps because the sweetness of the malts round the flavors out so well.  This is one very tasty, well above-average India Pale Ale. 

Drink This: if you want an above-average IPA.
Don't Drink This: if you're looking for something over-the-top or conversely if you don't like hops.  Personally, I prefer Odell's Myrcenary Double IPA, which is dynamic and unique, but then again the Myrcenary is much more difficult to find.  Regardless, if you like IPA's, this is a very good example of the style.  Cheers!  

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale

Imperial IPA

IBU's: 102

Alcohol: 8.0%

The Lagunitas Brewing Company is out of Petaluma, California and they make several really great brews.  Not all of their beers are super amazing, but when they get it right, they get it perfect.

One of Lagunitas Brewing's more famous beers is their Hop Stoopid Ale, an Imperial Pale Ale (bordering on an American Strong Ale due to the maltiness) with a respectable 8.0% ABV and a reported 102 IBU's (bitterness units).  Like I've said before, the research shows most people cannot taste anything different in IBU's past 100, but going above this does give the beers more aroma, and of course, some bragging rights.  If you look at the top of the label, it says "102 I.B.U.4.U."  Funny Lagunitas.  At least they don't take themselves too seriously.

 

Anyway, Hop Stoopid Ale pours a hazy, dark golden almost amber hue.  It smells deliciously hoptastic: strong, sweet, piney, grapefruity hops, hops, and more hops.  You take a sip and you are greeted with a thick, malty, hop bomb with a great depth of hop notes ranging from dry citrus peel to sweet pine notes.  It leaves a long-lasting bitterness in the finish that is dry enough to make you want another sip.  And then another.  And another.  This is what an Imperial IPA should taste like, without going completely overboard.  Hop Stoopid Ale isn't just a one note IPA.  It is complex, deep, and doubly delicious.  Drink it!

Drink This: if you want a thick, well-balanced, deeply hoppy, delicious, golden perfect example of an Imperial IPA.  This is for the IPA lovers.

Don't Drink This: if you aren't into hops.  Hop Stoopid Ale is hoptastic and will give rookies the bitter beer face.  But, boy oh boy, if you love hops, this is yummy stuff... 

            

Ninkasi Brewing Total Domination IPA

Total Domination IPA

Ninkasi Brewing Co.

IBU's: 65

Alcohol: 6.7%

Alright, so here's the deal, when a brewery gives a beer a badass name, I assume that... well, it's going to be one badass mother of a beer!  Why in the Hell would anyone give a beer an over-the-top name if the beer was anything but?  Seriously.  Maybe they are just trying to get fools (like me) who fall victim to cheesy names and silly gimmicks to buy it.  And yes, it worked.  I bought this beer.  Damn it.

This is Ninkasi Brewing Company's Total Domination IPA.  They are based out of Eugene, Oregon, blah, blah, blah.  Bottom line, I'm disappointed in this beer.  Can you tell?

Total Domination IPA pours a hazy dark golden hue with a decent head.  It actually looks like a good IPA should.  It's smell is rather muted, with a mild dose of dry hops and a bit of pine.  Tasting it gives way to a moderate amount of hops, some mild grain-taste, and a mild citrus peel ending.  

It's not bad, but it's just a regular old, generic-tasting India Pale Ale.  This is NOT something that should be called "Total Domination," more like "Total Average IPA."  I could let this beer get by with this name if there was something, or anything, totally dominating about it.  Maybe if the IBU's were 100+.  Maybe if the ABV was 10% or greater.  Maybe if it even had some decent label artwork.  But unfortunately no, it has none of the above.  Weak sauce. 

Drink This: if you want a boring, standard IPA with an extremely misleading name.

Don't Drink This: if you think this is going to "totally dominate" your tastebuds.  There's nothing bad tasting about this beer, but seriously, Total Domination IPA?  Sorry, but no.  Drink some Leafer Madness or Ruination if you want a totally dominating IPA...  

P.S. Ninkasi Brewing, if you do decide to make a new, actually dominating version of this beer, send one this way.  Because this one is disappointing and the name is a bunch of bull.  Have a nice day.    

Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Ale

Leafer Madness Imperial Pale Ale

Beer Valley Brewing Co.

IBUs: 100+

Alcohol: 9%

Beer Valley Brewing Company out of Ontario, Oregon makes some mighty fine brew including one of my all-time favorites, Black Flag Imperial Stout.  That is one hardcore, delicious beer.  But, I digress. 

 

One of their newer beers, created in 2008, is Leafer Madness.  Yes, it's a cheesy name and a total play on the old phrase, but with the amount of hops in this, I will forgive them.  And yes, those are pictures of hops on the label.  Leafer Madness is an Imperial Pale Ale with 9% Alcohol and 100+ IBU's.  

 

Now, before I go further, let's go over the IBU's thing so I can make y'all a bit more educated.  IBU stands for International Bitterness Units, a scale used by beer geeks and chemists to determine bitterness using a spectrophotometer and solvents.  Generally, the more IBU's, the more bitter.  Makes sense.  BUT, the more malt that is used in the brewing production, the more the hops will be tamed down and rounded out, which is why some Imperial Stouts can be 100+ IBU's and still not seem nearly as hoppy and bitter as some IPA's that are in the 80's.  So, why the normal cap at 100 IBU's?  That's because most people's tongue cannot detect anything above 100 IBU's in bitterness.  When a brewer goes above this, it is usually to create a much stronger  hop aroma.  And as we all know, smell plays a huge role in taste.  Some home brewers can often get IBU's over 200 in their India Pale Ales, but this requires a shitload of hops, making it expensive and almost redundant overkill.  Almost.  I bet the aromas are godly, though. 

 

Anyway, back to Leafer Madness.  It pours a hazy, dark yellow-orange color with a ridiculous amount of frothy, thick head despite my attempts to pour properly.  This thing smells like a hopbomb.  Hops, hops, and more hops, with a touch of pine in the background giving it an earthiness.  It tastes like crisp, bright hops and dry grapefruit.  There is only a slight touch of background sweetness as it really is quite dry.  The 9% alcohol hides well, making this a beer that could sneak up on you.  This one is hoppy, hoppy, hoppy, without being overkill somehow.  It's not the most well-rounded beer, but if you like your beers hoppy, crisp, and dry, give this one a try.  I enjoyed it.  It's not nearly as earth-shatteringly amazing as Black Flag, but it is mighty good.   

 

Drink This: if you like hops, hops, and more hops.

Don't Drink This: if you want to be able to taste your dinner while you drink it.  The hops will flood your palette and make food taste funny for a little while, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  I'd rather have beer with flavor than a watery, forgettable, waste-of-my-time beverage.

              

Odell Brewing Myrcenary Double IPA

Odell Brewing Myrcenary Double IPA

Double India Pale Ale

IBU's: 70 (Reportedly)

Alcohol: 9.3% 

There are a couple styles of beer that I really love, Stouts and India Pale Ales, and all the variations of these.  Odell Brewing Company out of Fort Collins, Colorado makes a couple really great IPA's.  Their Myrcenary Double IPA is part of their 4-Pack Series which includes this Double IPA, a Double Black IPA, and a Double Pilsner.  

 

Usually I abhor sweet drinks.  Maybe that's too strong of word.  Okay, so I usually dislike sweet drinks, with only a handful of exception.  Odell's Myrcenary Double IPA is one of those exceptions... and it is truly something special.  

 

Myrcenary pours like most IPA's, a hazy damp golden hue.  Nothing special there.  The smell and taste, though, are where it shines.  It smells like sweet oranges, citrus zest, moderate hops, and almost overwhelming floral.  You really have to smell this to understand.  It is almost a lavender or lilac-type scent, but without becoming too effeminate.  While that may sound a bit weird, it fits in so well with the sweet oranges and bite of the citrus zest.  It tastes very hoppy as is expected from a Double IPA, but it's not astringent or bitter like one would think.  It somehow remains sweet (not overly so), yet deep, lively, and dynamic.  There are clear sweet citrus notes, almost tropical fruits (guava?), and a malty backbone.  The higher ABV somehow stays hidden.  Mycenary is really, really complex and has a lot going on through the whole drinking experience.  

 

This is probably the most dynamic and interesting IPA I've ever had.  It's not the hoppiest, strongest, or most bitter, but it has complexity and unique flavors in spades and is unlike any other IPA.  On paper the crazy floral notes and sweet orange taste don't really seem like my style of drink.  BUT, in the real-world, Odell's Myrcenary Double IPA is glorious, exceedingly delicious, and worth seeking out.  

 

Drink This: if you enjoy a good India Pale Ale and want to try a twist on the style.

Don't Drink This: if you dislike hops.  Like any IPA, this is hoppy.  Sure, it's not nearly as bitter as some, but for the beer-drinking newbies, this will still be a bit over-the-top. 

Stone Ruination IPA

Stone Ruination IPA

India Pale Ale
IBU's: 100
Alcohol: 7.7%

If you couldn't tell from my previous reviews of Arrogant Bastard and Belgo Anise Russian Imperial Stout, I love the Hell out of Stone Brewing.  Somehow they manage to make every freaking beer taste amazingly dynamic and flavorful beyond belief.  While there are several other breweries that come close and have a couple amazing brews, Stone maintains the number one slot in my mental ranking of breweries. 

So, today I am reviewing another in Stone Brewing's line-up, the Ruination IPA.  It pours the color of dark hay and smells of hops, hops, and more hops, with a small bite of grapefruit and pine.  I was totally expecting this to just ruin my mouth and destroy my tastebuds with a hoppy overkill.  BUT, it did not.  For as hoppy as it smelled, the hop taste was actually very well-rounded and dynamic.  Don't get me wrong, this is one extremely hoppy beer and is clearly not intended for anyone except hopheads and those venturing into extreme IPA territory, but this beer isn't just a one-note hop bomb.  The taste is mostly hops, yes, but there is a sweet maltiness and some clear citrus peel flavors going on, too, making it very, very drinkable and delicious beyond belief.  The mouthfeel is perfectly creamy and oh so fitting.  It leaves a long-lasting, pleasant hop taste in your mouth that urges you to take another sip.

Stone Ruination IPA is one damn good India Pale Ale.  It may be tied for my favorite IPA at the moment.

Drink This: if you love to fill your mouth with creamy, hoppy, liquid deliciousness of the Gods.

Don't Drink This: if you aren't into hops.  If the hoppiest thing you've ever tried is Samuel Adams Boston Lager (like many people), this will destroy your palette and make you cry for mommy.  If that happens, send me an email and I will come finish the rest of your drink.  :)        

Rogue Brutal IPA

Rogue Brutal IPA

India Pale Ale

IBUs: 59 

Alcohol: 5.8%

Every once in awhile, a person wants something that they can sip on while they ponder the mysteries of the universe and life, itself.  These special times require something special, something one can sip slowly over a prolonged period of time, something strong and with amazing depth.  

I picked up the Rogue Brutal IPA thinking this would be such a beer since I had a couple hours to read a book and sit outside a cabin as the sun went down in Montana.  I have had many of the beers from Rogue Ales, a brewery out of Newport, Oregon, and most have been great brews.  So, I had high hopes for this beer, especially with "Brutal" on the label and the Rogue guy's glasses on crooked as if this beer just blew his mind.  

It poured a cloudy medium orange color and smelled of grapefruit with a moderate amount of hops.  I took a sip expecting my tongue to be blown-up by the sheer brutality of this hoppy nectar.  But no... it wasn't.  When I think of the word "brutal," I expect something, well, brutal, like Slayer, Pantera, tanks, and cage fighting.  

This beer was clearly not brutal.  
It was, however, delicious and tasted mostly of grapefruit and orange peel, with background notes of honey and bread.  It was actually very well-balanced between the hops and sweetness, and really quite easy-drinking, especially for an IPA.  This beer used to be called "Brutal Bitter," and they have only recently changed the name to "Brutal IPA," perhaps with the new rise in IPA fans, I'm not sure.  For the "brutal" label to fit, it really needs to be considerably hoppier than it is and perhaps less sweet.  

So, all in all, this was a delicious beer.  Was it "brutal?" No.  Was it yummy and well-balanced? Hell yes.  Apparently the "brutal" label threw me for a loop.  I was expecting something to rip my jaw off and force me to take small sips and ponder its depths.  Don't get me wrong, it is a great beer and I will probably buy it again, but it was just not what I was expecting from the deceiving label.