IPA

Twisted Pine Hoppy Boy

/ Adam Barhan / Leave a comment


Twisted Pine Hoppy Boy, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A – The beer pours with one and a half fingers of off white head on top of a copper colored body with good clarity. The head settles fairly quickly and leaves little lace.

S – Musty/fruity hop aromas of pineapple, mango, and onion. Some caramel malt in the background.

T – Pine hops up front with some bready malt. More pine hops in the middle with a hint of mango and some toffee. Finishes with moderate bitterness and sweet caramel malt as well as spicy pine hops.

M – Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D – Pretty nice, certainly drinkable enough. The hop aroma is enjoyable but a bit subdued while the flavor is kind of one dimensional.

Deschutes Brewing Co.Chainbreaker White IPA

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A – Poured a cloudy, yellow color with golden highlights. A two-finger, rocky, white head of foam left sudsy patches of lace on the glass.

S – It smelled fruity and yeasty with a touch of wheat.

T – Good fruity bite from the Belgian yeast. Nice cracked wheat flavor with citrus notes.

M – It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

O – They’ve really combined an American wheat beer and a Belgian IPA. Really cool would be a great summer beer

Russian River Pliny the Elder

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Russian River Pliny the Elder, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A – Poured out a somewhat cloudy, orange color with golden highlights. It had a small, thick, foamy head that left soapy trails of lace.

S – Tons of grapefruit aroma; really amazing! There were mild notes of pine and caramel.

T – It hits you with a tart ruby red grapefruit taste and sweet orange peel flavors. The burnt toast caramel flavors add balance to the strong fruit taste.

M – It was crisp and sharp with a dry finish. A medium bodied ale.

D – A very hyped beer, very good but not worth all the hype although I feel like I need one every time I see it.

Serving type: bottle

New Belgian Lips Of Faith – Super India Pale Ale (Alpine Collaboration)

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Appearance: Pours a clear amber; the head is rather modest but it does an impressive job of sticking some lace

Smell: Fresh and citrusy, with grapefruit, mango and pine notes

Taste: While there is clearly a big malt bill that adds some sugary sweetness, the hops dominate the flavor profile from start to finish; tropical fruit flavors are up front, with the mango and grapefruit, but by mid-palate, the resinous, piney flavors start to dominate; the finish has a wild onion flavor going on

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation and a bit of warmth in the gullet

Overall: While I am not crazy at all about the wild onion flavor, there is a lot going on and the flavor profile is rather distinctive; nice to see an Alpine-influenced beer outside of southern California

Serving type: bottle

Sixpoint Resin

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Sixpoint Resin, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a gold with light amber tint and massive foamy head. Some lazy carbonation evident.

S: Smells like a hop lover’s dream with pungent aromas of pine & citrus. Totally in-your-face hop aroma. The name “resin” aptly fits this beer from aroma alone.

T: Truly resinous on the teeth. It feels like there is so much hop residue that it coats your tongue. I like it. Very faint malt character but mostly hops through & through. Some warm alcohol notes are evident.

M: Highly bitter. Feels a bit heavy due to the high amount of hop residue. Drinks like a barley wine.

O: A very nice interpretation of a DIPA. And an East Coast version at that. I really like this one and will absolutely come back to it again and again.

Odell Myrcenary DIPA

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Odell Myrcenary DIPA, originally uploaded by adambarhan.

A: Pours a golden color with a finger or two of white head.

S: Citrus hops with a touch grassiness to it. A little bit of bready and pale malts along with a little bit of fruit. Light pine notes coming in as it warms

T: A really nice fruitiness to the flavor. Plenty of citrus, particularly grapefruit and tangerine. Mild grass notes and a decent amount of pine, a moderate bitterness to go with it. Some decent bread flavors round out the beer.

M: Medium in body with a medium to high carbonation.

O: Pretty solid IPA. Nice hoppiness and not really sweet at all.