Ok, so I have a little catching up to do...

I did a lot of posting over the weekend. I was on vacation, after all, and did enjoy a few different beers. That being said, I have missed a couple in the last few days, and I don't want my loyal readers/mom/random spam bot sites to miss a thing! So here you go folks, a few more brews for you to read about, make an informed decision about, and then seek out!

First up to bat: Ithaca's Apricot Wheat! I had a stash of Ithaca beers from my trip up to NY, and had yet to try them all. Apricot Wheat was just what I was looking for the other day; something light, low in alcohol, and refreshing. Also I wanted to test out the crazy fancy glassware my neighbors purchased for me. Killed two birds with one stone (No animals were harmed in the creation of this blog). Poured into my (see photo) glass, this beer is a hazy (surprise) apricot color with no head to speak of. Could be normal, could be a bad pour. Who knows. Anyways, the nose is very fruity, smelling strongly of citrus and apricots. The apricots are just as strong and forward in the flavor, with some sweet wheat flavors to round it our. All in all a good brew, but I think I would have preferred this earlier in the year, and it is too sweet for me personally to have more than one.

Now that that parenthesis-filled paragraph is over...


Next up is my first experience with Hoppin' Frog Brewery. A brew with a heck of a name, Hop Master’s Abbey Belgian-style Double IPA was certainly a good ambassador for the company. Pouring a clear gold in my IPA glass, this IPA has a thick, pillowy off-white head that leaves great lacing behind. A sniff reveals sweet, candy malts. As expected, those sweet malts were very forward, followed up with some light, bitter hops. I am not sure if it is a character of the Belgian IPAs as I have only had a couple, or if I purchased an older bottle, but the hops seem a bit receded here; not in a bad way. The balance is great and the result is an incredibly smooth drinking beer that I wish were available in 12 ounce six packs. Wish away, right?

Last is a beer that I have had before, but not since the birth of this wonderfully strange blog: Dogfish Head's 61 Minute IPA. By now, most people have tried or at least heard about Dogfish Head's 60, 75, 90, 120 Minute IPAs, but the 61 Minute is new this year, and it stands out from the pack. It is their 60 minute IPA with the addition of grapes, and the result of this combination is fantastic. Poured into my IPA glass (which I purchased from the Dogfish Head brewery, FYI), the 61 Minute pours a nice, ruby red with a just slightly off-white head. Sweet grapes hit the nose and remind me of a glass of good, sweet wine. The taste is where the magic truly lies, though. The sweet grapes take the lead on this wine/beer hybrid, followed by a smooth transition into nice, light hop flavors. None of the flavors are overpowering. The balance is as perfect as can be expected from such a strange beer. I expected either big bitterness or cloying sweetness, and I was happy to find neither. This is an incredibly refreshing brew, a fantastic hybrid, and I cannot praise Dogfish enough for a job well done!

Well there you have it folks; you're all caught up. One more thing though. Dogfish Head does have two new brews coming out next month! American Beauty, the Grateful Dead beer project, and Kvasir, their latest ancient ale, will both be available soon in 750mL bottles. Sound like a DFH double-feature is in the near future? You bet! Cheers!