Laptop needed repairs again. I'm almost certain that the world doesn't want this blog to exist! So in an effort to catch up, I will put a few of the great IPAs I have had lately all in one post. All of these IPAs were beers I was waiting very impatiently to try, and I have been lucky enough to snatch them all up!
First up is a fantastic Double IPA: Victory's Dirt Wolf. It took quite a while for this beer to arrive in Virginia Beach, but it was worth the wait! It pours a light, clear gold with a thin off white head. Citrus hops are tangy on the nose, along with a sweet malt backbone. A taste reveals tons of orange and grapefruit flavors. These citrus flavors are followed by just a little malt sweetness. Bitterness is powerful but it is so balanced by these malts and citrus flavors that it is not at all overwhelming. This beer is phenomenal, and I hope it becomes available in larger quantities in this area soon.
Next comes one that just started distributing to Virginia relatively recently: Cigar City Jai Alai. This beer is well sought after in beer trading circles, and I had wanted to try it ever since I first caught wind of it on Instagram. Unfortunately, this beer seems to be only going to Western VA so far, so I had to wait until I took a trip out that way to get some. Jai Alai pours a semi clear gold with a fluffy off white head. The nose on this beer is amazing, with lots of floral and citrus hops assaulting the air. Forward flavors are a lot of orange citrus hops. After that comes just a slightly sweet malt backbone. It finishes just a little bitter, but very smooth. The balance here is killer, and it lives up to the hype. I won't be driving out to Richmond in order to get some more of this, but if I head out that way for something else I will certainly try to get some more. I haven't heard anything about this coming to the beach yet, but hopefully it will be here soon! I would love to try more Cigar City beers!
One of the first beers I reviewed on this blog was Sixpoint's incredible Resin (see that post
here). So when I heard about Hi-Res, a beer in which they try to take hop flavors to another level, I knew I had to have it. As soon as I cracked this can my nose was slammed with odors of both citrus and pine hops that got even stronger as I poured. Hi-Res pours a clear, dark gold with a fluffy, slightly off white head. The first flavors I detected were some subtle sweet malts, followed by some hop flavors that I have never quite experienced before. Citrus hops come first, with hints of both grapefruit and orange. Pine flavors come next, but just as a light follow up and not at all as abrasive as many piney hops can be. Finishes bitter, but not overly so. The real danger here is all those great flavors cover up any hint of the 11.1% alcohol that may be there. So crack one of these bad boys with caution, because if you try to drink that whole four pack on your own you may find yourself quite tipsy.
Last one I am going to put on this post is Bear Republic's Apex "Special" IPA. I am not sure what is special about it exactly, other than it is delicious! Apex pours a clear gold with a big, fluffy head. The nose is huge, with lots of citrus and floral notes filling the entire room! This stuff leads nice, light, and smooth with some amazing citrus notes. It is followed by malts that are quite sweet, but quickly replaced by bitter, hoppy goodness. Like the rest of the beers on this post, the real thing that makes this stand out is the balance! All of the flavors play off of each other smoothly. This is the best Bear Republic beer I've had so far!
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