Time to Catch Up, How About With Some More IPAs?!

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!

A Happy Mistake: Lagunitas Sucks and Brown Shugga

Every now and then something happens that throws a wrench in your game plan. That happened to Lagunitas back in 2011 when they were unable to produce their annual release of Brown Shugga. As a result, they released the self deprecating Lagunitas Sucks and proclaimed it a Brown Shugga substitute. It was received so well that they make it every year. Recently I tried both, and I figure its appropriate to discuss them together.

First up we have Brown Shugga. Lagunitas doesn't claim a style here, so we will just call it a strong ale, weighing in at a big 9.9% ABV. It pours a crystal clear brown with a beige head. The nose is surprisingly light for a big beer, with just slight hints of malts detectable. The flavor is less subtle. Tons of sweet malt flavors forward accompanied by some (who would have thought) brown sugar notes. It finishes pretty boozy, but not as much as you would expect from a beer of this strength. It is a solid offering, though not a stand out favorite of mine.

Next up, however, is the happy mistake dubbed only as Sucks. Sucks pours a crystal clear light gold with a big, fluffy off white head that leaves behind a ton of lacing. The nose is big and hoppy, with lots of citrusy tangerine notes. Those citrus notes follow through in the flavor. There is a lot of grapefruit flavors, and the bitterness is subtle but present. This stuff is incredibly delicious and refreshing, and at 7.8% ABV, it is a little more drinkable than the beer it substituted. This has become a go to IPA for me. Not only is it unbelievably delicious, but the price is way below what it could be for a beer of this caliber (Under $10 for a sixer!). Between this and Hop Stoopid, Lagunitas is killing it in the IPA department.

The Bier Garden

Welcome to my first post about beer restaurants in the area! Today I'd like to share with you a little gem out in Portsmouth, VA: The Bier Garden. I had heard about this place a couple years ago, and just had not made it out there until early this past January. Is it worth it? Well I went there a total of three times last month, if that is any sign. This place has it all, but let me break it down for you real quick.

Atmosphere and Service: The Bier Garden is a tiny little nook of a restaurant squeezed between larger establishments in downtown Portsmouth. Step in off the busy streets and you are transported to the home of the German grandmother you may or may not have ever had. It is a homely little place with modest furnishing, including a heated outdoor patio and a bar. It is quiet, with festive German music playing softly in the background. Two out of the three times I went a happy little German lady who I believe is the owner's wife was hanging out in the front room with little ones I assume were her grandchildren. You are hit with a warmth before you even get to the beer. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu and beer list. They make you feel at home, and I really dig that.

Food: Of course if you are going out to a restaurant, you are probably there primarily for the food. The first time I was there, I got a Cordon Bleu sandwich on the most heavenly pretzel bun I have ever tasted. I mean you could eat this thing without the sandwich. In fact, they will sell you a fresh warm one on its own so you can do just that! Add a side of tasty, vinegar based potato salad and I'm in heaven. The next couple visits I got bratwurst and knockwurst, both of which were also phenominal. Even if your dinner mates are not into beer (my wife is not), they will still get to enjoy the great food!

Beer: In the end, this is a beer blog, and I am sure that is what you are all interested in. Well fear not, because The Bier Garden has a MASSIVE list of beers available. Their main focus is imports from Belgium and Germany, but they also carry a great selection of craft beers from the states as well. Just don't go in there expecting to get a Bud Light. They don't carry that nonsense. Get yourself a real lager or German bock, you'll be glad you did. Anyways, here are the beers I tried!

First up was an Ayinger Ur-Weisse, a Dunkelweizen weighing in at a very drinkable 5.8% ABV. Ur-Weisse pours a light, hazy gold with a fluffy white head. The nose is nice and light with notes of banana and a hint of wheat. Flavors open up with tart apple flavors that kind of caught me off guard followed by light and amazing banana notes. It finishes light, smooth, and dry. This beer is absolutely delicious. Unfortunately I don't believe it is available in our local Total Wines. I will certainly be checking out Grape and Gourmet to see if they carry it, as this could easily become my go-to summer beverage.

Next up is a Tripel from Corsendonk known both as Agnus and Abbey Pale Ale (7.5% ABV).  It pours a hazy, brown-yellow with a white head. The nose is a strange blend of lemons and apples. It opens up with a really bizarre tartness with some yeast and clove notes. The rest of the flavors are really hard to place. There is a hint of spices, but I couldn't tell you what those spices are. There is also an unusual lemon flavor without being sweet. At first sip I didn't think I cared for this beer, but its complex flavors grew on me as I drank it.

On my next visit I tried one with a heck of a name: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel (9% ABV). As the name kind of implies, this beer falls in between a couple of styles. It pours a hazy light gold with a stark white head. The nose consists of a slightly bitter banana smell and hints of yeast. The flavors lead out with smooth banana yeasty flavors with a hint of grapefruit. It is really light in the mouth, and finishes quite bitter for a Belgian beer. This beer is an amazing cross between an IPA and a Belgian Tripel. I really enjoy the combination of citrus hops and banana flavored yeast. Luckily, this one is readily available at Total Wine or Whole Foods here in Virginia Beach.

Last up is Hofbräu Münchner Weisse, a 5.1% Hefeweizen from Germany. It pours a hazy gold with a bright white head. The nose is yeasty with notes of banana and pears. Forward notes consist of light, subtle banana flavors. These are followed up with a little spice and tangy pear notes. It is not my favorite Hefeweizen, but it is still a solid offering and worth a try if you are looking for something nice and light.

A Day of BrewDog!

I'll spare you the "I'm getting caught up" spiel. I have a new baby, I'm falling behind on the blog, it is what it is. Today we venture back to a day before the little guy made his appearance. THE day before, in fact. We knew the day was coming soon, so in true craft beer enthusiast fashion I set up a brew day to brew an IPA and taste a bunch of great beer. Our area had just received a ton of BrewDog beers, so we decided it was an appropriate day to try them all. Now, before you all declare how irresponsible drinking when your baby could be here any minute is, we split each beer throughout the day. Despite the high alcohol content in some of these brews, I was careful to not get a buzz. The things we do for our kids, huh?

First up: 5AM Saint, a red ale that weighs in at 5% ABV. We went from lightest to heaviest in this tasting. 5AM Saint pours a hazy red-brown with an off white head. There is minimal nose here, just a hint of sweet malts. The flavors a fruity and sweet toffee flavors. I did not detect as much hop presence as some people had suggested there would be. It finishes malty and just a little bitter. A solid brew, just not what I was expecting.

Next up comes Punk IPA, a 5.6% ABV IPA that I have been wanting to try for quite some time. Punk pours a opaque light yellow with a bright white head. The nose is light with citrus notes and just a hint of pineapple coming through. The flavors are incredible light. There is a flavor there that I cannot quite place, but it is almost a mango flavor among the light citrus hop flavors. The finish is just slightly bitter but not at all overwhelming. If this beer was just a little cheap stateside I could see it being incredibly sessionable. 

The next beer, Libertine Black Ale (7.2%ABV), was described to me as a black IPA, and I suppose since that category seems to be quite vague it could be called that. Libertine pours jet black with a fluffy tan head. The nose is light, and consists mostly of roasted malts. Those malts follow through in the flavor, along with some really nice coffee notes. It finishes with some piney, bitter hops that really balance the whole thing out. I guess I'm not sure where the line between a black IPA and a hoppy stout lies, but I like this beer a lot regardless. I think I will stick to calling it a black ale as BrewDog did, that way I can't be wrong.

A beer that there is no doubt which style it belongs to is Hardcore IPA, an imperial IPA that weighs in at 9.2%. Pouring this brew reveals a dark orange nectar with an off white head. The nose on this thing is amazing! Lots of floral hops fill the air as you pour. A taste reveals some nice citrus flavors and sweet malts at the start, followed by some big-time bitterness! This is certainly not an IPA to introduce the style to your friends, as it is almost shameless with its teeth kicking hoppiness. I for one, am a fan of that.

From this point we sink into the really pricey heavy hitters. First up was one that made my wallet cry a little: Cocoa Psycho, a 10% ABV Russian Imperial Stout that will run you about $12 if you want to try it stateside. Since I was splitting these, I figured I'd bite the bullet and let TJ grab the next expensive one. The pour is thick and oily black with a really dark brown head that barely exists. The nose is loaded with big coffee and booze aromas. The flavors start out with big, bitter coffee followed by vanilla and a significant booze tinge. It finishes silky smooth with some really nice, subtle chocolate notes on the end. There is a lot going on here, and I think if it is something you can afford you should give it a try. 

TJ's chance to buy the next expensive bottle came quickly, as the final brew of the day was Tokio*, an 18.2% ABV monster of an imperial stout that also runs around $12 for a bottle. Quick side note, I was told BrewDog had to change this beer's name from Tokyo* to Tokio* for the US market because it is made in Scotland, not Tokyo, and that may cause confusion... I don't know how true that is, but considering the bottles say "Product of Scotland" that really makes me feel like an idiot American... Anyways, to the beer! Tokio* is another thick black brew with a thin tan head. The nose is quite interesting, consisting of cranberries, sweet malts, and no lack of booze. The flavors start out with a quick hint of fruity berries that are quickly overwhelmed by lots of sweet malts. There is a huge booze presence that follows, but to be honest not one that matches the ABV. Some people really don't like that in a beer, but I think if done right it is a great addition to the flavor. In that sense, BrewDog nailed it. Tokio* is a little sweet, a little funky, but all good in my book. I think a little age will do wonders for this beer, and I have one stashed in my cellar to find out!

 In closing, my first experience with BrewDog beers was a pretty intense ride. Oh, and for those who are curious, we brewed a Clementine IPA called "Oh My Darling." We had some efficiency issues since it was my first all grain brew, so the ABV is turning out lower than expected, but I still expect it to be tasty. I bottle it in a few days, so I will keep you posted! Cheers!

Terrapin Moohoo and White Chocolate Moohoo

Wow it has been a bit since I have consistently posted! That could be due to the fact that my son made his arrival this weekend! It has been a crazy ride but exciting so far. I am hanging out alone with him downstairs trying to let mommy get some rest, so I figure great time to do some blogging right? Terrapin took a couple of their great beers this year and did some smaller batch versions with a twist. I unfortunately did not get a hold of the Cinnamon Roll'd Wake N Bake, but I did get White Chocolate Moohoo. I enjoyed both the white chocolate and the regular on the same night in order to compare them with a fresh palate. 

First up was Moohoo, Terrapin's chocolate milk stout. Moohoo pours a incredibly dark brown with a mocha head. Light, sweet malt and mocha are gentle on the nose. When I first sipped it I was surprised that there seemed to be a lot of coffee flavor here. The delicious chocolate flavor follows it up, all the while remaining quite light. It finished just slightly bitter, but still smooth and light. The thing I appreciated about this brew was that the chocolate flavors were real chocolate notes, as opposed to subtle ones we perceive from the grains. My only gripe was I wished the chocolate was more in my face, but it was still a very tasty beer.

As if to answer my hopes and dreams of chocolaty goodness, next up was the White Chocolate Moohoo variant. WC Moohoo pours the same dark brown as the original with a mocha head that quickly faded. The nose is an abundance of sweet chocolate with just a little bit of mocha sneaking in. One sip, and I'm in love. Serious chocolate flavor hits the tongue. Once you get over the initial wave of chocolate induced delight, you can notice that you are getting a combination of both delicious milk chocolate and creamy, vanilla white chocolate notes. That hint of mocha from the nose sneaks in at the end, but not nearly as prominent
as the original Moohoo. For me, it was no contest, and I hope to see White Chocolate Moohoo on our shelves again.  

Heady Topper. Enough Said

Let's face it folks, we live in an awesome time for beer. There are so many amazing beers out there, it is mind blowing that people still settle for carbonated yellow malt water. That being said, there are a few beers out there that are on every beer lover's bucket list. One of those brews is Heady Topper, a double IPA from the Alchemist. The Alchemist is a brewery in Vermont that have dedicated themselves to brewing one beer and brewing it exceptionally well. This dedication puts this brew as the highest rated beer by BeerAdvocate users, and in the top 25 for RateBeer. And that's a beer that they only distribute locally in Vermont. That's Impressive So when a gentleman who followed me on Instagram and who I  met briefly once before in the Navy Exchange contacted me to meet and handed me one of these gems, I was beyond stoked. That's craft beer generosity at its finest, and I owe him big time. Not wanting to be greedy after receiving such generosity, I contacted my buddy TJ and we split it that night.

This beer comes with explicit directions to drink it from the can. Note that I poured half into a glass in order to share it, but I drank my portion from the can. Therefore your experience may be different if you decide to be a rebel and pour it anyways. When you do pour it you will find it to be a semi hazy light gold with a nice white head. As soon as you crack this can you are overcome with an incredible aroma of citrus hops. Seriously one of the best smelling beers ever. Those tasty citrus hops are at the forefront when it comes to flavor. Delicious grapefruit and tangerine notes are followed by a hint of sweet malts. Heady Topper finishes smooth but bitter. I've said it hundreds of times and I don't see any harm in driving it home: Balance is the key to great beer. This isn't a big hop bomb. It isn't some gimmicky beer that offers some strange ingredient to make it different. In fact ever flavor in this beer can be found in countless other IPAs. The key is how they balanced those flavors out to near perfection. Is it the best beer in the world? I don't know, I have other IPAs that rival it, but this beer deserves every bit of praise it gets.

Have I mentioned I dig IPAs?

I am still playing a bit of catch up with the blog. I find it difficult to keep up when I keep getting to try a ton of great beers! Still, I'm doing my best. This particular bunch were from a tasting we did on New Years. They were all big IPAs so we had to span them out in order to assure that our taste buds survived the evening.

First up is Bitter Valentine (9%ABV) from Williamsburg Alewerks. This local DIPA pours a crystal clear dark gold with an eggshell head. The nose is assaulted with grassy hops as soon as the bottle is cracked. Once poured, some nice citrus notes sneak through on this big nose as well. Those citrus notes lead off in the flavors along with some sweet malts. Some piney bitterness follows, and it then finishes smoothly with some grapefruit. The flavor profile here was outstanding. This is a double IPA worth looking for. I purchased it on recommendation from Kevin at Grape & Gourmet. He hasn't let me down yet!

Next up was one I had meant to try for a long time: Lagunitas Hop Stoopid (8%ABV). Quick note for the local folks, if you have access to the Navy exchange, these bottles are about a dollar cheaper there. If not, it is worth the price out in town. Hop Stoopid pours clear gold with a just barely off white head. The nose consists mostly of sweet malts with some sticky smelling hops in there as well. First thing you notice about this beer is how easy it is to drink considering it is supposed to rank in at 102 IBUs. All that hoppy bitterness is balanced perfectly with citrus and malt flavors. Surprisingly I did not find it bitter at all. I think it was just a superb example of balance, delivering both citrus hop flavors and delicious sweet malts evenly throughout the entire flavor profile. I was thoroughly impressed, especially considering this was the cheapest beer of this line up. Bravo, Lagunitas!

After giving out palate a quick breather, we cracked open Racer X (8.3% ABV) from Bear Republic. Racer X poured a dark, semi clear gold with a typical off white head. The nose is dominated by really sweet malts, with just a little bit of pine hops sneaking through. Those big malts follow through in the flavor, taking over most of the flavor profile. Some light citrus notes briefly appear before a pretty bitter finish. When dealing with big IPAs, some tend to lead with the malts, some with the hops, but almost all are extreme. Racer X clearly leads in the malt department, and is definitely a solid offering.

Last up was West Coast IPA (7.3% ABV) from Green Flash Brewing. Let me start my saying that I may have received an older bottle, as I did not experience the intense hoppiness I expected from this beer. Or it could be that the only other two beers I've had from Green Flash are Green Bullet and Palate Wrecker, so I was expecting to have my mouth destroyed by hops. Either way, it is a solid beer, so try it for yourself before basing an opinion off of my experience. West Coast IPA poured a hazy gold with a thick, off white head. The nose was full of light pine hops but nothing overwhelming. My first sip revealed some interesting, fruity malt flavors at the forefront. These flavors were followed up with some piney hops, though not overly bitter. Like I said before, this beer was much more mellow than I expected. Not in a bad way, just surprising.