Author: dpatrickryan

Nebraska Brewing Company IPA – American IPA at 6.9% ABV | 72 IBU (US$2.31 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 28-Nov-2017, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 9-Mar-2018)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, caramel, dank pine, earth. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet tending slightly high, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Bonus points for the wide mouth can, which would at least theoretically obviate the need for a glass, were one without proper glassware – good one for packing on a hike, for example. More importantly, it’s a surprisingly solid fairly authentic West Coast IPA coming from the bald-ass prairie. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Odell Brewing Co. Rupture Fresh Ground Ale American IPA at 6% ABV | 36 IBU (US$2.41 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, best before 12-May-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 9-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale gold with a short, short-lived white head, patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, grass. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: off-dry medium duration bitter finish. (4/5)

So, this beer’s hook is that they grind the hops before using them, “rupturing” out the lupulin. Ok, I can appreciate that. But, I’m more than halfway convinced that process is adding a green, almost vegetal note. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s not entirely the type of flavour I’d look for in an A/IPA, either. Really solid, but stops short of great. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

NOLA Brewing Co. Syncopation American IPA at 6% ABV (US$3.36 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Feb-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 9-Mar-2018)

Appearance: cloudy pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and stringy moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: juicy citrus & tropical fruit, caramel, light earthy pine. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, light tart. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration finish. (4/5)

A little muddy in appearance, perhaps due to it being unfiltered and double dry hopped? Way better than their Hopitoulas Pale despite being lower in ABV, and verging on a decent interpretation of the NEIPA style with juicy citrus leading the way. The bitterness is well balanced, and there’s a mild tartness in the finish that adds to the overall “juice” character. If this were as pretty as Hopitoulas, it might’ve been a nine, but as it is it’s “just” a very strong eight. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Leo v. Ursus: Wookus Black IPA at 8.2% ABV | 75 IBU (US$4.94 at Specs Main Houston, 473 ml, packaged on 27-Dec-2017, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 8-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear brown with two fingers of rocky brown head, excellent retention and patchy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, toasted malt, pine, spicy rye. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, lingering bitter finish. (4/5)

Surprisingly light and easy-drinking given the dark appearance and high ABV. My one criticism of its Wookey Jack progenitor was that I thought it could stand to have more emphatic aromas. I’m not sure this entirely fixes that, but it certainly has brighter aromas, with a previously absent citrus now at the forefront. Other than that, it bears a lots of resemblance to its ancestor, which is all to the good. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

NOLA Brewing Co. Hopitoulas American IPA at 6.5% ABV | 48 IBU (US$3.15 at Specs Main Houston, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 8-Mar-2018)

Appearance: slightly hazy pale amber, two fingers of fluffy off-white head, excellent retention and well-defined lacing. (5/5) Aroma: tropical fruit, citrus, caramel. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, building and lingering bitter finish. (3/5)

Pretty as heck, but otherwise not all that impressive. I wouldn’t say all sizzle and no steak, but certainly more sizzle than steak. Well-implemented, without being overly memorable. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Community Beer Co. Mosaic IPA American IPA at 8.6% ABV | 85 IBU (US$2.73 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 25-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 9-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear deep amber with one fat finger of rocky ivory head, good retention and stringy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, caramel & toffee, tropical fruit, pine. (7/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, high bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium slightly sticky body, moderate carbonation, medium duration lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

Pours darker than expected for an IPA, and the flavour follows suit to some extent. It’s certainly not an E/IPA, but the way they’ve balanced the big bitter makes the malt presence greater than one might expect for a modern A/IPA. Mind you, given the massive ABV and bitterness, I don’t know why this wouldn’t be considered a DIPA. Think old-school DIPA made with modern (Mosaic) hops and you’re probably not far off the mark. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 60 IBU (US$2.31 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 6-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head diminishing gradually to a persistent thick creamy cap, stringy moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: juicy citrus, pine resin, caramel, pale malt, stone fruit, light floral, earth. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (9/10) Palate: medium slightly oily body, moderate carbonation, medium duration lingering and building bitter finish. (4/5)

No packaging date, but “Spring Seasonal”, so it should be fairly fresh. The finishing hops (which I assume includes the described “lupulin dust”) are pretty much all the starts-with-C hops (Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, and Crystal) in addition to Magnum. I usually see positives and negatives to a multiple hop approach, and this one is no different: there are absolutely none of the negative “over-extraction” style characters one might expect from a single-hop approach, but it’s also not particularly bright. Lots of fruit character, but blended, if you will – so, not orange juice, but Tang™. (And seriously easy-drinking for a beefy ABV DIPA.) Really good stuff overall, though I think it could’ve been better with a more focussed hop philosophy. (17/20)

8.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Boulevard Brewing Co. Tasting Room Dry-Hopped Helles Helles Lager at 5.6% ABV | 35 IBU (US$2.08 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 22-Jan-2018, best before 21-Jun-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 6-Mar-2018)

Appearance: crystal clear pale straw with one fat finger of rocky white head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: crackery malt, grass, citrus & floral, light burnt rubber/band-aid. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp mild bitter finish. (4/5)

I went with (arguably) the wrong glassware here, partly because the label said it was dry-hopped, so I decided to maximize aroma retention. Checking the brewer’s web site tells me it’s dry-hopped with Mandarina Bavaria, and although it’s not as citrus-forward as I might like, it definitely becomes apparent as the glass progresses. I generally find Helles Lagers to be pretty boring, but the dry-hopping actually threatens to make this halfway interesting… until the burnt rubber/band-aid aroma starts to manifest upon warming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not overwhelming or anything, but it certainly tempered my enthusiasm. Still and all, a good example of the style. (15/20)

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dogfish Head Brewery Romantic Chemistry IPA American IPA at 7.2% ABV | 40 IBU (US$3.67 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 3-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 5-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, good retention and spotty lacing. (4/5) Aroma: ginger, tropical & stone fruit, caramel, pine. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter, mild spice. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

I wouldn’t call this a complete success: it’s got exactly the character the label notes would imply (mango, apricot, and ginger) but I’m left wondering why. The ginger is fairly dominant on the nose, and the overall impression is one of cedar or a similar aromatic wood, which isn’t exactly the first thing one would think to try for in an IPA. It’s well-implemented overall, I guess, but is just not a flavour profile that works especially well for me. (14/20)

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Stone Brewing Company Exalted IPA American IPA at 7% ABV | 68 IBU (US$2.09 at Specs Main Houston, 355 ml, packaged on 16-Jan-2018, acquired 3-Mar-2018, reviewed 4-Mar-2018)

Appearance: clear pale amber with one fat finger of rocky pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: bright citrus, resiny pine, light caramel, floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration finish. (4/5)

Nice. Solid example of Citra hops, with a light floral backing that I’m attributing to the Loral hops. (I’m not overly familiar with Loral, so that’s a bit of speculation on my part.) Nothing earth-shattering, but decent enough. (16/20)

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com