The Barley Blog: A Beer Blog » hoppy

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

BarleyBlog — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:18:57 +0000

I’ve only had the opportunity to try a couple of Harpoon’s brews (IPA, UFO Hefeweizen and Summer Beer), all of which were quite tasty. When I finally spied one of their Leviathan Series on the shelf the other day all, however, all thoughts of my previous encounters with the company were obliterated. I’ve been on the look out for their Imperial IPA for some time, but haven’t until now been able to find it.

Reading up on the beer, I was pleased to read that Harpoon “…used copious amounts of a variety of hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo at various points during the boil…” and then decided to dry hop at a rate of “… over 1lb…” per barrel. If that’s not mouth watering I don’t know what is.

Appearance

This Imperial IPA pours a golden amber in color with an inviting, massive white head — it faded very slowly leaving a resilient lacing along the inside of the glass.

Aroma

Heavenly notes of hops, citrus, grapefruit and pine mix with a peppery spiciness and sweetness. There’s a slight bit of alcohol in the nose.

Taste

Wow. At first you’re hit with dominating hop bitterness that fades wonderfully as the sweet malt comes in with the finish. I was expecting much more of a bitter character to the brew, but it’s actually quite well balanced and smooth — very smooth. The higher alcohol (~10% ABV) makes its presence known more as the beer warms in the glass.

Overall

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It’s hoppy, citrusy, piney and smooth. The beer’s well balanced nature and flavors make for one hell of a drinking experience. I will most certainly be getting more of this, providing I can still find it.

Rating: 4/5

Founders Centennial IPA

BarleyBlog — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:15:40 +0000

Wow. It’s been far too long since my last proper review/article on the site. Hopefully, we’ll be getting back to regular posting behavior now that some major projects have been delivered at the office.

At any rate… Founders Centennial IPA is a beer that the wife and I have been drinking fairly regularly since spying it on the shelves a couple of months ago. To say it’s tasty would be an understatement. The fact that it’s been in regular rotation is a testament to it’s well rounded flavor.

Appearance

The Centennial pours a light copper in color with a beefy, off-white head that left decent lacing.

Aroma

This one is quite floral with a wonderful citrus presence. A subtle pininess is also in there along with a mouth watering sweetness.

Taste

A great mixture of hope characteristics is the first thing you get from each swallow (piny, citrus, slight bitterness). The brew is well balanced with decent malt notes that wrap up the finish with a not too bitter, lingering flavor. The IPA has the perfect carbonation and body to make this one an easy drinker.

Overall

Reviewing my notes on this one, all I wrote was, “Must get more.” I think I’ll leave it at that.

Rating: 4/5

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

BarleyBlog — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:17:43 +0000

Sweet merciful crap! It’s been a full week since my last review. That’s not cool — not cool at all.

Let’s get back on track with another big beer from Lagunitas Brewing out in California. The latest product from th company to grace my local shop shelves is their Hop Stoopid, a brew that weighs in at 102 IBU and 7.7% ABV. Threatening to “…remove the enamel from one’s teeth,” Hop Stoopid is indeed a burly, hop-fueled monster. Despite it’s dental damage claims, the beer is still easily drinkable and surprisingly smooth.

Appearance

This one pours a relatively clear, golden amber in color with a massive off-white head.

Aroma

Holy fragrant hops Batman! As you would have guessed there is a boatload of hop presence in the nose along with the typical grapefruit and citrus notes. There’s a nice sweetness in there as well that makes this one smell inviting.

Taste

I was surprised to find Hop Stoopid not as annoyingly bitter and as hoppy as I had expected. Lagunitas have done a great job in retaining the hop pucker and dominating over-all hop flavor, yet balance out the brew well with a great, tempered bitterness in the finish. The level of sweetness is at just the right level as it blends nicely with grapefruit, piny and slight pepper notes.

Overall

I was also surprised to read on the label that Hop Stoopid was made with hop extracts. Now, what this has done to the beer’s flavor that whole hops would have done differently, I can’t know — my palette isn’t nearly that refined. What I can tell you is that this is a sweet, hoppy, bitter, yet smooth beer that I need to get more of. Once again, Lagunitas have produced a truly wonderful drinking experience.

Rating: 4/5

Signature Ale – Brewmaster’s Collaboration with Tomme Arthur

BarleyBlog — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:58:56 +0000

The Wegmen’s in our area finally opened up a couple of weeks ago and after letting the initial hysteria die down a bit I took a quick run through their beer section. I found plenty of standard beers I’d had before and a bunch of new stuff that only made my mouth water.

Since I was in a bit of a hurry and they didn’t allow for mixed six packs, I quickly grabbed a set of Bell’s Winter White and a 750 of Signature Ale — a collaboration with Port Brewing’s Tomme Arthur. I didn’t know much about the beer, but I was familiar with Port Brewing and grabbed one. Had the price been lower — much, much lower — I would have gotten a second bottle.

Appearance

Signature Ale poured a bright gold in color with plenty of bubble activity within the glass. The head was thick and very inviting.

Aroma

Billed as a “…complex hybrid of aggressively hopped west coast IPA, combined with traditional Belgian brettanomyces fermentation…” this beer has every aspect you would expect from its description. It smells light and fruity with a healthy does of hops and yeast creating a wonderful aroma. At 8.5% ABV it wasn’t too boozy either.

Taste

Man, this one is tasty. It’s got the fruitiness from the aroma (subtle banana, pear) as well as a complex mix of spices that really compliment the sweeter side of the beer. The hops aren’t as pronounced as I would have expected, but do make an appearance in a well rounded, balanced way. It wasn’t as crisp as I had expected and left a sweet syrupy feel in the mouth with a slightly sour finish.

Overall

I’m absolutely kicking myself that I didn’t drop some more money for a second bottle or that I haven’t been back to see if they have any left. Signature Ale is a wonderful example of a Belgian Strong Ale and only proves what good things can come from a collaboration of this sort. If you can find it, buy it.

Rating: 4.5/5