5 State IPA Challenge

What started off as a night planned to watch hockey, soon turned into a cross country beer tasting.  Since my beloved Canucks' game wasn't televised, a quick raid of one of four well stocked beer fridges led to a handful of IPAs to try from my recent travels.

Outlaw IPA from Two Brothers Brewing in Illinois.

www.twobrothersbrew.com

Malty and lightly citrus, this beer didn't come across as hoppy as us Northwesterners would have liked.  Clean, crisp, and easy drinking, we quickly finished the can.

Vortex IPA from Fort George Brewery in Oregon.

www.fortgeorgebrewery.com

A deep copper hue with a gentle hop foam greeted my first sip.  Substantially hoppy with a strong malt backbone, this 7.7% IPA surprised us with it's tastiness.

Furious from Surly Brewing in Minnesota.

www.surlybrewing.com

An amber colored pint with minimal head, this malt forward beer with definite citrus notes didn't seem as hoppy as the 99 IBUs would suggest.  Chewy with Scottish malts, this IPA finished fast leaving you wanting more.

Hop Whoopin' IPA from O'So Brewing in Wisconsin

www.osobrewing.com

When I see the words "intense, freakish, obnoxious, excessive, and deranged" on a beer label, I expect one hell of a beast.  O'So did not disappoint.  This 95 IBU hop bomb from America's Dairyland delivered an impressive amount of bitter citrus hops to please two well seasoned hopheads.  

Warrior IPA from Left Hand Brewing in Colorado.

www.lefthandbrewing.com

Chocked full of fresh Cascade hops from the Centennial State, this once a year IPA is a different animal.  Fresh hops in an IPA is like coffee added to a stout:  the flavor is intensified and the malt exaggerated.  This IPA is a Rocky Mountain treasure.

Cal's: Kent's Beer Destination

With a plethora of dining options in this southeast Seattle city, one might overlook the newest addition to Kent Station's lineup.  I sure did.  Bar tables with taps, wood fired pizza, and fries with tasty rub options, Cal's offers a true tavern experience.

On both of my visits this month, I had a difficult time resisting their BBQ chicken pizza and pints of 7 Seas Ballz Deep Double IPA.  Seeing one of my favorite brews on tap from the boys in Gig Harbor was a treat.  Pair that with impeccable pizza and there you have it: perfection.  

calsclassic.com
7seasbrewing.com

What's Brewing? Outlander Brewery & Pub

Located in the bustling Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Outlander Brewery and Pub seems almost quaintly nestled away.  On a tip from a reliable beer lover, I headed up to see what all the buzz was about.

Greeted with Dragan's friendly smile and a beer board full of goodies to try, I started off with the Hop Bomb and Oatmeal Stout.  While initially disappointed to see only one IPA on tap, I quickly changed my tune.  Outlander's Hop Bomb, weighing in at 9% ABV, was superb.  Strong hops throughout, with a smooth yet noticeable malt structure, made this my favorite of the night.  The Oatmeal Stout poured a dark black pint.  Hints of dry oatmeal led to a balanced palette pleaser.  With the crew chomping at the bit to go on a brewery tour, we filled our glasses once more and headed downstairs.  This time, I tried the That's What's Up Brown and Smash Nelson Pale.  The Brown was slightly sweet but extremely easy drinking.  The Pale had pleasant citrusy notes. 

 

Now that we were all well hydrated, the brewer, Nigel, led us on a late night tour of their facility.  A homebrewer gone pro, he explained how they made it happen.  Brewing every other day while rarely repeating their recipes earned them some serious street cred in my book.  Even though Outlander only opened their doors a few months ago, it is difficult to get a seat in their converted house pub on the weekends.  That being said, an expansion to use the second floor for seating is in the works.

By definition, an outlander is a stranger or foreigner.  Ironically, their namesake is the exact opposite feel of the place.  Dragan and Nigel are a couple of down to Earth guys that just happen to make some pretty tasty beer.  Stop by, chat them up, and have a pint for me.

outlanderbrewing.com

Beer Review: Red Riser IRA

Very seldom do I waiver from ordering an IPA.  Yesterday's visit to the Olympic Club in Centralia, WA, lunch with Mom at one of the few McMenamin's not in Oregon, was one of those times.
The overzealous bartender suggested trying the IRA (India Red Ale), which he described as a Red IPA.  While his excitement didn't carry over to my Mom's order of some Sangria-like concoction, he continued to explain that people have been flocking to this brew since its release just a week prior.  Beautiful red hue and a substantial hop aroma met me on my first sip.  With 98 IBUs, this IRA was definitely not lacking in the hop department.  Rich, malty, and perfectly bitter through and through, I couldn't stop thanking the beerman for the suggestion.  

www.mcmenamins.com

Brew Day: Spruce Ale

Inspired by the Alaskan Winter Ale from my Winter Beer Month challenge, as well as having an obvious need to dispose of an expired Christmas tree, experimental brewing with spruce was a necessity.  Unbeknownst to this hophead, spruce was used before hops to bitter beer hundreds of years ago.  In fact, Benjamin Franklin's own beer recipe featured spruce tips and molasses, in lieu of hops and barley.  With the help of some able bodied future beer lovers, I started this creation with plenty of greenery.

Since molasses once made the beers of our founding fathers, I figured that doing a partial mash with the addition of LME would be the way to go.  The aroma of this evergreen would need to pair well with a piney hop: enter Mr. Simcoe.  Using the grain bill of my IPA with a scaled back hopping schedule, Spruceski Brewski was born.

Spruceski Brewski 
Batch size: 10 gallons

Grains
3 lbs Crystal 60L
2 lbs CaraPils
2 lbs Wheat
Mash at 152 degrees for 30 minutes

20 lbs pale LME

Boil
60 min: 2 oz Simcoe
30 min: 2 oz Simcoe
15 min: Irish Moss
10 min: 20 oz of spruce 
0 min: 2 oz Simcoe

Yeast
(3) Danstar American West Coast Dry 97 yeast packets

OG: 1073

Helpful hints:
* Make sure to smell all the evergreens that you use.  If you don't like the smell, you won't like the taste.
* Put all the needles and branches in a large mesh bag for the boil.  It makes cleanup a lot easier.
* For a lower octane beer, decrease LME by 6 lbs and only use two yeast packets.

Afternoon Delight: Northwest Brewing Company

What could be better than a brewery within a ten minute against traffic drive from my daily grind?  Northwest Brewing Company, previously Trade Route Brewing, located in a Pacific, WA industrial park is just the place to wait out your commute on any given afternoon.
At 4pm, the taproom was bustling with people enjoying an after work pint.  My choice, of course, was their Hoppy Bitch IPA.  Cleverly named and well executed, this Northwest IPA is hoppy in all the right places.  With 80 IBUs all from Eastern Washington hops, it goes without saying that this girl gave it two thumbs up.  Hops not your thing?  Be sure to try their Mango Weizen and Joker Amber Ale.

www.nwbrewingcompany.com

Finally, Day 31 of WBM

December 31:  Teach me to do a 31 day beer month challenge.  Winter beers, as I have learned pint after pint, day after day, are as varied as the winter night is long.  Whether malty or spicy or hoppy or dark, I enjoyed nearly every beer.  To round out the month for this hophead, I made sure to go out with a hop bomb.
Lompoc Brewing: C-Sons Greetings
With the dilemma of either going to get my allergy shots or enjoying this final beer of 2012, you know I made the better choice.  This 8% ABV Imperial IPA out of Portland, Oregon features all seven of the "C" hops.  Dark amber, spot on hoppy aroma, and complex flavor was exactly what I needed to start my New Year's celebration.