Three Floyd's Fantabulous Resplendence XI Anniversary

Beer: Three Floyd's Fantabulous Resplendence XI Anniversary
Brewery Location: Munster, IN
Beer Style: American IPA
ABV: 7%


I can't believe a year has passed already since the first Fantabulous came out last year. I had heard it was out in Chicago, but didn't know it was around Indianapolis already, and got lucky when I went to the store, because a whole case of it was sitting on the floor just waiting to be put on the shelf. I've got one bottle of the X anniversary left, but that was a DIPA and could hold up to aging, but I won't be aging this years offering because of the lower ABV. Everyone who reads this blog knows that I am a fan of FFF's, and was excited to give another one of their beers a try.

I will also preface this by saying that you should try and have this as close to cellar temp as possible. It really opened up at that point and was a much better drinking experience. It was too cold when I served it and everything was quite muted, but it really opened up as it warmed.

This beer pours a light copper color with a small one fingers worth of head, and it didn't really leave any lacing on my glass. The smell is a nice change of pace from FFF's. The hops are still there quite a bit, just not hit you in the face boldness. I get plenty of floral hops in the bouquet, earthyness, pine, and a bit of pineapple and grapefruit. The flavor profile starts off with a good dose of earthy bitterness quickly followed by the citrus fruit upfront. The malt really comes out nicely to balance out the bitterness. The malt has plenty of caramel and soft toffee notes for balance. I do get a bit of a bitter tea like flavor in the finish. This beer was brewed with jasmine, (unconfirmed, but that is the rumor) but I can't really say if that is the flavor I am picking up on. I think it is a nice mix of flavors that compliment each other quite well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just about the perfect amount of carbonation. I do pick up the bitter tea/tannin flavor strongly in the finish, but the alcohol is well hidden. The drinkability is quite nice on this beer and well balanced. I will be having my other bottle in the near future.

I like how this showcased some more range out of FFF's. This isn't an over the top hop-bomb, but a well crafted and balanced beer. The herbs they used in the brew really come out and compliment the hops better than I would have thought they would. My only real complaint about this beer is the price. It was $11.99 for a bomber of this beer. That is pushing my limit for a regular IPA, but since it was a limited brew I gave it a shot. Enjoy it while you can find it around town.

Here is also another write up from a blog-o-sphere friend. Generik's Tap.

Cheers!
Matt

Green Flash West Coast Imperial IPA

Beer: Green Flash West Coast Imperial I.P.A.
Brewery Location: Vista, CA
Beer Style: American DIPA
ABV: 9%



I am not sure what my blog holds for the future, but I've joined the Hoosier Beer Geeks, and will be doing postings over there as well. My individual beer format doesn't really fit in over there, so I think I will continue to post those here, but any beer news, trips, or events will be housed over there. My whole intention of this blog is simply to help me train my palate and taste some pretty damn good (and sometimes awful) beer. I am happy to hear that some people have gotten something out of this blog at one point or another, and if you haven't, well I can't give you back any minutes of your life.

You know I love my West Coast IPA's and DIPA's, and this one is well respected among West Coast DIPA's. I personally traded for this bottle, but if you find yourself in Ohio it is distributed there, as well as Chicago, and if you really want this beer you can buy it have it shipped to your directly at Liquid Solutions. I've used LS on a number of occasions and they are a great operation.

This is my very first beer from Green Flash.

It pours a wonderful golden hue with a huge billowing three fingered head on it. This had great head retention until almost my last sip, and left decent spotty lacing on my pint glass. The nose is no surprise for a San Diego style DIPA. It has loads of fresh citrus fruit leaning towards mostly grapefruit with pine and a certain earthiness that comes through, but not with much potency, and I think that works well for this offering. This is a very pleasing nose to this hop-head. The flavor profile almost does a 180 though. The pine and earthiness that was more muted in the nose comes out full force upon first sip with plenty of bitterness and pine needles. The citrus flavor comes in about mid-drink with plenty of grapefruit and tropical fruit into the finish. The malt tried to come in, but just didn't have the power to get over the hops. The mouthfeel is bordering on full bodied with low carbonation, and the warming alcohol is quite well hidden. The drinkability is also very good on this beer for one bomber, and I would most likely split this with someone if I had another bottle of it.

This was a pretty good beer overall, but it wouldn't crack my top DIPAs. I would have liked to see a bit more malt on this offering, and slightly more carbonation for my liking. I certainly wouldn't say no to this beer again though, and would purchase more of it most likely if available in Indiana.

Cheers!
Matt

Lagunitas Brewing Hop Stoopid

Beer: Lagunitas Brewing Hop Stoopid
Brewery Location: Petaluma, CA
Beer Style: Double IPA
ABV: 8.2%


It is getting hotter outside and there is nothing better to me than a tasty IPA or DIPA on a warm day. If it is downright hot though I prefer a pale wheat ale if I am going to be outside. In any case I got a bottle of this brew in a trade recently, but I know it is available in Illinois and Ohio. I heard a rumor once about a year ago that Lagunitas was coming to Indiana, but I haven't seen it anywhere as of yet. I've had a few beers from Lagunitas, but this is my first IPA from them. I've had their Lumpy Gravy and Censored Ale. I really enjoyed the Lumpy Gravy, but wasn't much of a fan of the Censored Ale.

Hop Stoopid pours a light golden amber color with a small, but tight white head. It did leave sheets of lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The nose is very vibrant with fresh scents of pine, citrus fruit, and candy sugar. I don't get much malt in the nose, but just loads of fresh hops. The flavor profile is dominated by sticky pine and orange peel. I also get plenty of grapefruit in there, but the pine stays as the most dominant hop flavor. The sweet malt comes into play only slightly and is pushed around by the floral hops, and it never quite makes itself fully known. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly creamy with no alcohol on the mouth. The drinkability is top-notch and I would gladly buy more of this beer if I am able to get any more.

This beer does not have enough malt bite to be a DIPA though I personally don't think, but I am not going to split hairs on this one. This beer is very tasty, clean, and a very refreshing IPA. This was about perfect sitting outside on a warm day enjoying spring.

Cheers!
Matt

Port Brewing Hop 15

Beer: Port Brewing Hop 15
Brewery Location: San Marcos, CA
Beer Style: Double IPA
ABV: 10%


My first offering from Port Brewing was the Wipeout IPA which I thought was very tasty, and this is a DIPA from them, so I am pretty excited to give this beer a try. I've been hooked on California IPA's and DIPA's thus far this spring. I liked the artwork on the front of this bottle. It is a squadron of bombers dropping hop bombs into a pint glass. This beer was named as a 15th Anniversary beer and uses 15 types of hops added to the boil every 15 minutes. I split this bottle with my best friend Kevin at his place.

Hop 15 pours a hazy golden deep copper color with a small but dense off-white head with minimal carbonation. It already looks like I am going to enjoy this DIPA. This beer left sheets of lacing for the entire beer. The scent is first dominated by oily hops with scents of candied grapefruit, orange zest, and earthy grassy notes. I can smell the caramel sweet malt coming to life more as the beer warmed a bit. The flavor profile is at first very heavy on the hop bitterness with each drink bringing on tastes of pine, grapefruit, and fresh orange peel. The malt does come into play here, but never quite balances out the hop bitterness with just a slight touch of sweet malt. The mouth feel is smooth and medium bodied with a touch of alcohol in the mouth as well. Drink ability is a also very good, but one bomber was enough for me for the time being.

I think this is another really great beer from Port Brewing. I wouldn't call it by any means my favorite DIPA, but it is well worth seeking out again. If you are a hop-head you should at least try and get your hands on a bottle of this beer.

Cheers!
Matt

Victory Brewing Company Hop Devil

Beer: Victory Brewing Hop Devil
Brewery Location: Downingtown, PA
Beer Style: American IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 6.7%


I am working my way through about six offerings from Victory Brewing right now, and I've heard and read some great things about this beer, so I was pretty excited to give it a try.

This beer pours a deep amber with one finger of white head. This is a deeper color than most other IPA's I've encountered. It does leave very good lacing on my pint glass. Hops are the only thing I smell on this beer, but that isn't really a good thing. The hop scent is rather muted and not as bold as I was expecting. I don't really pick up any other secondary scents as well. The taste is very sweet upfront with a bit of caramel before the hops take over and assert themselves, but the hops fizzle out rather quickly and leave a tea-bitterness for the rest of the beer. I am rather unsatisfied with each passing drink. The mouthfeel is rather thin, but there is quite a bit of astringency that normally isn't found on IPA's.

Overall, this was a big miss for me. I am a big hop-head, but this one fizzled out, wasn't well balanced, and the astringency wasn't expected either. This beer is so highly regarded by the masses, and I am wondering what I am missing here. I am going to try it again if I make it down to Jungle Jim's and see if it was just an off bottle.

Cheers!
Matt

Growing Your Own Hops

I am going to take a shot at growing my owns hops this year.  I know my first year will not yeild big results, but I am hoping my second growing season will yield some good results. 

I've got to admit I am not much of a gardener, but I've been reading that hop plants will grow just about anywhere, and with just a little TLC, they will grown with minimal supervision.

I am going to order them from Northern Brewer, but does anyone else have suggestions or comments about growing your own hops? 

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

Beer: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA
Brewery Location: Easton, PA
Beer Style: Double IPA
Serving Style: Bottle
ABV: 9.0%


I've been trying to get my hands on this beer for a little while now. It is found in Ohio, but as far as I know it is unavailable here in Indiana. I just received some in a trade.

Simcoe hops are a relative newcomer to the hop arena. It is a hybrid of hops that was made with a very high alpha-acid content, 12%+, and would impart strong bitterness without heavy harshness on the palate. According to Weyerbacher Brewing simcoe hops are a registered trademart of Select Botanicals. The bottle even shows that the word simcoe has been trademarked. I've heard so much hype about this beer, and I can't wait to give it a try.

Pours a deep amber hue with slight rustic orange highlights. A decent sized creamy head showed itself very briefly and settled into a thin blanket of head that stayed for the whole beer. This beer leaves big sheets of lacing on the walls of my pint glass. The floral notes in the nose are intense for this offering. Heavy scents of wooded pine, grapefruit rind, a certain earthiness that is associated with Amsterdam. The first flavors bring on a dry pine bitterness offset with a sweet caramel malt base and secondary flavors of citrus and orange rind. This is unlike, in a good way, any other DIPA I've tasted as of yet. This beer is medium bodied with medium carbonation on the mouthfeel, and does leave a very dry sensation on the finish. The alcohol is only slightly noticeable. The drinkability is very nice on this beer, and I would gladly purchase again.

If you like IPA's, but do not like the harshness of most DIPA's, this is the beer for you. The pine flavor is very heavy but is in no way cloying. I do have to say though that the bark of this beer is bigger than its bite. The nose outperforms the flavor on this beer, but having said that, overall it is a great offering. If this were available here in Indiana I would drink this often.

Cheers!
Matt