Bitter without the resin that seems to lift hops out of just plain bitterness. Missing the malt backbone.
Would not drink again.
Category Archives: IPA
magbo system
Murasaki Dragon by Alley Kat Brewing Co.
Dear @alleykatbeer, please never stop making this beer. #yegbeer #drinkagain (via Untappd)
I posted that in all seriousness. I want to support Alley Kat more than I do, but to date the only beer I’ve wanted to pursue was the extremely limited run of Fresh Hop Full Moon Pale Ale. If my appreciation for hops wasn’t apparent to you before, it should be now.
One of my favorite beers from the last few years is Sorachi Ace from Brooklyn Brewery. That beer introduced me to the hop that Alley Kat used in Murasaki Dragon. The biggest difference between these two beers would probably be aggression. Brooklyn brewed a Saison, while Alley Kat produced a double IPA (or DIPA) with somewhere north of 75 IBU. This beer has what most of Alley Kat’s lineup is missing in my opinion, which is some teeth.
This means that in Murasaki Dragon you’ll get all the good stuff you’re looking to find in an IPA. It smells piney and lemony. The colour is gorgeous. And while the hops are obvious when it first hits your palette, you can catch up with some malt in the middle and there is enough fruity sweetness to carry it through to a nice but dry finish.
Alley Kat has this listed as a limited run beer, but I’m willing to start a petition and possibly even chain a close friend to some sort of barrier in protest if they don’t find a way to continue production of this beer. I believe that it stands head and shoulders above any other beer being brewed in Edmonton currently.
After that initial post on Untapped, I made sure I would drink this again. I bought a case of it. Alley Kat, if you keep making it, I’ll keep buying it and drinking it. Again and again.
Back in Black
21st Amendment brewery is named after the repeal of prohibition, and being opinionated themselves they brew opinionated beer. This one is a black IPA, which as far as I can tell just means that it’s an IPA with a bit more toasty malt to round out the flavour. It’s got a big, friendly grapefruit opening, with a bit of a bitter finish.
Would I drink it again? Hell, yes; I am right now!
De Molen, Lentehop
Lentehop is an American style IPA, from a Dutch brouwerij (brewery) called De Molen. Like many great beers from that part of the world, it’s brewed in an old mill a mere 171 years older than Canada. Unlike many of those beers, it’s own history spans a little over a single decade. While it’s housings might give it instant credibility I’m inclined to criticize, brewers here in Canada should take note. Specifically Molson, who sold Molson House, a 50 year old fort near my house in Edmonton rather than making use of it in what would have easily been the most interesting place to drink in Alberta. But I digress.
Lentehop. It pours cloudy and golden, with a fairly substantial head. There is very little nose, just a hint of hops. I taste hops, certainly, but also some light citrus and pine. This IPA is surprisingly refreshing and fairly crisp.
I probably won’t go hunting specifically for it, but I would drink Lentehop from De Molen again.
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (2012)
Dogfish Head describes this beer as “boiled for a full two hours while being continuously hopped with high-alpha American hops, then dry-hopped daily in the fermenter for a month and aged for another month on whole-leaf hops!”
Given that, what’s amazing is that it is almost completely lacking in bitterness. It’s smooth, immensely strong, and flavorful. The flavour is unlike any other beer. So hoppy it’s … sweet? Almost malty, even.
Yes.
A thousand times yes.
Or, at least, two more times for the two bottles I’ve laid down to age until 2013. Whereupon I’ll probably write about them, too.
Nickelbrook Headstock IPA
Fremont Homefront IPA
Fremont Brewing’s Homefront IPA is a beer for a cause; a charity dedicated to US Military veterans. It’s “A full-bodied Northwest IPA brewed with oranges and aged on Louisville Slugger™ Bats”. This seems more gimmicky than tasty, but Fremont is a good local brewery, so here we go!
The beer is a delight to the nose, but it definitely does not live up to the initial promise. It’s a serviceable IPA, mind you; smooth and easy-drinking. It just falls short of the floral intensity of its aroma.
Would I drink it again? Yes, but Fremont has better beers, so it’ll be an occasional thing at best.
Garrison Imperial IPA
As you can see from the Garrison Brewing site itself, this IPA has won Beer of the Year twice at the Canadian Brewing Awards. If you check other beer review sites, you’ll see some decent ratings. All of this leads up to a really nice review here. Or at least it should. Besides, shouldn’t I be pro Canadian beer?
I fancy myself an IPA lover. I’m always eager to try a new one. The Garrison Imperial just didn’t measure up for me. I didn’t even find it overly hoppy. While some great IPAs come across as complex, this just came across as confused.
My advice would be to check out something from Brew Dog like their Hardcore IPA, or even track down the Jockamo we reviewed here in October 2011.
As for the Garrison Imperial IPA, I probably won’t drink it again. Especially with so many great IPA’s popping up all over the place these days.
Abita Jockamo IPA
Let me begin with a general note about beer. I came by this beer under the best circumstances possible. It was gifted me by a good friend who brought it back from lands far south of us. The only proper thing to do at that point is to share it, which I didn’t do then so that I could share this with you now.
This is a pretty clean and well balanced IPA. It pours smoothly with very little head, and the colour is an impressive copper.
I taste both the malt and the hops here, the former presenting with some caramel and coffee leaning towards a roasted flavor while the later lends some spice and a bit of resin. The are some subtle fruit tones that I really appreciate as well. It finished with slight bitterness that I like in an IPA. Again, I need to mention how well balanced this beer is.
I would gladly drink this again, given the opportunity. It’s not often I get my hands on a craft beer from Louisiana up here in Canada.