Life On The Move

Three in one IPA Review

In the past couple of weeks I have had three different IPAs. I also made the hour trek to Tanakaya, the best beer selection in Tokyo. I have been very busy so I am sorry that I have not made a post about these beers until now. I have had three IPAs and one was an utter disaster. But because of my experience, I have to decided to add another number to the EGS, Eddie Gianelloni Scale. Now the scale will be:

1: I must have this beer again soon!! If I see this beer I will buy it on the spot no question. If I see an old lady grab the last one, I will punch her in the stomach, grab the beer and run for the door.

2: Wow what a great beer. I will buy this beer again but if there is a new IPA in stock that I have not had yet, I will be buying both. Maybe I will buy one 22oz bottle just for fun.

3: A good IPA, but there are too many other IPA’s that I would rather have over this one. Pass over the Ruination please!

4: Spat!! I am glad you made an attempt at an IPA, but next time do not be so lacking in the hops department!! Next!

I am a hop head, but I consider a good IPA one that is well balanced in flavor and overall experience. I am not saying that I occasionally do not dash for the super hoppy brews now and again. But I generally prefer a bitter, sweet brew.

With the new scale now in place I bring you the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. This is my third IPA from Dogfish Head and this one was no different from those. Dogfish suggests to use a sniffer to savor this wonderful brew. I agree, but I do not have a sniffer. Instead I use a pint glass chilled to 44 degrees. This IPA weights in at 9% ABV and 90 IBUs.

Once I opened the 90 min I immediately smelled it’s fruity nature. I poured the beer and noticed a flaky sediment mixed in the light gold tasty looking IPA. I smelled again and this time smelled the citrus and sweetness elements of the hops. I took a slow sip trying to absorb all that this beer had to offer. The complicated web of flavors that pounded my tongue was wonderful. At first I noticed the bitters on the outside of my tongue. Then almost right away I was hit with a powerful fruitiness out of left field. I swallowed and took a moment to take it all in. I smiled and dove in for more. This time I payed more attention to the bitterness. This part of the flavor was very nice and smooth. The only way to put it is that the fruitiness and bitterness are a perfect match to the malts used to brew this delicious IPA.

My overall opinion is that this beer is a 2 on the EGS. In other words if this beer is next to a few IPAs I have never had, I will buy one 90 minute and five new IPAs. I enjoyed the whole experience of this beer and loved the English meets American IPA style. Keep them coming Dogfish Head!!!!

A couple of days later I popped open the Lagunitas Maximus IPA. You might recall a month ago I posted about the Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. This IPA is quite different. The Maximus is just that, a very powerful hops experience from start to finish. This beer has an 8.2% ABV and 72 IBUs. I enjoyed this beer in a US pint glass at 43 degrees. When you pour this beer you notice the carbonation right away and a darker hued color than many IPAs. The smell of this brew is very pungent and delightful. The overall smell of this beer is hops on hops. I did not pick up any fruity or citrus in the aroma, but rather more noticeable earthy feel. Once you drink this beer you realize how much hops is present. A smooth hoppiness followed by an earthy undertone was the overall taste at first. But the second sip was hoppier and I was able to take note of the silky feeling of oil coat my mouth.

I give this beer a 3 on the EGS. I really do like this beer and I suggest it to every IPA fan out there. But I usually like an IPA with more going on. I will try this beer again in California in a few weeks at the brewery. Maybe drinking off tap will give me a more balanced experience.

The third IPA I had last week was the Rogue Brutal IPA. I have only had one beer from the Oregon based brewery until now. I enjoyed the Dead Guy Ale in the past and I have heard good things about Rogue’s IPAs. Rogue brews several different IPA’s and for my first I choose to try their flagship. The Brutal is 6% ABV and 59 IBUs.

Overall I was very disappointed. I am not sure if I had a fluke bad experience or I was just not up for this beer, but I was very underwhelmed with the taste of this brew. I was expecting to be exposed to a plethora of flavors and all I took away way is that I can tell people to steer clear of this one. The beer started with a nice light aroma. I thought it was a bit on the softer side for my liking, but I was interested in how this would correlate with the taste. All I could decipher from the taste was a slight bitterness that lasted a few seconds.

I give this beer a 4 on the EGS. I have not hung up my hat on Rogue yet though. I do want to try their Yellow Snow and Portland State IPA’s. I really hope those beers are a bit more eccentric.

Go Drink an IPA!!!!

Dogfish Head 90 min and Lagunitas Maximus IPAs

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 at 1:13 pm. It is filed under Uncategorized and tagged with baby, family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.