Friday Beer O'clock Selections

 

Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection 5-6-2011

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This week's Beer O'Clock Selection is from a local favorite brewer, Samuel Adams Brewery, right here in Boston, MA. Latitude 48 I.P.A. is part of their Brew Master's Collection. I have not had this before and I've seen it on the shelves a few times now and while I almost reached for, I always opted for something a little more "different". Not sure what d"different" means, but probably something along the lines of less familiar - Sam Adams is almost analogous to Boston. Last week a friend, Stephen Dill (@srdill) asked me if I had tried it yet, and having not, I figured it's about time. I'm raising this one to you Stephen!!

From the Bottle: Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere.  The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character.

Appearance: The pour rolled into my pint glass with a brilliant golden brown amber color forming a thick cream-colored two finger head. Retention was good and eventually broke down to a consistent thin foam layer across the surface with a thick frothy collar. Lacing is super thick and completely coats of the sides of the glass.

Aroma: Fresh piney bitter hops on top with rich malt thrown on for good measure. Theres also a mild spicy sweetness underneath - caramel and cinnamon?

Taste: Mild refreshing sweetness sneaks in just before the piney hops take control. Getting some bready crust in here as well. The end is a fairly strong hop flavor finaly finishing with a dry bitterness. BUT, the mild sweetness takes some of the edge off the bitter finish, usual for an IPA. Personally I think it a nice touch and adds to the drinkability. Finish lingers with moderate bitterness.

Feel: Medium body fits nicely here. Carbonation is consistent, with a moderate bite, just enough to accommodate the bitterness.  Finish is dry and leaves a little bit of a film at the back of the mouth and tongue.

Drinkability: Very High!! I find this to be very easy to drink (I'm on my second as I writ this). It's a clean, crisp well balanced, refreshing IPA. If you've read any of my previous reviews, you'll know IPA is not my favorite, so that has to count for something - right?

So that's it! There's my opinion. But what really matter is yours! What do you think about this brew?

Filed under  //   IPA   Sam Adams  
Posted May 6, 2011 by Ed Stafford 
 

Sierra Nevada 2010 Celebration Fresh Hop Ale - Friday Beer O'clock Selection 12-03-2010

Let me start this week's Beer O'Clock Selection by saying "Wow, what an amazing week", and I mean that. In addition to scoring two more bottles of the epic Stone 10 10 10 Vertical Epic, something I had lost hope for finding more of, this week's selection is another winner.

This week I picked up some of Sierra Nevada's 2010 Celebration Fresh Hop Ale. I was looking for a nice winter seasonal and the label on this is all about the season with snow covered log cabin and pine trees decorated with a frame of Poinsettias.

From the label, this brew is described as:

...A special ale for the holidays. Featuring the first hops of the growing season, this pioneering IPA is full of complex flavors and aromas from the generous use of whole cone american hops.

ABV: 6.8%

Appearance:

Poured with a warm slightly hazy copper color, forming a mountainous 3 finger thick foamy cream colored head that has incredible retention. Lacing is also impressive coating the sides of the glass and holding on for dear life.

Aroma:

Aroma is loaded with pine and citrus (grapefruit) with undertones of bready hop and bits of floral sweetness.

Taste:

Tastes as good as it smells. Right up front is a nice mellow sweetness with caramel malts that quickly gives way to citrus and pine in the middle with plenty of bitter hops in the back. The finish lingers with dominant bitter citrus and strong pine flavor balanced with the slight caramel malt flavors.

Feel:

Even with the moderate carbonated bite, it still "feels" pretty smooth, clean. Lighter side with clean, crisp quality.

Drinkability:

As far as IPAs go, this one ranks way up on the drinkability charts in my opinion (and I'm net a big fan of IPA). I would pop another top on this again (and considering I bought a six, I guess I have no choice).

So there you have it. Like I said, I am not a big fan of IPAs, but this one is excellent.

That's my opinion, but what do you think?

Filed under  //   IPA   Seasonal   Sierra Nevada  
Posted December 3, 2010 by Ed Stafford 
 

Stone IPA - Friday's Beer O'clock Selection for 5-7-2010

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This week's Friday Beer O'Clock Selection is Stone IPA

I've been meaning to try some of Stone Brewery's beers for a while, not only because I've heard good things about their brews, but also because their bottles are designed with Gargoyles on them. Yes, I have a thing for Gargoyles and even have a bit of a collection of the little guys myself.

Anyway, back to the beer.

From the bottle:
Gar*goyle (gar'goil') n.
A fearsome stone figure that has powers to ward off evil spirits. Our Stone Brewing Co. gargoyle wards off modern day evil spirits such as chemical preservatives, additives & adjuncts

Nice!! 

Appearance:
This brew poured into a pilsner glass (yes, I know, technically I should have used a mug) with a nice golden yellow color with just a hint of copper and produced a beautiful fluffy head with great retention and lacing. Carbonation is on the lower side.

Aroma:
Lots of strong hops and citrus (grapefruit) with a bit sweetness in the aroma

Taste:
As the aromas indicate, definitely big hop flavors but blended nice with the malts to take some of the bite out of it allowing a lot of the citrus to come through. Still very hoppy, but pleasant. Good balance across the tounge. Finish is a little on the dry side with a slight bitterness lingering. Again the malts do a nice job of keeping it in check.

Feel:
Medium body with good carbonation. Has an unexpected chewiness to it for an IPA.

Drinkability:
Yup! This is drinkable. Good refreshing IPA well suited for some back yard grilling. Best served chilled.

Filed under  //   IPA   Stone Brewing  
Posted May 7, 2010 by Ed Stafford 
 

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection

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This week's Beer O'Clock Selection is Dogfish Head's 90 Minute Imperial IPA.

Available year round, this is considered "perhaps the best I.P.A. in America" brewed to be savored from a snifter.

From http://www.dogfish.com:

A big beer with a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate.

90 Minute IPA was our first continually-hopped beer, which is a method of hopping that allows for a pungent, but not crushing hop flavor. Since introducing the world to the continual-hopping method with our 90 Minute IPA, we've since released a continually-hopped 60 Minute IPA, 120 Minute IPA and even a 75 Minute IPA (a cask-conditioned blend of 60 & 90 Minute IPAs).

In addition to the continual-hopping 90 Minute IPA receives during the boil, we also utilize our 'Me So Hoppy' device to dry-hop the beer during conditioning (check it out in the video below).

First Impression. This is my first experience with the Dogfish Head brews.

Apearance:
This brew rolled into the glass with a brilliant amber/copper color forming a 2-3 finger head with good retention. Turbidity is on the lower side providing a nice clean view through the glass.

Aroma:
It presents a nice sweet malty aroma with hints of citrus and lots of hops. Mmmmmm..

Taste:
It has some weight to it and I'd call it somewhere on the high medium bodied end. Bitter hops and sweet malts are balanced nicely, and the 9% alcohol is nicely hidden, but I pick up a little bit more acidity that I'd like to.

Flavor overall is pretty hoppy, but well balanced and much bigger that expected from the initial aromas. Finish is a little dry and slightly bitter, but well done.

Overall:
It's a winner. I like this one and look forward to trying other brews from Dogfish Head.

Filed under  //   Ale   Dogfish Head   IPA  
Posted April 2, 2010 by Ed Stafford