Finally Pliny! Review #10 - Russian River Pliny the Elder

Posted by: Stonecipher

Mar. 28, 2011

Finally!  A Russian River Pliny the Elder!  I have been to the top of the mountain and I have seen the Pliny!  Seriously, I pretty much had to go to the top of a mountain to finally get my hands and taste buds on this thing.  After a brutal disappointment at the Falling Rock Tap House in Denver earlier this week, the woman and I trekked up Highway 36 to Estes Park, Colorado.  Our target was a pizza place called Poppy’s that was rumored to have the Pliny on tap along with some outstanding pizza.

Before getting into this review, though, I need to say a few words about Poppy’s – it was downright awesome.  In fact, I believe that for many years this will be one of the more memorable experiences I’ve ever had at a restaurant. 

For starters, Russian River’s Pliny the Elder was actually on tap at Poppy’s and it was brought out to us by Rob, the owner of Poppy’s.  He asked if we had ever tried it before and when we told him we had not he spent about five minutes talking to us about it.  One of the things he wanted us to take note of, aside from the spectacular aroma, was the color.  He loved the color of the Pliny and really wanted us to appreciate it.  We did. 

This, of course led to more beer conversation and to make a long-story-short, after finishing our fantastic dinner Rob stopped back at the table and spent about 20 minutes with us talking beer and bringing out samples of some of his favorites.  He helped us narrow our dessert beer down to two Barley Wines and when we finally settled on one, he brought out a bottle of the other for us to take home. 

Since you may be wondering, the Barley Wine we drank in the restaurant was Moylan’s Old Blarney Barleywine, a tough beer to find, and it was outstanding.  The other was a Canadian Barley Wine called Solstice d'hiver from a Montreal's Brasserie Dieu du Ciel.  Anyhow, enough back story, here’s some specs on Russian River’s Pliny the Elder before we begin the review:

ABV: 8.0%

IBUs: 100

Brewery Location: Santa Rosa, California

Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale

Average Beer Advocate Rating: A+/4.59 – World Class

My Beer Advocate Rating: A+/4.53 – World Class

Current Number of Reviews/Rank in the Top 20 on Beer Advocate: 1,999/4th

Brewery Description: Pliny the Elder

Bottled On: NA

APPEARANCE: (4 out of 5)  The Pliny was poured into a couple of tulip glasses and just as Rob instructed, we took note of the gorgeous, orange and ever so slightly hazy color.  The head was not enormous, but bubbles continued to flit to the top of the glass throughout the pint making the beer look very lively.  The lacing was solid with a thick wall of lace on the opposite side of the glass.

SMELL:  (5 out of 5) I know that at some point in my beer reviewing past I claimed that some other beer was the best beer I had ever smelled.  Before I tried a Pliny I remembered what that beer’s name was.  Now if anyone asks what’s the best smelling beer I’ve ever had there will be no hesitation or pause to think – the answer is clearly Russian River’s Pliny the Elder.  As my notes say, the Pliny “…smells like flowers.  Like delicious, hoppy, magic flowers.”  I had my nose in the glass for about five minutes before taking my first sip and I kept sticking it back in throughout both glasses I had.

TASTE: (4.5 out of 5) The Pliny takes the palate on precisely the balanced ride that it is supposed to go on with every Double IPA it encounters.  It may sound odd to say, but Pliny the Elder is a very technically sound DIPA.  Starting out sweet and piney the hops kick in towards the end of the sip along with strong floral flavors and a hint of honey.  Elegant is Pliny the Elder in a word, at no point does it taste too sweet or too bitter.  It is a near perfectly balanced beer. 

MOUTHFEEL:  (4 out of 5) As I mentioned above, bubbles continuously floated to the top of the glass throughout the entire pint and that kept the beer lively during the whole experience.  It was certainly better carbonated than many DIPAs, but it also had a slightly oily feel to it.

OVERALL:  (4.5 out of 5) I am very happy I was finally able to track down a couple of pints.  The hype is well-deserved, but may have also served to disappoint me just a bit.  This is everything a Double IPA, and in my mind, a beer should be - almost perfect balance with an absolutely spectacular nose, but not quite the life-changing event some have made it out to be.  That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this beer and it would have been easy to keep drinking this stuff all night.

DRAWBACKS: There are very few holes to poke in Pliny the Elder’s quality, but I will say it was not quite as exciting as I thought it would be.  While I appreciate the accuracy and precision with which Russian River crafted this Double India Pale Ale, it did not become my favorite beer ever.  It may very well have been the best beer I have ever had, just not my personal favorite, which is what I was expecting from all of the hype.  My favorite beer needs to have something distinctive, something that sets it apart from the rest. 

SOUND:  Some of the most technically sound music I have ever heard has come from James Brown and his musicians.  One particular song that stood out to me as one of the finest examples of the Godfather of Soul’s talent and precision was “Give it Up or Turn it Loose” – a perfect song to sum up the same precision that is Pliny the Elder.

Can Anyone Beat this Selection of American Craft Beers at the Moment?

Posted by: Stonecipher

March 30, 2011

A string of excellent luck, hard work and perseverance over the past month and a half have suddenly led me to have all of this:

This is certainly the best lineup I have ever had at one time.  I fought hard for the KBS, I searched high and low for the Pliny, I traveled over 2,000 miles to bring the Consecration, Oak Aged Yeti and G'Knight home and I schmoozed the right people here in Chicago to get all the Bourbon County stuff.  Funny that it all happened to show up at roughly the same time.

EDIT: For the record, I forgot to include The Abyss in the picture.

I'm curious to hear what everyone else has, if anyone thinks they can best this current collection.

I do have a lot more beer at the moment, multiples of many of these and plenty more from all the breweries represented, but I thought these were the best examples of the most impressive beers out there at the moment.  In case anyone is wondering, here is the list from left to right:

FRONT ROW:
Russian River - Pliny the Elder
Founders - Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Founders - Double Trouble
Lagunitas - Hop Stoopid
Avery - Maharaja
Great Divide - Oak Aged Yeti
Great Divide - Old Ruffian
Russian River - Consecration
Oskar Blues - G'Knight
Goose Island - Bourbon County Brand Stout

BACK ROW:
Goose Island - Rare Bourbon County Stout
Goose Island - Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Stout

Review #9 - Lagunitas Maximus

Posted by: Stonecipher          

Mar. 27, 2011

A couple of weeks ago I had a rare moment on my own to stop in at one of my favorite local beer bars – Prarie Moon in Evanston, IL.  I have probably consumed more of Lagunitas’s Hop Stoopid at Prarie Moon than I have at any other place on the planet, so I thought about reviewing that, but given my limited amount of time and the need to function at a fairly high level for many of the remaining hours of the day I decided that a 22 oz. bomber of Hop Stoopid might be a bit much, so I went with the other Lagunitas beer on The List, Maximus.

ABV: 8.2%

IBUs: 72.41

Brewery Location: Petaluma, California

Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale

Average Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.91 – Very Good

My Beer Advocate Rating: B+/3.93 – Very Good

Current Number of Reviews/Rank in the Top 20 on Beer Advocate: 993/13th

Brewery Description: Lagunitas Maximus

Bottled On: NA

APPEARANCE:  (3.5 out of 5) Poured from a 12 oz. bottle a brilliant and crystal clear light copper color with an eighth of an inch head on top.  The bubbles were medium sized and very homogeneous.  They seemed to hang around for a little while, but once the first few disappeared the rest toppled and the whole bubbly structure quickly vanished.  As the surface level dropped in my glass, yet another mysterious case of lacing only showing up on the left and right side of the glass developed.   What made the Lagunitas’s case different was that I did not drink this from a snifter like I did with the other left/right lacers.  This was in a pint glass.

SMELL:  (3.5 out of 5) The Lagunitas Maximus may be a hop bomb, but it is also a malt bomb and that comes through strongly in the nose.  The aroma does fade fast with the lack of head, however, so sniff this one quickly.  A faint smell of grapefruit is noticeable as well. 

TASTE:  (4 out of 5) The sweet, malt flavor erupts on the palate upon impact.  It is intensely malty with a bit of toastiness.  A brown sugar-like flavor is also present and some orange and grapefruit notes creep in on the side and back of the tongue as well.  On the back end, it seems as though the moment you become fully distracted by the sweetness, the hops and their bitterness kick in.  The tail end of this has a strong hop presence, but it is just a short burst of hoppiness and the untrained palate may miss this altogether until the aftertaste, when all 72.41 IBUs kick in.  Wow, that grapefruit really builds too.  By the end of the glass the grapefruit flavor is much more pronounced than it is in the beginning.  Whereas some of the DIPAs reviewed here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights have taken us on a roller coaster ride, the Maximus takes the drinker on a long, slow-coasting ride from one point on the IPA plane to another.

MOUTHFEEL:  (4.5 out of 5) Lively is the first word that comes to mind when drinking the Maximus.  It is well carbonated with tiny bubbles that tickle the tongue on the way down.  Despite the teasing, tickling feel on the way down, the sweetness and the malt do cause this offering from Lagunitas to sit fairly heavy. 

OVERALL:  (4 out of 5) At the time I first reviewed this beer it was one of my all-time favorite beers, but I was not very well versed in the world of Double IPAs.  It is still a fantastic go-to, and although it is certainly worthy of being on The List, it does not particularly stand out when up against a Hopslam, a Burton Baton or a Ruination.  What it boils down to is that the Lagunitas Maximus is just an average best beer in the world - which isn’t too bad.

DRAWBACKS:  The head was a bit weak, but decent retention and halfway decent lacking saved the foam from being too much of an issue.  The smell could be a touch stronger and I would really like to experience the hops for a slightly longer period of time during each sip.  The grapefruit coming on strong towards the end of the glass certainly helps in this regard, but I wish it was more consistent throughout the whole beer.

SOUND:  Something good, but popular, maybe Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.”  Like the grapefruit, you just seem to get more and more into this song as it goes on.  You might not be ready for it or completely be into it at first, but by the end you’re singing along.

Review #8 - Stone Ruination IPA

Posted by: Stonecipher

Mar. 22, 2011

Sometimes when I say tomorrow, I really mean next week, especially when I forget to factor in the fact that it is the week of St. Patrick’s Day and I work at a large Irish Pub in Chicago and that I had a major project due the day before St. Patty’s at my other job. 

Oops. 

Anyhow, as promised in last week’s preview, here’s the full review of the Stone Ruination IPA.  Let’s start with the basics:

ABV: 7.7%

IBUs: 100+

Brewery Location: Escondido, California

Style: American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale

Average Beer Advocate Rating: A/4.29 - Outstanding

My Beer Advocate Rating: A+/4.68 – World Class

Current Number of Reviews/Rank in the Top 20 on Beer Advocate: 2,384/2nd

Brewery Description: Stone Ruination IPA

Bottled On: NA

APPEARANCE:  (3.5 out of 5) The Stone Ruination IPA has an odd color for a Double IPA, most are more copper in color, but the Ruination pours a pale yellow.  A bubbly and light head rests on top of it and, as if its name were Rover, it sits and stays…and stays.  The excellent head retention, however, only results in minimal lacing, which is a big disappointment.

SMELL: (4 out of 5) In general, I prefer a very strong and in your face aroma, but the smell wafting up from the glass of Ruination is more like a subtle warning to the palate.  It smells like a hop bomb that is going to rip the taste buds apart, but again, in a subtle way.  The aroma is not overpowering, rather it is just enough to whet the appetite and cause trembles in the hands of those who fear the hops.

TASTE:  (5 out of 5) The Stone Ruination certainly delivers on its promise to have “ruinous effect” on the palate.  As the bottle explains, all other flavors become bland after sipping it.  This beer does not taste like hops, it is hops.  This is what hops were designed to do and to taste like.  On one hand this beer seems very simple; it is just beer being itself, bitter, hoppy and delicious.  On the other hand, it is clear that the Ruination is a finely crafted product made with love and care.  Somehow Stone managed to make this beer both subtle and extraordinarily aggressive at the same time.  That combo could not possibly be obtained without a lot of thought and effort.

MOUTHFEEL:  (4.5 out of 5) Unlike many other bitter beers, the Ruination goes down very smooth and while it is dry and taste bud-ripping to a certain extent, it seems to allow your tongue to recover after each sip and doesn’t completely dismantle the palate like the Moylan’s Hopsickle did.  Instead, the bitterness just builds in a delightful way that is bound to make any hop head happy.

OVERALL:  (5 out of 5) The Stone Ruination IPA is an amazing beer.  As I have mentioned on the site before, I have always enjoyed very strong flavors.  Blue cheese, bourbon, spicy food, BBQ, bring it all on.  I love to have my palate pushed to the edge so it comes as no surprise that the Stone Ruination pleased my palate.  What made it more interesting to me was that just as spicy food often hurts, but simultaneously makes me crave it even more with each bite, the bitterness built throughout the glass and made me crave more with each sip.  One of the only drawbacks is that it made me want to push the 100+ IBUs even further.

DRAWBACKS:  If the Stone Ruination IPA were interviewing for a job, I am certain that it would knock at least one question out of the park.  If it were asked what its weaknesses were, I think it would have to answer that it has two.  One, it would have to say that it is so good and focused on doing its job well (which is just simply being what a beer should be, a hoppy masterpiece) that some people often see it as pretentious, aloof and arrogant even though it is not trying to be any of the above.  Additionally, and maybe more impressive, it would say that those who do actually understand it are so impressed that they are left wanting more, and most of those people do not understand that to give just an inch more would be to go too far, to go over the edge and ruin everything.  “Why can’t you push just a tiny bit farther?  Why can’t you be just a little more bitter?” they ask.  For those that are truly enlightened, however, the Ruination understands that to be excited and left feeling the desire for a little more is far better than to have crossed over the edge and regretted it.

SOUND: As I sipped this bold and delicious masterpiece I thought about how this beer would sound and I came to the conclusion that the music for this beer would have to be something with a strong, driving beat, something that sounded almost noble, but also aggressive.  The song that kept popping into my head was “Elements of Style” by All Natural, a group from right here in Chicago, Hyde Park to be exact.  
 

Preview of Review #8 - Stone Ruination IPA

Way back in February of last year I posted the following plea on Beer Advocate:

I'm a long time drinker, but I'm new to the wide world of good beer. I used to be almost strictly a bourbon guy with the occasional gin and tonic on a warm summer night or rum when traveling to the southern U.S. or Latin America.


Anyhow, point is, I have completely fallen in love with American Craft beer - particularly our west coast IPAs. Early on in my beer exploration phase I experimented with some Belgian and other European beers, but nothing has even come close, in my opinion to what we're doing with hops here.


Furthermore, aside from bourbon, it seems that beer is the only thing we're making better than the rest of the world, so I truly feel a strong desire to preach the good word about the amazing craft breweries in this country.


That said, my recent dive into the world of great beer has left me somewhat unsatisfied - I still have not found that one, perfect beer.


I have come close, but it hasn't ever really happened and I think the B.A. community is much better equipped than I am to help me find it.


Sure, I have soaked up every bit of information I possibly could from B.A., from bottle labels, from my distributors at work (I'm a bartender) and from other beer nuts, but so far it hasn't led me to that one beer that I feel like I've been looking for since the day I was reborn as a drinker - a good beer drinker.


Here's what I want - hops. I don't want anything else - no sweet malty flavor, no floral, no citrus, no sugary flavor, I just want bitter, hoppy deliciousness. I understand that most IPAs are going to have some malty, fruity and floral flavors, but there has to be something out there that assaults my taste buds without making me feel like I'm eating a candy bar - and I'm hoping you guys know what it is.


So all of you more experienced and wise beer advocates out there please help me out. Help me find that beer I am looking for - tons of hops, tons of bitter - nothing else. My initial thoughts were that I would find this beer in the IPA/Double IPA category, but I am realizing that many doubles are just overwhelmingly sweet. What should I do? Where should I go to find a straight hoppy, bitter delight?


Thanks in advance for the advice B.A.!

My post ended up with hundreds of page views and dozens of replies.  The BA community was very happy to help out a newbie and I got a ton of good advice.  One thing that kept coming up, however, was Stone Ruination.  According to one commenter “Ruination is your beer.”

At the time, we were a little more than a month away from having access to any Stone products here in Chicago, so I had to wait.  Even once Stone finally arrived I was initially unable to find Ruination and then just forgot to get around to it.  Eventually I found a glass on draft, but I was in a social situation where pulling out the iPhone to review a beer would have been totally inappropriate.  I remember liking it, but not being able to pay close attention. 

In the mean time, as I have developed my palate by trying every IPA/DIPA I can get my hands on, I have come around to being able to enjoy some of the sweeter tasting beers.  In fact, beers like Hopslam, Lagunitas Maximus and Ska’s Decadent DIPA are among my all-time favorites now…and they are all pretty sweet.   That said, there is still this lingering desire to find that perfectly bitter, hoppy beer that I know must exist out there somewhere.  Well, the Stone Ruination IPA certainly comes close to being that beer, but to find out how close it came to perfection you’ll have to bookmark this page and check back tomorrow for the full review.  

Review #7 - Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Posted by: Stonecipher

Mar. 6, 2011

The Dogfish Head Burton Baton has been much more difficult to track down than I initially suspected.  Here in Illinois, as is the case in 36 other states, Dogfish Head products are pretty easy to find, but given that the Burton Baton is not brewed year-round out there in Delaware, it can be a challenge to locate.

Fortunately, Binny’s Beverage Depot is an incredible resource and my local Binny’s happened to have one 4-pack left last week.  This was particularly good news considering that a couple weeks ago I lost the one bottle of it that I had been able to get my hands on.  As it turned out, that loss was actually a gain.  Rather than having just the one bottle, I was able to have a few extras to enjoy while I was not writing about them.  The reason I have this blog is because I thoroughly enjoy writing about beer, but sometimes it is nice to just sit back and enjoy one without thinking too much about it.  Plus, rather than stealing a sip or two from me, my girlfriend was able to steal an entire beer for herself. 

On to the review:

ABV: 10%

IBUs: 70

Brewery Location: Milton, Delaware

Style: American Double IPA (Blended with an English-style Old Ale)

Average Beer Advocate Rating: A-/4.14 – Excellent

My Beer Advocate Rating: A-/4.25 - Excellent

Current Number of Reviews/Rank in the Top 20 on Beer Advocate: 1,189/11^th

Brewery Description: Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Bottled On: NA

APPEARANCE:  (3.5 out of 5) I poured the Burton Baton from its 12oz. bottle into a snifter and found it to be a fairly standard (for a DIPA), but still good-looking deep, mildly opaque copper color.  A small, slightly creamy head rested on top, but it didn’t last long.  Within seconds it was completely gone, which did seem to negatively impact the smell.  As expected with the lack of head retention, not much lacing was evident, although a few scattered wisps of foam remained as evidence that a beer had recently been enjoyed in the snifter.

SMELL:  (3.5 out of 5) Speaking of the snifter, it is an absolute must for this beer.  The aroma is complex and should be appreciated to its fullest and the snifter provides plenty of surface area while simultaneously directing the aroma right into the nose.  Sweet smells of vanilla, malt and some citrus lead the way, but hints of oak and hops lurk in the background.  Had the strength of the aroma lasted a bit longer than it did I would have been able to give this beer higher marks in the smell category.  Unfortunately, though, my first sniff was by far the best and as soon as the head vanished the smell seemed to go with it. 

TASTE:  (4.5 out of 5) A strong, malty, vanilla and citrusy sweetness completely dominates each sip of the Burton Baton, but if close attention is paid to the taste, there is also a very intense hop flavor that might be missed by some.  It’s like drinking good bourbon in the respect that the strong alcohol flavors often fool people into thinking that it isn’t as sweet as it really is.  The Baton is sort of the opposite; the sweetness hides the bitter, hoppy flavor.  There are plenty of DIPAs (Hopslam immediately comes to mind) that would be good for introducing a non-hop head to the style, but the Dogfish Head Burton Baton might be the perfect beer in this respect.  The hop flavor is a large part of what makes it so impressively tasty, but unless you are really focusing on that in particular it is very easy to not notice what it is.  This is getting to be a long-winded description of the taste, though, so to get back on track notes of pine and citrus are also detectable in this very delicious Double IPA.  A slightly bitter aftertaste also leaves the palate craving the next sweet sip.

MOUTHFEEL:  (4.5 out of 5) The Burton Baton has the rare combination of having both a smooth, creamy and oily feel while still possessing some strong sparkle and carbonation.

OVERALL:  (4.5 out of 5) This is an absurdly easy beer to drink, at least for the first one.  I have not attempted to drink two in one sitting before, but I’m not 100% sure that I would want to.  It sits like a rich dessert would.  The palate craves more, but the stomach might disagree.  One of these days, though, when I have some Burton Baton around again, I’m sure my palate will win out and we’ll see how it goes then.

DRAWBACKS:  My biggest problem with this beer was the lack of head retention and lacing.  The head retention would not have been such a big problem if it had not impacted the nose so strongly.  In terms of the lacing, I know I tend to knit pick about it, but I like my beer to please all of my senses and strong lacing is a large part of what pleases my sense of sight. 

SOUND:  The Burton Baton is a very smooth, pleasant and accessible beer, but at the same time it is extraordinarily complex, lively and full bodied.  It also happens to be rare, at least compared to many other Dogfish Head products.  These characteristics reminded me of a very smooth, easy to listen to, yet still very complex song by a group called the Whatnauts.  The song is called “Help is on the Way” from their album, “The Whatnauts on the Rocks” and was released in 1972.  I usually try to include  a link to the song I am referencing in the sound section, but iTunes doesn’t carry it.  So you’ll have to do a little digging yourself, but in the mean time you can at least check the group out with one of their hit singles called “Livin’ My Life”.

Review #6 - Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe IPA

Posted by: Stonecipher

Feb. 26, 2011

Finally!  The Weyerbacher’s Double Simcoe IPA is here!  Not all of it, but most of it. 

After a bunch of setbacks and two separate incidents in two different states resulting in bottles being broken, two of the four in the 4-pack arrived safely here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights World Headquarters in Evanston, IL.

So, as I embark on my first ever home brewing journey this afternoon I thought I would spend some of the downtime I have writing the Double Simcoe review.

Also, a special thanks to ‘nevins’ over at Beer Advocate for getting these bottles to me, this is the first beer on The List acquired by trade and I’m very excited.  First, as usual though, some quick facts about the beer:

ABV: 9%

IBUs: 153

Brewery Location: Easton, Pennsylvania

Style: American Double IPA

Average Beer Advocate Rating: A-/4.13 – Excellent

My Beer Advocate Rating: A-/4.2 - Excellent

Current Number of Reviews/Rank in the Top 20 on Beer Advocate: 1,009/12^th

Brewery Description: Weyerbacher’s Double Simcoe IPA

Bottled On: NA

APPEARANCE:  (3.5 out of 5) The Weyerbacher’s Double Simcoe IPA pours a nice, deep, reddish-brown that is cloudy and opaque.  A bubbly and very clean three-quarter inch head rests on top of the snifter housing the contents of the 12 oz. bottle it was poured from.  Retention on the head is not impressive and what little lacing was apparent early on in the glass slid away by the end. 

SMELL:  (4.0 out of 5) There has been some debate as to what type of aroma Simcoe hops produce, some have said fruity, others woody, and still more have said piney.  To me, however, there is no doubt about it; the aroma is heavily piney and very enticing.  A touch of orange and other citrus smells makes its way into the nose here, but the pine is in charge.  This is a good smelling beer and would have been a higher rating if it was a little more intense.

TASTE:  (4.5 out of 5) In terms of flavor, Simcoe hops are known for their bitter qualities and Weyerbacher’s certainly made sure that this 100% Simcoe hopped brew did not disappoint on that front.  This a beautifully balanced beer with just enough malt to make it go down smooth, but not so much that it takes away at all from the bitterness.  In addition to the malty hoppiness, the Double Simcoe also provides a hint of grapefruit in the citrus department; the orange from the nose is completely obliterated by the flavor, but the orange first, grapefruit second makes for a delicious combo.  This is a bitter beer, but it is not harsh at all and that makes it very accessible to those who may not be huge hop heads. 

MOUTHFEEL:  (3.0 out of 5) The Double Simcoe is smooth and a bit oily, which I am generally not a huge fan of, but the oily feel actually works to make this beer go down a bit easier.  Still, I prefer more sparkle in my beer and while the feel is not bad at all, it is somewhat of a let down.

OVERALL:  (4.5 out of 5) Considering that all 153 IBUs are very apparent in this beer it is an incredibly easy beer to drink.  While some Double IPAs, like Bell’s Hopslam are good for introducing beginners to the style, this might be more of an intermediate beer, for someone who is starting to develop a palate, but isn’t quite sure how much bitter they can handle.  A highly drinkable, bitter DIPA is not always easy to find, but the Double Simcoe nailed it for me.

DRAWBACKS:  In the two most important categories, taste and smell, the Double Simcoe IPA gets very high marks.  I was disappointed in the appearance and feel, however.  Although I already acknowledged that oily and less carbonated feel helped this beer go down easier, I don’t mind the slighter greater challenge to the palate that comes with some extra sparkle.  Additionally, the lack of head retention and lacing was a disappointment.  It may seem like a little thing, but seeing those rings and arches around the glass as the beer slowly disappears is a thing of beauty and excitement for a craft beer drinker and that was missed in this experience.

SOUND:  Pretention Alert!  Yep, as always in the sound category, my snooty taste in beer meets my snooty taste in music – and The Double Simcoe reminded me of one of my favorite groups for a very specific reason.  Jurassic 5 is an underground hip-hop group from Southern California (As a side note, one of their MCs, the very friendly Chali Tuna, is originally from Chicago) that has had more commercial success than many other groups of their ilk.  J5 has had their videos played on MTV, they’ve collaborated with Dave Matthews and both their 3^rd and 4^th albums, “Power in Numbers” and “Feedback” made it to the #15 spot on Billboard’s Top 200.

The point is, Jurassic 5 produces some very high quality hip-hop, but they have also had a good deal of success in mainstream pop/rap circles.  So they end up being the one good, underground hip-hop group that people with mediocre to bad taste actually enjoy.  The Double Simcoe IPA struck me as the type of beer that someone who thinks Harp and Bass are the epitome of fine beer would be able to tolerate and even brag to their friends about liking.  In other words, someone could slip this into their line-up, not fully explain what it was and they would end up inadvertently becoming craft beer advocates. 

In that same respect, I have met dozens of people who treated Jurassic 5 that way, in particular, the title track from their 2000 album “Quality Control”.  In case you have missed it for the past 11 years, check it out on iTunes here: 

FedEx Sucks - And Why I STILL Have Not Reviewed Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe IPA

Posted by: Stonecipher

Feb. 22, 2011

OK, I’ve had enough.  FedEx is the worst.

Some of you may recall a post here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights from a couple weeks ago in which I discussed my trade for some Weyerbacher’s Double Simcoe IPA – Beer Number 12 on The List.  And some of you may even remember yet another post here in which I complained of some technical difficulties that prevented the Double Simcoe from arriving here when it was supposed to.  At the time of that post, however, the middle man, FedEx, had apologized for the mix up, assured me it was all under control and explained that I would most likely have my package within 48 hours.  So I didn’t rip into them at the time.

Well, here we are now, three promises, two assurances and six days later and still, no beer.  So, I believe it is time to tell the ridiculous story of just how screwed up FedEx is.

Let’s begin with this:

FedEx Detailed Shipment Travel History for my Package

  
If you look closely you'll see that this package left Massachusetts, bound for Illinois, on February 14, 2011, ten days ago.  

So far, so good.  

An expected arrival date of February 17 was attached to the information and it looked to be smooth sailing.  My plan was to crack open a Double Simcoe on Thursday Night and have the review up by Friday at the very latest.


Of course, that was not to be.  At 1:45 PM on the 17th the package apparently "Arrived at FedEx Location" in Northbrook, IL.  Then, a mere 13 minutes later at 1:58 PM, the shipment travel history claims that I, the recipient, could not be located.  This is weird for three reasons: 1). FedEx just delivered a different package to me about two weeks prior, so I know they know how to find me 2).  I was home all day that day, specifically so that I could be there when it arrived and 3).  It actually takes 23 minutes, according to Google, to get from Northbrook to my house - so they could not have possibly been trying very hard.


Regardless of how hard they may or may not have tried to deliver to me, though, they chose to send it about 8 minutes farther away from me to Wheeling, IL, where it sat for a few more hours before being shipped PAST MY HOUSE to Chicago.


I was unaware of all this at the time, but when I saw all the commotion on the travel log the following afternoon I picked up the phone and called FedEx.  I asked why I was unable to be located, but the friendly customer service representative could not give me an answer.  I then asked when I could expect it and she said by the 23rd.  "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I said "I live under an hour away, why is it going to take five more days to get here?"


"Well sir," she replied "We still have to ship it across country to San Francisco, if you aren't paying for overnight service we cannot get it to you any faster."


Of course that response sparked three minutes of conversation that was very confusing for both of us until we eventually realized that the problem was that someone along the line had changed the address from my Illinois address to a San Francisco, California one with a new street address, zip code and everything.


Now, it is worth noting here that I did once live in San Francisco, but the SF address FedEx had was not even close to my old address.  The only thing I could think of was that maybe I let an old habit creep up on me when I sent my shipping info to my beer trading partner - did I actually write my address with San Francisco in it somehow?  Turns out, no.  No I did not.  I checked my sent email and then further realized that the whole time, FedEx's shipment tracker was still showing a final destination of Illinois.  This was clearly their screw up.


Anyhow, the woman on the phone assured me that she would contact the Chicago location and make sure that the address was corrected before it was scheduled to leave again the following day, which was Saturday.  She also told me I could probably expect it the next day, or at worst, on Monday. 


So, despite the fact that the new estimated drop-off date was still showing February 23 about six hours after that phone call, I was content and guessed that it would arrive soon.


I was wrong.


Saturday, no package.


Sunday, of course they're closed, still no package.


Monday, no package and a suspicious lack of updating on the shipment travel history.

I picked up the phone again that afternoon and this time another very friendly customer service representative picked up the phone, only this time it took me four minutes to get through the obnoxious auto-response crap.  I explained the situation to her and she informed me that the warehouse is closed on Sunday and Monday, so nothing had left since Saturday, but she assured me that my package was slated to ship out to San Francisco first thing Tuesday morning.


And that is when my blood began to boil.  It was beginning to seem like no one at FedEx actually talked to each other, ever.  I'm fairly certain now that their communication system simply entails people writing things on post-it notes, throwing them out the window and hoping for the best.  The wind might blow it to the correct person, you never know.


So, for a second time, I explained that I live in ILLINOIS, not California.  And for a second time I was promised the package would not ship to California, but that they would make sure it got to me in Chicago.  When I asked if I could just come pick it up they told me no, but they offered to call me the next day to let me know what the status was.


Sure enough, Tuesday morning, they called back to inform me that everything was back on track, my package was certain to arrive in San Francisco, as promised, by Wednesday!


Are you kidding me !?!  Thanks a lot ass holes!


Seriously, I was outraged at this point, I mean, what could they have possibly been doing when I called earlier?  Was I not clear?  Who knows?


At this stage in the game it was much more difficult for me to be polite on the phone, but I did my best and despite my assertive and probably overly aggressive tone the woman promised me that she would have the package turned around before it arrived in San Francisco and she would make sure it was shipped overnight to me by Thursday.  


Wednesday morning when I woke up, however, I saw that the shipment travel history was now showing that the package had arrived in South San Francisco - 15 minutes south of San Francisco.  So it wasn't exactly stopped and turned around on a dime.  Furthermore, I wasn't feeling very confident that any of the post-it notes aimlessly floating around the country had actually ended up in the appropriate hands, so I planned to call that afternoon to figure out what I could do, short of driving to San Francisco myself to pick it up.  To my surprise, however, I received a phone call while I was in class and the message said that the package had, indeed arrived locally and it would be at my door by noon on Thursday.


So, here we are, it is 1:47 PM on Thursday and there is no package here.  The package, as I found out a little less than an hour ago, is still in San Francisco.  

Shocking.

One customer service rep hung up on me today after getting too confused by my lineup of tough questions like "Where is my package?" and "When will it get here?", I had another one tell me that I had no right to be upset with them and finally I spoke directly to the guy who left me the message yesterday.  What was his excuse?  Well, he never said where it arrived locally in his message for me, he just told me that it had arrived locally, which could have been anywhere.  He further explained that he was a little confused yesterday because he was certain that my package was bound for San Francisco.  Eventually he explained to me that the package now has the correct address on it, is headed to Illinois and will be in my possession by 3:00 PM tomorrow afternoon.  Anyone want to bet?


I was also given a new tracking number this afternoon, which I am about to plug in and see what happens...


...Well, that's kind of hilarious, an issue I had nearly forgotten about popped up with the new tracking number.  Before the beer arrived in the Chicago area last week the package supposedly weighed 29 pounds.  After it left it was showing only 20 lbs.  Now, it is not showing where it is, but it is showing that shipping information has been sent to FedEx and that the package now weighs 30 lbs.  So, again, who knows?


Oddly, my prediction here is that it will actually arrive tomorrow afternoon, but I think there's a 20% or so chance that it is simply not my package.  Anyway, I would love to hear your predictions as well in the comments section and I will be certain to follow up with an update tomorrow afternoon.


Cheers!  And if you enjoyed the site, follow me on Twitter for the latest 20 Beers in 20 Nights updates.  Hopefully, sometime very soon, I will finally be able to review the Weyerbacher's Double Simcoe IPA.

What is an American Double/Imperial India Pale Ale?

Posted by: Stonecipher

Feb. 21, 2011

When I began writing this blog the goal was simply to review the Top 20 Most Reviewed Double/Imperial IPAs on Beer Advocate.  Now that we are 25% of the way through The List, it has occurred to me that I have never truly explained what a Double/Imperial IPA actually is.  Many people who read the blog will probably already know, but just in case you don’t, or if you just want a refresher, I thought it would only be appropriate for us here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights to address the issue: 

Thanks to Azurescens on Beer Advocate for the photo.

What is an American Double/Imperial IPA (DIPA or IIPA)?

Yes, technically, the style is referred to as an American Double or Imperial India Pale Ale, but you generally won’t hear anyone mention a Belgian Double IPA or an English Imperial IPA.  The double IPA was developed on the West Coast of the United States about 20 years ago.  Before diving into what the DIPA is, however, it may be worthwhile to explore what a regular IPA or India Pale Ale is. 

Legend has it that the original India Pale Ales were brewed in England to deliver to the troops serving in India.  Hops are a natural preservative and therefore, a beer with more hops had a better chance of surviving the long trip around the African Continent.  Beer Advocate tells the story of the English IPA well:

First brewed in England and exported for the British troops in India during the late 1700s. To withstand the voyage, IPA's were basically tweaked Pale Ales that were, in comparison, much more malty, boasted a higher alcohol content and were well-hopped, as hops are a natural preservative. Historians believe that an IPA was then watered down for the troops, while officers and the elite would savor the beer at full strength. The English IPA has a lower alcohol due to taxation over the decades. The leaner the brew the less amount of malt there is and less need for a strong hop presence which would easily put the brew out of balance. Some brewers have tried to recreate the origianl IPA with strengths close to 8-9% abv.

Although the recreations of some of these original English IPAs have had a fairly high ABV, the typical English IPA now ranges from about 4.0 – 6.5% ABV.  And that brings us to the American version of the IPA – a stronger, more flavorful beer with a significantly higher range of alcohol by volume – roughly 5.5 – 7.5%.

The American IPA has been around, by some accounts since 1900 and those early IPAs were similar in style, smell and flavor to their English counterparts.  In more recent years, as microbreweries and homebrewing have become more popular the style has exploded in popularity here in the U.S.  Many Americans, sick of light lagers that lack flavor, body, aroma and intensity have turned to India Pale Ale.  Again, Beer Advocate says it better than I do: 

The American IPA is a different soul from the reincarnated IPA style. More flavorful than the withering English IPA, color can range from very pale golden to reddish amber. Hops are typically American with a big herbal and / or citric character, bitterness is high as well. Moderate to medium bodied with a balancing malt backbone.

There are literally thousands of IPAs now commercially available in the United States.  Most breweries and brewpubs will have at least one example of an IPA and many have more.  Some of my favorites, in no particular order, include Ska’s Modus Hoperandi, Lagunitas IPA, Ithaca’s Flower Power IPA, Founders Centennial IPA and Two Brothers Resistance IPA. 

What I love about these beers is their strong flavor.  Just like my love of blue cheese, sharp cheddar, spicy foods and whiskey, I seek out flavors that push my palate to the limit, so the intense, hoppy bitterness that an IPA provides keeps me satisfied in terms of beer.

To truly push my palate to the limit, however, I have sought out some of the most hoppy and most intense IPAs out there and that is what led me to the Double IPA.

Now, I am not going to get into the controversial subject of who invented the Double IPA.  There are several different stories behind it, but it is generally agreed that it happened somewhere in California or Oregon sometime between 1990 and 1995.    

What makes it a double?   Well, in many cases 50% more malt is used than in a standard IPA and 100% more hops are used to balance the extra malt out.  This leads to a very intensely flavored and aromatic beer that has somewhere between 70 and 100 IBUs (International Bitterness Units).  100 IBUs is basically the high end of the bitterness spectrum of beer and the average, regular IPA (a bitter beer to begin with) has a range of about 40 – 60 IBUs.  Some people claim that once a beer gets above 100 it is nearly impossible to taste any difference.  That said, the extra malt used in the DIPA process often leads to a high IBU beer that tastes more sweet than bitter.  Bell’s Hopslam is a perfect example of this (I suppose the honey they put in it helps as well) and even some of the least adventurous beer drinkers can put down a full Hopslam despite the fact that it has at least 70 IBUs.

Anyhow, let’s take a look at what Beer Advocate has to say about the issue:

Take an India Pale Ale and feed it steroids, ergo the term Double IPA. Although open to the same interpretation as its sister styles, you should expect something robust, malty, alcoholic and with a hop profile that might rip your tongue out. The Imperial usage comes from Russian Imperial stout, a style of strong stout originally brewed in England for the Russian Imperial Court of the late 1700s; though Double IPA is often the preferred name.

An IPA on steroids is a fantastic description and happens to be the reason I love these beers.  The American Double India Pale Ale pushes my palate and taste buds to the limit (and sometimes even pushes them over the edge) and DIPAs just so happen to pair very well with many of my favorite foods that I mentioned above.  Strong cheeses, spicy food, barbeque and grilled meat all pair very well with Double IPAs.  I will warn you, however, the spicy food/bitter beer combo can rip your taste buds right out before you even finish your meal or your first beer.  Some good, hot Mexican food paired with a strong and bitter Double IPA may be amazing for the first few bites, but it also may end up nearly impossible to taste any of it by the end, no matter how intense the flavors are.

So, I hope that if you already knew some of this stuff that it was at least an enjoyable read and that if you didn’t already have a grasp on it, that now you do.  The Double IPA is my favorite style of beer and I truly believe that as I work my way through The List here on 20 Beers in 20 Nights I will be working my way through a collection of some of the best beers the world has to offer.  In case you want to know what my favorites within the style are, well, just keep reading and eventually I’ll get to them – even the ones that are not on The List will make guest appearances at some point. 

Thanks for stopping by, and by the way, if you’re on Twitter you can follow 20 Beers in 20 Nights at: http://twitter.com/#!/20Beers20Nights. 

The Updated List - 5 Down, 15 To Go

Posted by: Stonecipher

Feb. 18, 2011

Our first project here at 20 Beers in 20 Nights, which we are currently working on, is to review the Top 20 most reviewed American Double/Imperial IPAs according to Beer Advocate.  When I first came up with the idea for the blog back in November, The List looked like this:

1.   90 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head
2.   Stone Ruination - Stone Brewing
3.   Bell's Hopslam - Bell's Brewery
4.   Pliny the Elder - Russian River (Will need some help finding this one for sure)
5.   Hop Wallup - Victory
6.   120 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head
7.   Maharaja - Avery Brewing
8.   Dreadnaught IPA - Three Floyds
9.   Hercules Double IPA - Great Divide
10. Hop Stoopid - Lagunitas
11. Burton Baton - Dogfish Head
12. Double Simcoe IPA - Weyerbacher Brewing
13. Maximus - Lagunitas
14. Gordon Ale - Oskar Blues
15. Unearthly - Southern Tier
16. Founders Devil Dancer - Founders
17. YuleSmith (Summer) - AleSmith
18. Double Dog Double Pale Ale - Flying Dog
19. Hopsickle Imperial IPA - Moylan's Brewery
20. Founder's Double Trouble - Founders


Of course, a few beers have switched places now that we're in the month of February, but none have fallen out of the Top 20.  I haven't decided what to do if that happens, but the good news there is that only two other beers are really within striking distance and both seem to be a long shot at this point.


In addition to a few beers changing places, 25% of them have now been reviewed and therefore can be crossed off.  Also, the Gordon Ale by Oskar Blues has been forced to change its name for legal reasons to G'Knight Imperial Red Ale.  So, here is what the new list looks like to reflect cross-offs, position changes and the one name change:


1.   90 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head
2.   Stone Ruination - Stone Brewing
3.   Bell's Hopslam - Bell's Brewery
4.   Pliny the Elder - Russian River (Will need some help finding this one for sure)
5.   Hop Wallup - Victory
6.   120 Minute IPA - Dogfish Head
7.   Maharaja - Avery Brewing
8.   Hop Stoopid - Lagunitas
9.   Dreadnaught IPA - Three Floyds
10. Hercules Double IPA - Great Divide
11. Burton Baton - Dogfish Head
12. Double Simcoe IPA - Weyerbacher Brewing
13. Maximus - Lagunitas
14. G'Knight Imperial Red Ale - Oskar Blues
15. Unearthly - Southern Tier
16. Founders Double Trouble - Founders
17. Founders Devil Dancer - Founders
18. Double Dog Double Pale Ale - Flying Dog
19. YuleSmith (Summer) - AleSmith 
20. Hopsickle Imperial IPA - Moylan's Brewery

So there you have it, 5 down, 15 to go.  It's been fun so far!

UPDATE: 8 down, 12 to go.  Pliny might happen this week!

UPDATE 2 - 3/27/2011: 9 down, 11 to go.  The Pliny has been reviewed, finally!  Found it at Poppy's Pizza in Estes Park, Colorado.  It will be an excellent beer to review for the half way point on The List.