Brooklyn Blast IPA

I saw this on the draft menu at the River Barrel in Greenpoint. It was written on a chalk board as Brooklyn "Blast" IPA... I was confused. A Brooklyn that I've never heard of? The waitress confirmed it was in fact a Brooklyn Brewery beer so I went for it. $7 for the pint.

(I'd just like to point out that before we even sat down Alicia asks me " 'Brooklyn Blast?' IPA? That's a new one, you should get it.")

The Pour-

So nearly perfect. The beer is a pale golden color with a vibrant soda-y head. The head lasts only a few sips before it fades away and leaves a good amount of heavy lacing. I would have liked to see a frothier head rather than a more typical soda type head but still, it was an intense amount of fluff. (sorry but Alonzo is walking all over the keyboard, get's tough to write a review with a cute ass kitten in the way). The color was perfect for an IPA, crystal clear and refreshing.

9/10

Nose -

I smelled this before the waitress set it on the table. Honestly, due to the odd "quotation marks" around the beer's name I was just expecting the Brooklyn IPA with a fancy nickname. Before it left the waitress's hands I already knew. This was an intense hop love affair, it wafted through up to my nose and I was head over heels before I saw it. I'd say in sheer over-the-top fresh sticky hop flavor it compares closest to the Green Flash Imperial on draft, just not quite as rediculous. Wow, this beer smelled so damn good, it was like my birthday.

10/10

Mouthfeel-

Light, smooth, crisp and refreshing. An amazing light feeling and tasting beer for the intensity of the hops. I am the first to argue that in order to bring hops to the next level one needs that malt intensity but this beer just gets the punches right. No thickness what-so-ever this one drinks like an ice cold lager in the middle of a hot summer day, easily and enjoyable through and through.

10/10

Taste-

Perfect, need I say more? The hops are perfect (it helps that the brewery is 100 yards away) and fresh and delicious and wow. The malt is nearly absent as this is an amazingly clear, light, crisp beer. I'd guess that this is a double IPA if only because of intense the hops are (I just checked BA and it is a double with an ABV of 8%). You'd never know it though because the alcohol is minor, the malt is minor, this is hop juice to the max. No, wait, it's better than hop juice, it's fresh hop juice. This is like sucking from the teat of the Hop Goddess of Fertility, so much like the Green Flash DIPA in that both of these beers are pure insanity, these hop are nutballs. It shows true art and talent to craft such a light & refreshing yet mouth blisteringly intense hop beer. This is close to perfection, I think Brooklyn just moved up a couple of spots in my top 5.

10/10

No doubt about it this is close to beer perfection, a 39/40. For as many beers wish they could be, this is a 'hop head's dream' in that its so hoppy, so insanely overwhelming hoppy yet so light and accessible. This is THE BEER that I dream about sipping in a beach chair, letting my stress just flow away. Find this beer and drink it now, what else are you doing with your life?

Lake Placid India Pale Ale

I don't really know much about this brewery but I picked up a 6 in my local bodega. I am always excited about local beers, especially IPAs and this one does actually feature an adirondack chair on the label! A new summer favorite? Let's see...

The Pour - An opaque, light copper color on this one with a finger of delicious looking foam. A solid start but the color has me a bit worried, could this be another heavily hopped red ales that more and more seem to be mistaken/mislabeled as IPAs? I'd really expect this to be more gold in hue. But the head is staying put for quite a while, that's promising. (The head actually stayed for the entire pint, that's nice for Stephen.)

6/10

The Nose - A good hops bite is there, not as deep as a 60 minute or a west coast IPA but still seems to be an IPA built true hop fans. There is a bit of sweet malt in the back, actually kind of similar to the 90 minute in odor. This is good.

7/10

Mouthfeel - Very, very crisp and light. The hops are upfront and a very pleasing level of bitterness, which is great. There is a tiny bit of malty syrup that is noticeable but it doesn't linger. This is definitely a beer I could drink in an armchair for a couple of rounds. Very drinkable, very light feeling, this is a session IPA.

8/10

Taste - The fresh hops make this quite tasty and overall it's going down pretty rapidly. It is very similar to the Brooklyn IPA, a personal favorite of mine. However the sweetness is stronger in the Lake Placid than I'd ideally like it to be. As it sits for a few minutes the hops is fading pretty quickly leaving the malt to stand for itself. This is not a good thing and is happening quite rapidly as the beer sits out of the fridge for less 10 minutes. Since it's so light the sweetness feels odd without the syrupy texture of as, say, the 90 minute. Unfortunately this is not a pleasant way for the beer to finish at all and it leads to pour out the last few sips. Fortunately I do have a couple more left and I know to drink these faster...

6/10

Overall-

This beer does have a lot of good qualities going it's way and its 28/40, so better than middling. It looses tons of points for the disappointing finish, why did you have to leave us so soon Hops? Also working against this beer is the fact that it is so similar to the Brooklyn IPA that I actually wish it were the Brooklyn IPA and I can't help but feel slightly upset about that. On it's own though, it is a very tasty IPA that I wouldn't mind drinking again, but remember, drink this one quickly...

Victory Helios

I had a terrific time at last night's Victory tasting down at Brouwerij Lane in Greenpoint. The best news I've heard in a while is that the Yakima Twilight recipe is finally locked down for mass production so I'm really looking forward to seeing 6 packs of that come available in November... not that I'm marking my calender or anything...

I enjoyed a few different things from the Victory line, the Wild Devil and Festbeir in addition to the super special Yakima. But the big surprise was a secret bomber of the Helios that the Victory rep, Pete, brought with him. Apparently it's a small rebranded re-release of a previous beer that is going to have a small release in the Philly area, so no luck getting it up here in the NYC area. A rare taste indeed. Here we go...

I had a 2 oz. taste of the helios in a 4 oz. glass.

The Pour - for only a 2 oz. pour the Helios produced a lively, stable head that stayed until the finish. Beer was a light, unfiltered gold color with slight particulates visible. It appeared to be a typical German saison by all outward appearances. Not my favorite style but it looked so cool and refreshing, I couldn't wait to jump in.

7/10

Nose - It appears that Victory has an ongoing love affair (see Wild Devil post forthcoming) with odd yeasts which I find very interesting from a beer history standpoint. The first smell of the Helios reveals the wild yeast clearly in addition to the typical citrusy witbeir malt. The hops is minimal, if noticeable, this is definitely a funky and complex beer wrapped up in a lighter than is common package. In this case the bitter yeast really supports the wheat malt and is very pleasant, a nice combination here.

8/10

Mouthfeel - Super light. Belgians have typically eluded me because they so light and whimsical I feel that I should be drinking them by the liter, but their flavor isn't my favorite so I end up having a couple of sips and moving on. Without a heavy malt or hops presence in the Helios, this too could be downed in mass quantities without too much regret, until one reads the 7.5% ABV on the side of the bottle.... oops. Quite pleasant really, somewhere in the ballpark of a light lager.

8/10

Taste - The belgian yeast and the wheat really blend together and provide a uniform taste that's hard to distinguish the subtler elements. This isn't a negative however as they work together perfectly, how is this the first Victory saison I've had? This is fantastic. Without the syrupy malt or hop-oils to coat your taste buds the flavors here are short lived in the swallow and the palate is left clean and ready for more. I could do some serious damage to a pitcher of this.

8/10

Overall the Victory Helios lands a 31/40 and is a fantastic brew. A session beer all the way, I could down this for hours sitting on the back porch in the late fall. It's a shame it's not hitting any taps in NYC anytime soon or else it would be a hit at sports bars and backyard bbqs. Next time I'm in Downington, I'll look for a few bombers...

Yakima Twilight DIPA

This is the beer that started it all for me. I'll be upfront, this is by far, my favorite beer of all time for oh so many reasons. To make it succinct, it's the beer that gets it all 'right' and this brew alone would be enough to make Victory one of my top 3 brewers in the country. (But then of course there is the Hop Devil, Wild Devil, Saison 8 and the godly Hop Wallop...they didn't really need this beer to make my top 3, it's just the icing on the cake) I'll say this right now, this beer will not be getting anything less than a perfect score as it is the beer against which I will compare anything else.

On tap from Barcade, $5 for a 10 oz. snifter. I'll admit that I check the local pubs' taplists pretty much daily and when I saw this hit, I ran down. It's worth noting that I had asked for a big-boy glass but they wouldn't serve me. I am unworthy to rate this beer.

The Pour- The twilight pours a deep, dark, heavenly color. The Mohegan stout I had over the weekend wasn't even this dark, and this is technically an IPA. Black through and through, the draft had minimal head and didn't last long enough to check the lacing. Now, I know that this is a supposed to be an IPA and I'd be a hypocrite for not docking points for it's color, but fuck that, this is a perfect beer.

10/10

Nose - Woh. Ahem. Let me think. Bold hops hit first, nothing overly fruity or citrusy as this beer lets you know right away that bitter is the new black. The hops smell fresh, they smell potently and they dominate the nose. Afterwards, a dark, coffee-y malt makes a presence and the nose is completed by a strong alcohol note that reminds you that this one clocks in around 9% ABV, which is actually a bit on the lighter side for some of the DIPA's coming out around now. The smell is really breath-taking and lets you know up front that this is a bitter beer as well as full bodied, fully flavored experience.

10/10

Mouthfeel - The malt is particularly present in the mouth as it gives the brew a syrupy thicker feel, somewhat akin to a barley wine or an imperial stout. The malt is perfectly complemented by the intense hop oils which coat the mouth and leave the flavor lingering to be savored for minutes between sips, although I'll admit I never waited that long. Wow, this is something special.

10/10

Taste - Total crap, forget this beer... I mean, c'mon? It's perfect! The dark, dry malt hits you at the same time as a mouthful of fresh super bitter hops to overwhelm you with a bitter full-mouth experience. After the initial shock (or at least after your bitter taste buds are overwhelmed) the sweetness pokes in and actually cleanses the palate a bit. A moment after the swallow the 9% ABV warms the throat and gut leading to a nose-mouth-throat-body experience that is unparalleled. Every sip completely takes over the palate and will overwhelm your senses. This is not a dinner beer, or even a dessert beer. This is a beer that is meant to the star of the show and it will set you up the bomb. Don't try and have a conversation while sipping this beer as it will not tolerate multi-tasking. Buy two glasses at a time for fear that it will run out. This beer kicks your dad's ass daily and sleeps with your mom. Do not taunt this beer. Chuck Norris drinks this beer dressed a catholic school girl so as not to make it angry. This beer destroyed the dinosaurs. Jesus tasted this beer and God started crying.

10/10

As I said, 40/40. This is a perfect beer. This is Victory's victory lap. Yeah it's not some high flying In-Your-Face super hop bomb from Stone or some pedigreed wunderkind from Dogfish, it's just the best beer I've ever tasted and if there is any left, I'm stopping by barcade tomorrow. and the day after. and the day after. Until it's all gone. It's just that good. Why am I typing right now? I should be at barcade...

Mohegan Cafe B.I.P.A.

Took a trip to Block Island this past weekend and had a chance to stop by the Island's only microbrewer, Mohegan. This late in the season they only had a few choices left and this lucky guy to taste them all (save for the chili pepper ale... yeah, no thanks).

I had a pint of the Block Island Pale Ale on draft, I think for $5.50...

The Pour - A deep red/amber unfiltered pint. This is definitely not what I had anticipated or wanted from a Pale Ale, first impression is that this might be a miss labeled red ale. There was a good finger of fresh and frothy head though which kept me interested. Head was whispy and enticing but dissolved almost immediately leaving light lacing.

4/10

Nose- Despite the surprisingly fluffy head, there was no hops present in the nose. Actually, there was no nose present in the nose other than the vague bitter-sweet scents that only served to prove that this wasn't a glass of water.

1/10

Mouthfeel - Too thick to be really refreshing and lacking in the IPAs hoppy crispness, this beer doesn't really have a leg to stand on. I would give it something for not being overly thick, it's at least in the right ball park but playing the wrong sport.

3/10

Taste - Ohhh, ok, I see the mistake now. This isn't an IPA. The malt is pretty up front lending a pleasant sweetness but the desiccated, passed-over mummies of buds that this brewer interpreted as hops left nothing but a hint of uninteresting bitterness. No depth and no freshness; I would feel awkward using beer words like 'citrusy', 'floral' or 'IPA' near the brewer. There is also a fairly strong tang to it, I think it might be brewed with an english bitter yeast or belgian strain. This element is not a terrible play on the expected style but it's unnecessary and ultimately just becomes another disappointment.

4/10

So in all the B.I.P.A. review is pretty damn harsh, 12/40, normally a score I'd save for very bottom of the beer barrel. The majority of points were lost due to the fact this beer seems to have been brewed by someone who has only third person accounts of what an IPA should be. To propose it's too sweet, too dark and not nearly hoppy enough, is probably the nicest thing I can say about it. The menu didn't help by proclaiming that it was the hoppiest thing available and that "if you're a fan of the IPA, this is for you." I mean... really?

But of course, it is a microbrew and the only one for miles around at that. One could do much worse than the B.I.P.A. (the party next to us was actually ordering 6 packs of Bud), and it's great to support local industry and especially small-town local beer. I just wish the stuff could have better...

Sixpoint Sweet Action

I found this one on tap at T.B.A., a beer garden in Greenpoint on Labor Day. Some friends and I shared an $11 pitcher and enjoyed the lovely outdoor space.

The Pour: A light but opaque amber coloring with a good amount of fresh draft carbonation and a vigorous but short lived soda-type head. Head remained for a few sips and left no lacing. Pretty average.

5/10

The Nose: A nice bitter hop scent but no depth here. The malt is sweet, but mild and distant, perhaps a hint of rye or wheat. The carbonation does a good job at keeping a pleasant nose up front however; the hops stayed through-out the pint and well into the pitcher. I keep getting a hint of a funky malt at the very end, is it bit of wheat in the mash? The nose is a bit generic so I'd only give it a 5 or 6 but the staying power deserves a boost.

8/10

Mouthfeel: A nice light bodied ale. The hops are a little simple for me, a good dash of bitterness but no complexity. The malt is also dialed back a bit similar to a pale ale or a bitter, which is odd considering the amber coloring suggests something maltier. Over all it's a very smooth drinker and a good choice for a pitcher.

8/10

Taste-

Again there is an odd aftertaste of something interesting in the mix. I'm thinking they add some dark wheat to the brew to add the color and give it a bit of depth it would otherwise be lacking. This is a very subtle beer and it seems about a 5% ABV. I enjoyed this as a lazy afternoon session beer and it served it's purpose well, however it's a bit too muted for me to really dig into. I'd like to see it with some fresher hops, something to wake it up a bit. I was reminded of some of the European beers I'd tasted in Ireland, especially in the bitter and wheat-y aftertaste. As I've said, a competent session brew but nothing I'd laud or particularly recommend. It gets bonus points for keeping up it's carbonation and hoppiness from the pitcher to the last gulp. I wouldn't order a pint of this again, but if it's on tap during half-priced pitchers during football sundays, well, that's alright by me.

8/10

Sixpoint is a Brooklyn brewer located in Red Hook. They don't bottle, so bars and growler fills are the way to go. I've had a few by them and always been happy, but left wanting something more. Maybe I just haven't had their big guns yet, but I'd love to see an imperial stout or a belgian tripple from these guys, taste what they can do when they reach for something higher than mediocre.

29/40

Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly IPA

Another local brewer! Some great talent is coming out of New York and Southern Tier has impressed me a lot so far. Another Whole Foods score, I think this one was $6.99 for the bomber.

Pour -

A medium caramel color with the expected carbonation and little to no head. A few moments rest really didn't make a difference as there was no head to begin with, no lacing. Quite frankly I was little underwhelmed, especially after enjoying the Captain Lawrence the night before...

4/10

Nose -

A lot of scents here, firstly the sweetness in the oak aging is prevalent. The underlying hops are fresh and pleasantly piney, another West Coast inspired IPA apparently. After few moments the oak dies down and the hops come out more, also revealing the booze. This definitely smells like a DIPA.

6/10

Mouthfeel -

Very syrup sweet with the oak and alcohol really making themselves known. Something like the bastard son of an irish whiskey and an english bitter, the sweetness really steps in front the hops. Completely different in every way from the C.L., and this surely isn't a session beer.

6/10

Taste -

It's tough to be fair to this one. It's just not the way I like my IPAs. The oak really moves in and makes the hops it's bitch. I do enjoy the fresh, smooth sweetness that the aging brings but when I look for the IPAs crisp refreshing hops, it seems they are in the kitchen making Oak a sandwich or a taquito or something. I mean, they're present but they're an after thought, in the other room and they can't hear you calling because Oak's music is too loud.

But, to be fair. The sweetness here is quite relaxing and pleasant, this just isn't a summer beer for me. Trade the ocean beach chair for an adirondack in the October breeze and you have yourself a evening.

4/10

So a bit of a disappointment for me here, 20/40. I won't totally write this one off though, it does have some very enjoyable qualities that I just wasn't expecting or wanting at the moment. I'll give it another try in a few months.

Captain Lawrence "Captain's Reserve Imperial IPA"

I picked up this bomber from the Whole Foods on Houston which has a terrific beer selection. Since most beer geeks are flocking to hipper distributers, the Whole Foods always has a terrific selection of rare brews that sell out more quickly in other vendors.

The Captain's Reserve was well stocked both refrigerated and on the shelf for $4.99 a bomber.

The Pour -

Absolutely the most beautiful IPA I've ever poured. In my pint glass the ale was a crystal clear, pale golden color with two fingers of a uniquely frothy head that resembled soft-peak-beaten-egg-whites or fresh snow. It was only with the greatest restraint that I left it to breath for a few moments. The head lasted a good five minutes with extensive lacing. This is the way an IPA is meant to look and I tip my cap to C.L. for allowing me experience this.

10/10

Nose -

The nose was an appealing mixture of West Coast hops: floral and piney with a hint of spice and a moderate marijuana scent. It mellowed rather quickly in a more subdued, generic hoppy aroma that didn't over power but didn't impress either. I'm a large fan of the complex, sticky hops characteristic of Stone, Green Flash, Sierra Nevada and other Cali brews and they were clearly represented in the C.L. (especially in the foaminess of the head). I felt that the C.L. had a more complex aroma than the Sierra Nevada or the Stone IPA but it faded disappointingly quickly.

7/10

Mouthfeel -

Light and crisp, very refreshing without the heavy malt creaminess evident in many DIPAs. I couldn't believe that this was all of 11% ABV. I could easily be drinking this in a beach chair cuddled up with a grocery store crime novel. Mmmm.

8/10

Taste -

For better and worse exactly what the nose promised. A rich, complex hop bite that covers all the bases without being too bitter; a nice sweet citrus upfront that fades to sticky pine and a warm layer of alcohol in the back. Definitely does not drink like an 11% ABV. Now, I'm interested to read Chas's opinion on this statement, but I'm not a man who likes a mouthful of malt in my IPA, if only because I'm a geek and a literalist. Historically, IPAs are built around the hops, not the malt and many brewers seem to forget this or cop out by saying, "Oh, this isn't an IPA, it's an American Strong Ale" (ASA vs. IPA argument is for another time). I bring this up because the brewers at C.L. seem to agree with me and this beer is decidedly not overly malted and that's fantastic.

Like in the nose the hops fade as the pint empties and the last few sips are much sweeter but mellow, if a bit uninteresting. However, the lightness of the ale combined with the absence of overly cloying malts left me ready to finish the bomber and dwell on the delicious hops once again.

7/10

So over-all on a 0-40 scale, I'd give this beer a 32. I will certainly be picking this one up again if I come across it. The pour alone is just wow... I mean, wow.

Labor Day - The Dog Days of the IPA

Ahh, Labor Day again. As the summer rolls into fall, it's the time of year to put away our summer shorts, bathing suits, whites and over-sized sunglasses for another year. Of course in the beer world the holiday serves to ring in the latest seasonal brews. Already Oktoberfest seasonals, ciders, and the obligatory pumpkin-ales are popping up on taplists everywhere (please, may this blog never mention Sam Smith's Banana-Bread Ale again).

This is also the time of year when your typical alcohol content starts to rise and before you know it we'll be awash in the latest Strong Ales, Belgian Dubbles/Trippels, and, my personal favorites, Barleywines. As some of the summer's IPAs will be disappearing from shelves (and the fall's Double IPAs are appearing) I think I should take some time to mention the IPAs that I've been drinking lately and the future of the style as I see it. Over the weekend I will try and update this blog on what's been in my glass over the few weeks in the sun, bottoms up!