Wifey and I really like IPAs and DIPAs. Even my brother likes them now. A couple months ago, we did a tasting of some solid if not renowned examples of both.
We took short, collective tasting notes; it appears that we all are at similar, beginning points when it comes to describing beer.
Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA:
The Sculpin IPA had a clear pour with a citrus aroma. Clean, crisp, pleasant, and balanced taste. A very good, smooth mouthfeel. A very pleasant beer to have year round.
Stone Brewing’s Ruination IPA:
Ruination’s pour was cloudy and with more head than the Sculpin. It had a milder nose than the Sculpin. After an initial sugary taste, there was a lingering bitterness but not unpleasant.
Firestone Walker’s Double Jack DIPA.
Double Jack poured clearer than Sculpin with a sweet nose of ripened citrus and syrup. There was a bitterness that was more pleasant than Ruination. Pleasant mouthfeel.
Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Elder.
Pliny the Elder had a clear pour with a pleasant nose and a good balance of sweetness and bitterness.
Though wifey and I enjoy all these beers, on this particular day, we all seemed to prefer Sculpin with Pliny the Elder a close second. I wonder what we would each prefer these days if we did a similar tasting.
Switching gears, I had the privilege of helping Peter of BetterBeerBlog with some holiday beer tasting also about two months ago. Besides Peter and me, there were Mrs. BetterBeerBlog and Jason, assistant brewer at Firehouse Brewery.
I began the evening tasting Peter’s homemade holiday apple cider, which was delicious – hard to believe the ABV on that one. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture of the apple cider.
And then we got straight to the tasting and note-taking of some holiday beers.
4 Calling Birds (11% ABV) from The Bruery.
Snowball Saison Ale (8% ABV) from To Øl (Proef Brouweriz Lochristi-Hijfte).
For our tasting notes on the 4 Calling Birds and the Snowball Saison Ale, please check out this BetterBeerBlog post.
Old Stock Ale 2011 (11.9%) from North Coast Brewing Company.
St. Bernardus Christmas Ale (10%) from Brouwerij St. Bernardus.
For our tasting notes of the Old Stock Ale 2011 and the St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, please click on this BetterBeerBlog post.
Aventinus Weizen Eisbock (12% ABV) from Schneider-Weisse.
Click here for Peter’s tasting notes on the Aventinus Weizen Eisbock.
Peter is the preeminent San Jose area beer blogger, having begun his BetterBeerBlog five years ago. He recently left his day job in the high-tech world to work on opening his own craft beer bar in San Jose, which I can’t wait for.
They’re admiring the appearance of their beer, using a technique named after yours truly (towards the bottom of the post) – hilarious!
Last but not least, Peter shared a Hops on Rye from Firehouse, which got me excited.
Because the Hops on Rye was tasty with a peppery/spicy note that I would soon come to thoroughly enjoy. As well, I now knew the cool brewer who assists in making this very fine beer.
Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. BetterBeerBlog for your hospitality. I really enjoyed my time hanging out and tasting beer with these folks. In addition to having just a great time, my beer knowledge increased a great deal that night.
Always Grateful,
~Andy
