2 Tasty IPAs – Palate Wrecker and Hoptimum

Yesterday evening, my friend Roger called and asked I wanted to join him and his wife Kristina at Parry’s for a couple of pints and a pizza.  I promptly headed to Parry’s and they had a glass of Green Flash – Palate Wrecker (9.5% ABV and +100 IBUs) waiting for me.  It was interesting because I took a sip and then Kristina had me try Odell’s Myrcenary, which is not a small beer, but I should have tasted it first because Palate Wrecker dominated the taste buds. 

Kristina ordered some fried pickles that were excellent and we ordered a Summer of 2010 pizza with pepperoni, spicy sausage, jalapenos, and pepperoncini – it was spicy and tasty.  For round two, I enjoyed Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum  (10.4% ABV and 100 IBU) and it went great with the pizza.  I have had Hoptimum before and it was one of my favorite beers that I tried last year. The 2012 version was excellent two.  If you like IPAs or Double IPAs, both of these beers are fantastic and I highly recommend them.

Double / Imperial IPA – http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/140 - BeerAdvocate

Green Flash – http://www.greenflashbrew.com/our-beers.php

Sierra Nevada - http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/hoptimum.html

Parry’s Pizzeria & Pub - http://www.parryspizza.com/parrysbar/

Sierra Nevada - Best of Beer Camp #29 - DIPA

Sierra Nevada – Beer Camp #29 – Double IPA

Sierra Nevada’s Best of Beer Camp #29 is a Double IPA (8.5% ABV).  Double IPAs (India Pale Ales) are typically “bigger” than an IPA and usually have a slightly higher ABV, and a higher IBU.  Beer Advocate describes a Double IPA as, “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.  You can thank west coast American brewers for this somewhat reactionary style. "Thanks!"  #29 pours orangey gold with a large lacey head and has very good carbonation.  Aroma is citrus with floral notes and the prominent hop flavors I noticed were grassy and piney.  This is a hop forward beer and it could use a little more malt sweetness or a little less hop bitterness to strike a better balance.  This is not a bad beer, but I would select Hoptimum or Torpedo from Sierra Nevada over this one.  Hoptimum is actually an Imperial IPA and it is one of the best I have had this year.  Torpedo is an IPA. 

Sierra Nevada - Hoptimum

Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum is a “whole cone” Imperial IPA with an ABV of 10.4% and an IBU of 100.  I knew I would be in for a “hop-bomb” and I was looking forward to it.  This one poured a beautiful light amber with a nice head.  Be careful as you pour because it is very easy to pour a huge head with this beer.  Hoptimum is crystal clear when holding up to a light with bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass - very nice eye appeal.  Aroma is excellent with nice grapefruit and pine/resin.  The taste was hop-forward, but I thought it was a nice balance and the grapefruit / tropical fruit notes had a very nice dry finish.  Sierra Nevada’s website describes “Hoptimum as “A group of hop-heads and publicans challenged our Beer Camp brewers to push the extremes of whole-cone hop brewing. The result is this: a 100 IBU, whole-cone hurricane of flavor. Simply put —Hoptimum: the biggest whole-cone IPA we have ever produced. Aggressively hopped, dry-hopped, AND torpedoed with our exclusive new hop varieties for ultra-intense flavors and aromas. Resinous "new-school" and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar, and tropical fruit—all culminating in a dry and lasting finish.”  This is a great beer and if you like IPAs and consider yourself a “hop-head”, go buy this limited run.  I think that Sierra Nevada should add this to their year-round collection.