Tag Archives: IPA

Lagunitas A Little Sumptin’ Wild Ale

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Since my last review was of Lagunitas’ A Little Sumptin’ Sumptin’ Ale, it’s only fair that this review is of her limited release big sister: A Little Sumptin’ Wild Ale. This is like an Imperial Belgian Wheat IPA, if that makes any sense. Wheat malt, Trappist yeast (for the Belgian flavors) and massively malted and hopped for big bitter flavor and a relatively big 8.8% ABV. The big hops mean that the mildness of the wheat malt is fairly well overpowered and lost. There’s some sugary undertones in the middle that taste a bit like rice, and I think those may be all that’s left of the wheat in this brew. Other than that, this is a nice solid double IPA. A has a lot of orange, some pine, and the aforementioned sugar. The Belgian yeast also gives it a bit of apricot in the middle, and a nice ripe fruity nose. A very good beer.

I give it a 4.4 out of 5.

 

 

Lagunitas A Little Sumptin’ Sumptin Ale

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Little Sumptin’ Sumptin’ is another fun wheat ale, this time, a west-coats IPA-ish version of a wheat beer. The mild wheat base is loaded with hops that give it plenty of orange and pine in the nose, grapefruit and loads of pine in the middle, and orange in the finish. The result is a mildly bitter ale with all of the characteristics of a west-coast style IPA in a lighter, easier to handle form. It’s super cool, and given that the west-coast IPA is one of my favorite styles, I love this twist.

I give it a 4.7 out of 5.

Natty Greene’s Freedom American IPA

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This would have been a great beer to review for the 4th of July, but since I’ve missed that and don’t care to wait until next year, Labor Day weekend is going to have to do. Freedom American IPA is another product from Natty Greene’s Brewing Company of Greensboro, North Carolina. I was surprised by how light it looks in the glass, and it reminds me more of an unfiltered wheat ale than an IPA. There’s no mistaking the flavors though, and there are no “special” ingredients here. Just water, barley, hops, and yeast. The nose has grapefruit, grasses, and a bit of pine. The middle is predominantly lemon, and it has a fairly heavy body. This IPA isn’t overpowered by hops, and the sugars from the malts come through in the finish, turning the citrusy hop notes to orange. This is a a really solid example of the traditional American IPA style, and I fine choice for an IPA fan.

I give it a 4.3 out of 5.

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale

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Tonight I’m enjoying Hop Stoopid, an American Imperial IPA from the Lagunitas Brewing Company and I’m enjoying it in one of my new Dogfish Head (lightly) branded Spiegelau IPA glasses, which I love. It proclaims on the bottle “102 I.B.U. 4 U.” and they ain’t lyin’. The nose is grassy, and piney, and a little citrusy with some pineapple notes to boot. The middle is a heavy hop bomb of the bitter, west-coast style that I so dearly love. The body lives up to the imperial billing, as this is a medium to heavy weight beer. There is tons of citrus, primarily grapefruit and orange, with loads of bitter rind in the forefront, fading to some sweet orange sugars in the finish. I also taste a touch of vanilla throughout, mellowing it a bit. The alcohol in this beer is a healthy, but not huge 8.0% ABV, and it really stays in the background pretty nicely. This is a really outstanding, complex beer, and a unique twist on the super hoppy west coast IPA style.

I give it a 4.7 out of 5.

Natty Greene’s Elm Street India Pale Ale

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Elm Street IPA from Natty Greene’s Brewing Co. of Greensboro, NC, is a standard English IPA, with a bit of wheat thrown in to mellow it out a little. The head is foamy and persistent. The nose is grassy with lemon and a bit of bread dough. The middle is heavy and sticky with tons of grapefruit and caramel, and the finish fades to orange and a little pine. The body is heavier than a typical IPA…More like a double IPA, and the big sugars in the middle help it to resemble a DIPA as well. It’s quite a nice English IPA, and the wheat gives it a bit of character all its own.

I give it a 3.9 out of 5.

Hoppyum IPA

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hoppyum-ipa

Hoppyum is an American IPA from the Foothills Brewing Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It has a big, meringue like head and the nose is predominantly scents of grapefruit. There’s thick pine pitch and more grapefruit in the middle of this medium to heavy weight brew which has that body despite a relatively low alcohol content of 6.2% ABV. The middle starts bitter and fades to sweet with lots of orange and sugar, and then the finish is dry with citrus rind giving a bit of bitterness back at the end. This is a really well done American IPA, and well worth a try.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Rampant Imperial IPA

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Tonight I’m sampling another fine example of the Colorado craft beer tradition in New Belgium’s Rampant Imperial IPA. This is a big, bitter American double IPA, that’s a bit lighter in color than I’m used to seeing, which might be a hint to the fact that the flavor is heavily tilted towards the hop side, with the malt well in the background. The nose is citrus and pine with some floral notes mixing it up. The middle is strongly bitter, with pine and orange rind the predominant flavors. The bitterness mellows in the finish…The rind carries through but it’s softened by some sugary orange and a hint of maple. The alcohol content is moderate for a double IPA at 8.5% ABV, and a medium body means this isn’t big heavy beer, but it’s got enough weight to justify the imperial moniker. A nice solid example of the style.

I give it a 4.0 out of 5.

Goose Island India Pale Ale

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The Goose Island Beer Company lost their craft brewers cred when they sold out to Anheuser-Busch a few years ago, but as far as I can tell, it hasn’t affected their beer and that’s all I care about. This is a classic American IPA with hoppy, sawdust scented nose. The body is medium weight, which is a pleasant surprise for a fairly low alcohol beer (only 5.9% ABV) and the middle has a lot of sweet orange, with some bitter rind undertones. There’s some roasty malt in the finish, which is the only place you really get much bitterness, and it’s quite nice. Any feelings about the new owners aside, this is a really well done IPA, and I enjoy it immensely.

I give it a 4.3 out of 5.

Dogfish Head Aprihop

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Aprihop is another unusual beer from the off-centered folks from Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. This beer is an apricot flavored IPA and is the beer that I’ve chosen to wrap up the spring seasonals this year. I’d describe the nose as clean, with strong grassy notes and grapefruit. The middle is almost tropical with apricot, mango, more grapefruit, and a bit of earth. The finish is dry on the tongue, with citrus acid on the palate and pleasantly balanced. There’s just a bit of pine in the finish, but it adds more to the flavor than to bitterness. This isn’t a bitter beer at all, though it does tick the right boxes for an IPA in every other sense, and I think the lack of bitterness is more a testament to how well balanced this beer is than anything else. This is a really nice, refreshing drink, and after a glass of this, I’m lamenting the fact that spring is over.

I give it a 4.6 out of 5.

Sierra Nevada Hoptimum

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Hoptimum is an Imperial IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.   There’s a thick meringue-like head and the nose is earthy with the faint scent of pine needles.  The flavor is balanced with piney bitterness offset by sweet grapefruit and caramel.  It’s another really big beer at 10.4% ABV, but the alcohol really only makes its presence known right at the finish, along with sweet grapefruit and light vanilla.   This beer is really well balanced all the way through, but the levels are high, so to speak.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.