I encourage you to read this Hedonist Jive post on Green Flash's Palate Wrecker double IPA. I had my Evernote notes ready to write a review, but after reading Jay's post I realized he captured the essence of this beer, and my thoughts would be redundant. I would add that, like many of Green Flash's best beers, Palate Wrecker has an initial jolt that will shock the initiated and uninitiated alike, but after a few tastes you become acclimated to the aggressive flavors, and by time you work your way to the bottom of the bottle you don't want it to end. I don't know how Green Flash masters this feat.
Pizza Port Ocean Beach has a new double IPA, Man-Baby. It's a permenant addition to the Pizza Port Ocean Beach line-up. As a double IPA it's hoppy, almost by definition. I tried to decide whether its flavor was pine or citrus, but the description that kept coming to me was juicy, more so than pine or citrus. It tasted like it had been freshly squeezed rather than brewed. Man-Baby weighs in at a hefty 9.5% abv, which typically means the beer's going to be "hot" and sticky sweet. But Man-Baby avoids this double IPA quicksand. It is remarkably crisp, and is not overly sweet and doesn't coat your mouth with syrup. The booze is a minor player in the flavor, which is trouble in such a big, approachable beer. It has a long, smooth finish that doesn't move in strange taste tangents, a feature that ruins too many double IPAs. You'll enjoy this beer long after you finish your glass. Man-Baby is a delicious beer and one of the best new double IPAs I have had in a long time.
I had a bomber of Stone Brewing's Ruination double IPA this weekend in advance of Stone's release next week of a souped-up 10th Anniversary version of Ruination. This is one of the great all-time double IPAs. I think it's the best beer Stone brews.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I'll agree that Ruination is fantastic, but does Stone consider it a IIPA? I always thought they classified it as an IPA.
You know, I don't know whether Stone considers it a DIPA. I thought I heard or read something from Stone that Ruination was the first regularly bottled DIPA. By today's standards it drinks more like an IPA than a DIPA, and its abv is more IPA. I need to find the answer.
Hop Daddy,
Checkout The Craft of Stone Brewing Co., page 76, "Stone Ruination IPA was the first bottled double IPA to be brewed year-round (in the entire world)). No, Stone Ruination IPA wasn't the first double IPA..." I read that last fall. I wish I remembered important stuff instead of beer trivia.
Beer Rover
Nice find! I need to get further into that book, I'm sure it's full of little goodies like that. Not that any beer needs a "label", but it's nice to finally be able to put one to this beer.
I never noticed that the label only says "IPA" before. DIPAs like Ruination and Pliny the Elder are my favorite DIPAs, hoppy without the candied aspect. I am guessing next weeks Ruination Anniversary beer is going to be heavy on the sweetness.
Post a Comment