Blue Collar Beer Review #8: Ex Pat Brewing - Life Begins At The Hop

 

  I've found great perks in having a blog.  I don't have wide readership, this really is mostly a way to keep notes for myself.  All the same it has resulted in me getting free beer (though maybe not exclusively).  Really good beer.

   What I have here is another quality brew from my friend Paul at Ex Pat.  It's a single hop, Citra IPA.  I've been eager to try it as Paul specialises in IPAs and Pales.  This really isn't quite like any IPA I've had before.

Ex Pat Brewing - Life Begins At The Hop


American India Pale Ale

? ABV

Appearance: LBaTH pours a medium-light gold/straw, which darkens to a pale copper.  It sports a resilient, rocky white head.

Color gradient isn't very distinct, I got thirsty.

Aroma: The aroma is deliciously hop forward, yet delicate and not over-powering, with distinctly lemon-citrus and pine aromas.  A subtle malt sweetness wisps about underneath.

Taste: A pleasant bitterness starts right away and builds all the way through the palate just to the right level, never overmuch.  Hops are dominant, but very mild especially compared to the aroma.  Much less 'artificial lemon' tasting than other Citra focused beers I've had.  The malt sweetness is much more even in flavor than aroma.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, very light bodied.  Crisp, clean, very refreshing.

Overall: I've not been a fan of many Citra central IPA's I've had, due to a fake lemon flavor as mentioned above.  LBaTH has a great citrus flavor that I really enjoy.  Appropriately, it drinks like an English Pale Ale due to the delicate, light carbonation, with the flavoring of a mild American Pale Ale. Reminds me a bit of Mirror Pond, though a different citrus flavor.  It really hit the spot since lately I've been craving mild American Pale Ales that aren't a 25lb hammer of hops right to the gob.  However I think this beer could benefit from a slightly larger hop presence, maybe bigger late and flame out additions.  A bit of Maris Otter and/or Crystal malt to add more body and malt back up for the additional hop flavor.  All the same, this is just as amazing as I expected, precisely the type of beer I've been wanting.

Cheers, Paul!

Blue Collar Beer Review #4: Sierra Nevada Estate Ale 2011

 

   Sierra Nevada, out of Chico, California is one of the most well known, respected Craft Brewers in the country.  Their beers aren't over-the-top crazy like Dogfish Head, or many others.  They never try too hard.  They make consistently delicious, amazingly crafted beers that are simple, but still interesting, and very approachable.  Many of their beers are prime examples of the given style.

   Sierra Nevada has also become one of the very few Estate ale producers.  Just like in wine, the ingredients for an Estate Ale are all grown on site.  For these special release beers, rather than sourcing barley and hops, Sierra Nevada grows their own organic hops and barley.

   Estate is a wet hopped American IPA.  Wet hopping a beer is done by harvesting the fresh hop cones, and using them in the beer within 24 hours without drying them.  This changes the hop bill for a given beer because the drying process brings out the alpha acids in a hop which give that delicious flavor and aroma we all love.  A wet hop beer contains many times more hops because the alpha acids are not as pronounced.

   Why do this? Well it gives a significantly different flavor profile for one thing (I'm sure it's good for marketing too).  This is the first Wet Hopped beer I've had, and it very quickly dispelled the notion I had that wet hopping was simply a gimmick.  The higher hop content, and the fact that Sierra Nevada's harvesting operation is done by hand by a rather small workforce, means a higher production cost for this beer.  However, I found the $10 price tag for a 22oz bomber to be very reasonable.

   Some people may scoff at that which brings up a question.  I saw a couple in the grocery store looking at beer and wine.  They balked at $5-$10 bottles of Belgian Lambics and other brews, then decided "Let's just get a bottle of wine."  The bottle they chose was around $20.  Why does beer still have such a low perceived value?  What's the difference between a 22oz bottle of finely crafted beer, and a well made bottle of wine that makes it worth so much more per ounce, or at least easier to swallow the cost?  Is this just a result of how deeply ingrained the ad campaigns of the Big Boys have become?  I also wonder if this is just an American thing, or if it's a world wide epidemic.  I've caught myself doing it from time to time, but I'm learning that in beer, as in many things, you get what you pay for.  The one exception I've had lately was Name Tag lager from Trader Joe's ($2.99/6pk cans).  That was honestly a very good, interesting beer.  I suppose this should be left for another post.

Sierra Nevada - Estate Homegrown Ale

American IPA, Organic - 22oz Bomber

6.7% ABV

Appearance: Deep amber, copper color with a thick yet light off white head.  Head is VERY vigorous, and resilient, pour gently.

Aroma: Much like unfermented wort after hop additions.  It's a particular smell that I've never found in a finished beer.  Slightly earthy, slightly citrus hop aroma, a clean green aroma.  A rich, sweet malt aroma follows.  You can really smell the grains themselves.  If you know what barley smells like prior to, during, and after boiling, that is the aroma exactly.

Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-full bodied, rather creamy and quite smooth.  Despite the very vigorous head, carbonation is just right.

Taste: Delicately bitter and citrusy hops come just a hair before the pronounced flavor of barley. Slightly more bitter on the finish.  As it warms, the hops and bitterness become more pronounced and while the overall palate is not very long, the bitterness lingers subtly.  The taste, like the aroma is earthy and very similar to unfermented wort.

Overall: Ahhh.  Never have I had a beer that tasted quite like this.  I know many people enjoy the taste of unfermented wort, I don't.  I don't dislike it, but don't particularly care for it enough to drink it.  However, this tastes much like unfermented wort: Sweet, malty, with just enough hoppiness and bitterness to cleanse the palate.  If my wort tasted more like this, I'd have a hard time getting it to the fermenter.

   All this talk of wet hops (hops which are picked and used in the boil within 24 hours, without drying), I figured it was all just a gimmick.  The difference in a finished beer is obvious.  I wouldn't say one is better than the other, but there is a significant difference.  I love the fact that this is an Estate ale, and is organic.  This is one of the most perfectly balanced beers I've ever had.  It's well worthy of the fancy packaging and the reasonable price.  I would buy this beer again, and would love to brew it myself.

Blue Collar Beer Review #3: Widmer Bros. Rotator Series: Falconer's IPA

 

   Widmer Bros. has begun a line of experimental IPA's billed The Rotator Series.  The idea is to express their home brewer tendencies.  The series first started off with the X-114 IPA, which, sadly I failed to snag up.  The second release, and the subject of tonight's review is the Falconer's IPA.  The aptly named IPA showcases the recently developed and released Falconer's Flight hops.

   Falconer's Flight is a hop pellet, a blend of several varietals of signature West Coast hops, a composite designed as a tribute to the late Northwest brewing icon, Glen Hay Falconer and the Glen Falconer Foundation, a non-profit organization which commemorates Mr. Falconer, and also gives scholarships to aspiring brewers.  The blend was created by Hopunion, LLC, a large, multi-grower company that produces a vast array of hops specifically for the craft beer industry.  A portion of the sales of the hops also goes to support the Glen Falconer Foundation.

   The hops were also used in Maritime's Decompression Ale, the commemorative beer of the 2011 Seattle Beer Week (I hope to try this as well if there's any more to be had).

Widmer Bros. Rotator Series: Falconer's IPA

12oz bottle, 7% ABV

Appearance: Deep, fairly dark amber, with a light white head.

Aroma: Green, resinous hops with a trace of citrus. Sweet and slightly musty.

Mouthfeel: Nothing special, just clean and refreshing.  Good body for the style.

Taste: Very bitter, and good vegetal.  Slightly resinous with citrus undertones.

Overall: A simple, well crafted, to-style IPA.  It really showcases the Falconer's Flight hops, which I was eager to experience.  Given the composition of the Falconer's Flight hop, I was expecting more citrus 'C' hop flavor than is found. However, there's no disappointment here.  There's nothing overly special about this brew, just a clean, well-made (as usual) beer from Widmer Bros.  The bitterness is just right, it is almost too much, rides the line between awesome and flaw.  Just when you're about to think maybe they over did it, it fades and you're left thinking "Ahhh!"  I greatly look forward to the next release in the series, but this also makes me disappointed that I didn't grab a bottle of the first release, the X-114 IPA.  Maybe it can still be found...

Blue Collar Beer Review 1: Elysian Brewing's Avatar Jasmine IPA

   Welcome to the first Blue Collar Beer Review.

    I love craft beer and home brewing, and the culture, and there are some amazing nuances and complexities in craft beer as there are in wine.  However, looking at the overly poetic, bloated reviews and descriptions of wines from basement sommaliers, and  some of those on Beer Advocate, I realized something: some people are trying way too hard.  These snobby 'evaluations' don't do well, in my opinion, at giving someone an idea of what a beer is like, whether they might want to try it.  Many lead to disappointment because of this, some may even deter someone from a beer they may actually enjoy.  Tasting beer, and wine for that matter, is about describing the flavors and sensations you get, as you get them.  The great reviews on Beer Advocate really embody this, they're plain, simple and real.

   Beer is easy, beer is fun, relaxing, enjoyable.  We shouldn't work too hard at it, or make it intimidating.  The more I learn about beer, the better I am able to enjoy it. I'm no Cicerone, nor am I BJCP certified (yet), and you may not taste or experience what I do, but I hope my descriptions will help you find more of the complexity of, and enjoyment in, your beer.  Perhaps help you re-experience a beloved brew all over again. I'll simply be posting my notes as I wrote them while tasting the beers, trying to follow some form of structure, and give my own, uncomplicated overall opinion, as a regular blue collar beer enthusiast.

   Elysian Brewing Co.

   Elysian Brewing Co. is a series of three brew pubs based in various locations in Seattle, WA.  Elysian was founded in 1995 by President/Head Brewer Dick Cantwell, CFO Joe Bisacca, and Sales & Marketing Director David Buhler.  Their first brewpub, a 220 seat beer hall opened in 1997 in Capitol Hill, one of Seattle's busiest, most populated and diverse neighborhoods.

   Elysian began bottling in 2001, and opened two subsequent brew pubs: Tangletown in 2003, and Elysian Fields in 2006.  In 2008, they began a collaboration with New Belgium Brewing.  This collaboration allows Elysian to brew large batches of their Immortal IPA at the New Belgium facilities, while New Belgium brews smaller, experimental batches at those owned by Elysian.  Elysian has also recently worked out a distribution deal with Anheuser-Busch and is becoming much more widely available nation wide.  You can find Elysian brews statewide in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Colorado, and New Jersey, as well as in the metropolitan areas of Philadelphia, PA, and NYC Metro, NY.

   Now, on to the beer.


Avatar Jasmine IPA from Elysian Brewing

Elysian's description doesn't quite fit.

   6.3% ABV, 22oz bomber poured into a pint glass.

   I'm interested in infusing one of my own upcoming brews with lavender, so I was curious about a jasmine ale.  I picked up a bomber of Avatar, and here are my findings:

   It pours a deep golden, almost a light copper color. The head is thick, frothy, and very resilient.  This beer needed a slightly gentle pour.

   The aroma was very...interesting.  It was very sweet in a floral way, somewhat chalky or dusty.  It reminded me a bit of what candy necklaces smell like.  Jasmine was VERY dominant, I could detect no hop aroma, and certainly no malt.

   The body was quite light, which is okay for an IPA. I found the carbonation to be pretty low, lower than I'd prefer.  Jasmine overwhelms the flavor.  It's a very interesting taste with a very cool, leafy green quality.  Very vegetal and twiggy.   Despite Elysian's description of their beer:

   "...the taste is an elegant balance allowing the subtle flavor of jasmine to prevail while still delivering the I.P.A.'s essential hoppiness."

   I found nothing but a palate bludgeoning sledgehammer of jasmine in every aspect of the taste.  There is a good bitterness to it on the very perfumy finish which I can only assume is from hops.  However, I could not actually taste the hops, and again, as with the aroma, I couldn't detect any malt character either.

   Overall, I can appreciate this beer.  It's definitely worth a shot, especially if you enjoy jasmine tea.  I understand why some people enjoy it, but I think it needs work.  The jasmine is simply overpowering, and it just isn't a beer I'd care to drink even a full pint of (which I didn't).  Give it some more clean hoppiness, malt backbone, an English style IPA.  Make the jasmine a truly subtle secondary ingredient, and I believe Elysium would have a winner.


   Thanks for reading my review of Elysian Brewing's Avatar Jasmine IPA.  This is my first beer review so please feel free to comment below or email here and let me know what you think!  I hope you enjoyed it.

Cheers!

Stubborn Agnes