Four IPAs to Keep the Stress Away for #BeerSaturday
I am starting to stress for my oral defence for my PhD. So, what better way to get away from the stress than drinking some wonderful IPAs, especially one called "the graduate"? There is to my mind nothing better than to drink the stress away (responsibly) with some beer. The goal is to shift my focus away from the studies to something else, and beer sounded like the best option.
So, I grabbed four interesting and new IPAs which I have not yet had before to try over the weekend, and I have to say I did not once think about the PhD! Until now, having to write about how I forgot. How interesting again the contradiction!
Either way, I had four very distinct but yet so similar IPAs, and I think I have fallen in love with all of them. If I could have them each day of the week, I would not complain in the slightest. But sadly, these beers are not available in my local beer shops, so I will have to enjoy them twice: first, when I drank them, and second, with my writing of this post (thinking back to how I enjoyed them without thinking about the PhD).
Without further ado, please join me as I muse about the tasting notes of these four IPAs.
CBC's West Coast IPA (Special Edition)
This was by all measures, a wonderful beer. So wonderful that I bought more of them (as my one beer shop had one or two extra in the back of the fridge).
The first pour was a bit carbonated, but this did not take away from the beauty of this beer.
The nose was fruity and zesty, almost smelling like a NEIPA. It was hoppy and classic fruity IPA nose.
The first taste was so refreshing and hoppy; and it was actually not too carbonated. The taste was warm with the slightly high ABV. It was very bitter with no sweetness; there was no malt at all just hops.
As the beer warmed up a bit, beautiful caramel malt came through on the nose.
Woodstock's Californicator
I was lucky. The shop where I bought this beer, had a sale on this beer. So you already know I bought myself not just one. This was such a good beer. In hindsight, I needed to buy all of their stock because when I went back they did not have anything left.
It had an incredibly hoppy nose because of the 65 IBUs. It had some slight caramel malt notes, but the hoppiness overwhelmed it.
The first taste was nice and hoppy, but very bitter with a nice and slight sweet taste. There was more maltiness than sweet though, but a very nice balance with the bitterness.
It was such a nice beer!
1000 Hills' The First in Class: The Graduate
This was another favorite. It was the first time seeing this beer, and since then, I have not yet seen it in any shop again. Sadly, because I really enjoyed it.
It had a wonderful hoppy but with caramel malt notes nose. It only had slight passionfruit (fruitiness-sweet).
The first sip was full bodied, with some nice and bitter notes. But in the end, they did not lie about it being basically a passionfruit bomb. I really loved this beer. Incredibly well brewed.
Outeniqua Brew Co's Harvest IPA
The last beer was sadly also last in place, if the four beers had to compete against each other.
The nose had an incredibly toasted caramel malt nose (again that mash tun smell). It was incredibly pleasant, but not the nose of an IPA in any sense.
The taste was also a malt overload, really not usual IPA taste. Nonetheless, it was still well brewed and enjoyable.
They say in the bottle malt forward so there is that - they warned us! But also some fruits but not really that much. Sadly, it was also a bit watery (mouthfeel).
Postscriptum, or So Long to These Beers
These beers did not stand a chance. I needed them more than they needed me. In the moment, drinking them, I completely forgot about the PhD stress. But now, anticipating this week, I am again beginning to feel the stress.
For now, I have to clear my mind, remain focused, and think about the future.
Happy drinking, and keep well.
All of the musings and writings are my own, albeit inspired by the stress. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.
I love a good IPA! I have to be careful sometimes because some of them here in America can really pack a wallop (approaching 10% abv). They'll make you forget about a lot of things. : ) We have a kind of war on alcohol going on here in the US. Younger generations are drinking less and it seems like every day there's a story in the news about how unhealthy it is. I don't buy it. I know drinking excessively isn't great for a person's health but I think when done in moderation the relaxation effect one or two drinks has has to offer some kind of benefit. Best of luck on your PHD! Cheers!
That is so interesting... I live in the winemaking capital of our country, so there is no real slowing down. Also, we have a very "heavy" drinking culture to some extent (sport, BBQ, and beer). So, most people here do not really listen to the narrative of alcohol is either good or bad. We just love our drinks.
Same here, various local craft breweries love to push the limit of strong beers, but they can get very expensive.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!
P.S., how is the sourdough baking coming along, or has it not yet taken root again?
Alcohol consumption is way down here in America. I still have my 1-2 drinks a day—it's served me well for 30 years. : ) I feel like we live in the golden age of beer. I can't think of a time in history where there was more of a variety of choices. You're welcome! I haven't baked sourdough in ages. We moved into a new house last November and my wife hasn't been well, so I haven't really had the bandwidth. Soon though! I really miss it.
I am sorry to hear that. I hope that things will get better soon. And then get back into baking.
Same thing here in South Africa. In the last 15 or so years, the craft beer market has literally exploded and is kind of saturated. Not every beer is created equally. But think about drinking less seems like a way to take away from the joy of this proliferation! I say, let us rather drink another beer.
Thank you! Some of the craft breweries here are in various states of collapsing, post-Covid, but we still have our fair share. Indeed, alcohol (when consumed responsibly), adds to the pleasure of life!
Yeah, just got a nice IPA into the fridge for later on today after finishing all the work for the upcoming #HiveSummitAachen
Cheers! I hope it was a good one.
four amazing ipas to drink :D
Thank you so much!
You let yourself fully enjoy those IPAs, a perfect way to take a break from PhD stress! Here’s to beers that make stress disappear. Cheers!🍺🍺
Thank you so much! I really agree with you on that one. Cheers.
You're welcome! Cheers!
The IPA with the name "the graduate" fits you as you're taking your PhD lolz. One thing for sure is that alcohol helps in eliminating stress.
For sure! Thanks! And cheers!