#BeerSaturday 335 - IPA Gift Pack!
335 weeks of #beersaturday has got to make for the longest running drinking club on any blockchain does it not?
Being The Blockchain Beerologist definitely has its perks, including but not limited to getting paid to tour breweries and sample new beers! When I am not globetrotting and chugging pints, my fridge looks like a colourful mosaic of regional craft beer I enjoy sharing with the #beersaturday alliance of #beer bloggers on #hive.
This week, 'tis the season for beer gift packs and I can never wait until Christmas day!
Sidelaunch IPA Pack
I have followed Side Launch Brewing Co. since their humble start, and even before if I remember correctly. I always had them on my radar as a solid and promising regional craft brewery but lost some interest as I became obsessed with IPAs. They took a while to get into the game as far as I am concerned and had to fight their way back into my regular rotation.
`I can no longer safely say they haven't got an IPA game when they deliver an IPA pack right to the shelf in front of me? Styled after a shipping container with 4 different IPAs for me to sample?
Maybe I should stop admiring it from all glorious angles and start sampling!
Pinapple Sour IPA
I won't get started on how a sour is not an IPA and vice versa but will start with this Pineapple Sour IPA. For some reason, I was surprised when a tall can came out of the box even though it is shaped that tall and it plainly says 4x 473mL on the side. Just another sweet surprise for me as I poured it healthily into the glass for a little flavour activation and foam.
The back of the label doesn't go into the specific beer itself but tells the tale of the namesake of the brewery. Blah blah hard working history blah loosely related good enough for the craft beer hipsters. I am a fan of pineapple, even on pizza, for its sweet and juicy taste which is a good fit for beer as well. In theory, it might balance out the bitterness of the hops but in practice, the sour blasts all sweetness and even hop character as all sours do when they end up trumping the IPA part of the beer. Still, as I was in the mood for a sour, this is not a bad beer! Bold flavours battling with each other with each sip and definitely not as pedestrian as some sours I have enjoyed. the hops are almost wasted on this but the sour is pretty good!
West Coast!
Next up, I opted for the West Coast IPA to get more to the heart of the IPA sampling. I poured this one heavily into my 600ml glass to get plenty of air into it and it really smelled like old school ready to be plunged into! A nice dark gold colour and healthy foamy head.
Same silly general branding on the side label so I will spare you the details. The website describes it with plenty of exclamation marks: "This dark gold, crystal clear West Coast IPA is a great example of this style! Grapefruit and pine resin on the nose give way to flavours of walnut, citrus pith and peppery spices. Great bitterness on the finish!" Should put this on the label!
When you flip to the back of the label, you really get the goods! It starts out the way I would do it with hops first. Not only that, the hops selection is right up my alley with Mosaic, a little citra for some of that balance and fruitiness, and some Chinook for that awesome dryness. A couple malts and even a little wheat for smoothness!
This is a damn good beer and I would definitely buy it if I find it solo on the shelf. Maybe the best one to date but I haven't even gotten into the last 2 in this sampler! Perhaps next week.
#BEERSaturday!
This week for #BeerSaturday, I am inviting @alex-rourke so I can raise a toast to Hive musicians on the #openmic bandwagon. Take a few pictures, tag #beersaturday and raise a glass with us on Hive! When Hive reaches $10, we are going to have one hell of a global brewery tour with live music!
Cheers to our global family of beer-drinkers!!
Yeah, Sour and IPA is a contradiction in terms, but I’m okay with that.
Truth be told though, I’m on my fourth Deschutes Brewery Squeezy Rider West Coast IPA of the evening, so I might not be particularly impartial.
Ah Deschutes is one of the OG breweries doing it right for so long. I don't see them up here often and would love to dive into a session with some Squeezy Rider!
Beer Santa seems to have stopped by in advance ;)
So strange he delivers me these gift packs early. I will probably receive more between now and christmas if I have been good!
If you've been good, this advent calendar for real beer buffs is on its way:
Wow that's awesome! I have always loved the thought of an Advent beer calendar but never seen them here. Maybe something I should assemble and sell to help local breweries and promote #beersaturday!
You can sell it as your own brilliant idea ;)
I like it when they list the Hops on the can. It's pretty rare it seems but helps you build a knowledge base of aromas and tastes if you're into that. I like that it's pretty common for the IBU rating to be listed now. It's a simple way to gage the bitterness of a beer. I wish there was a sweetness rating like that as well.
Yes it is definitely nice. Knowing things are competitive out there, and assuming you have a beer worth buying among all the other choices, I would think it would be wise to list the hops for those in the know, and even otherwise to look cool. They must have a way of measuring residual sugar after fermentation which would also be good to know.
Quite a few do it with the hops around here which is nice.
I love the packaging of this Beer which is the carton, I love the design on the can and this should result to having a wonderful taste
Are their alcoholic content really that huge
Yes most IPAs are up over 6% ABV. I have a couple doubles and triples in the fridge now so stay tuned this Saturday for some really huge ones!