HOPPY HOUR: DOGFISH HEAD 60 MINUTE IPA
On my quest to find my favorite IPAs I have learned a lot about how brewmasters can focus on a specific aspect of hops bitterness or sweetness like a psychologist can tease out personas from their patients.
In this session, the 60-minute exposure to hops means a rugged beer that shows how much bite an IPA can have.
I can't say I seek out bitter beers, but that tight clamp of flavor allows you to catch specific notes that may not have been obvious on a sweeter IPA.
That initial flavor wash before the bite has a medium weight in the mouth and has flavors of honey with a feel of crabapple, which is a perfect segway into bitterland.
The bitter in the brew just hangs on to my tounge like the sustain of a piano key that is held and slowly fades to silence. Just as the pianist can always start playing and sustaining, so too can the drinker tip the brew to start the bitter flavor legatto over again.
In the last review, I was plowing through the unfiltered IPA. With this beer, the brew's bite makes you slow down your sips. My glass is only half empty, but this drink would pair well with a game of chess, gardening, or a discussion about Bitcoin's plight on August 1st.
If there is a Bitcoin Unlimited and I do get BTU for my BTC, why would I hodl BTU when I can grab a 6-pack?
I am 14 days away from having a batch of hops extract, and I want to fill you in on the scents halfway into the process.
My extract teacher, Guido Masé, said that a good extract is chemically equivalent to the plant matter being extracted. I can confirm that the aspect of hops that I don't get in IPAs is ever present in my extract.
It is a dry distinct powdery scent I have only smelled on hops flowers. This herbal highlight is in the extract along with the characteristic scents of herbal and citris notes.
Soon, I will drop some of this extract into seltzer to make hops soda!
Great photos my friend :)
Cheers!
I envy you taking the next step in beer enthusiasm beyond just drinking the really good stuff. Long ago I tried Arrogant Bastard by Stone just to dare myself to try something tough. I never thought after that day that I would end up loving IPAs, but I do. AB is still a bit much to me, but I can't get enough of any of the other IPAs by Stone. If I had a back yard, I think I'd attempt to grow my own hops next.
Just found an old friend who is growing them and I may do the same.
I hear it is best to get a vine cutting versus trying from seed.
Amazing camera work
Elrond Huston Aka ehuston
I was out with some buddies last week and one of them had one of these. I had a sip, man was it hoppy!! Cheers, great post, as always!
I've been meaning to try this one, thanks for the heads up. I'm a big fan of Half Acre Gone Away. Probably my favorite session IPA for summer day drinking is Founders All Day IPA which is very cheap as well as far as craft beers go, at least here in Chicago
I can say making your own drink is great.
Malt, hops and yeast and you can get a some good things out of it ;)
This post has received a 4.85 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @rubenalexander.
The Steemit Shirt :D
Represent!
I'm loving the steemit shirt, it looks so good haha
Another great beer with all that creamy frothy goodness. Yum!
Looks like it tastes incredible and that herbal scent sounds intriguing.
I might have a taste of it and see what it's like
Thanks @rubenalexander
Great post, can't wait to see in 14 days.