RETURN TO WORK

Okay, well, so it may have been my fault the plant shut down for a few days. Does that give everyone else the right to be pissed at me? Apparently they think it does. There's only one way to get back into their good - maybe decent - graces: buy them beer. But, there is a problem: these guys don't like shitty beer. They are craft beer guys and they know their shit. So, I have to give them something they won't spit out that won't empty my pockets (which are considerably more empty now that I, you know, shut the plant down for a few days) Yes, I found a solution:

TORPEDO extra IPA by the respected Northern California Independent brewer Sierra Nevada. (You know, like the mountains - with Lake Tahoe and the Donner party). These comes in 24 fl. oz. bottles for only about $4 each - which is very reasonable for craft beer. And at 7.2% alc, I won't have to buy so much. So, I sent the ol' lady down to the liquor store to get a case of TORPEDOES for me. You see, I have this issue with the owner, and well, she can just say she's buying it for her bowling team - they drink-a lot. But the test is in the pour and the taste.

It certainly looks like it should. It has a good head and cool lacing. It has a whiff of citrous and hops that seem solid. The taste is what a pleasant IPA should be: it presents cool and refreshing with no over-whelming sense of any fruit in particular, but a citrous feel from the hops. They are listed as magnum, crystal and citrous. They also list two-row pale and caramel malts.
The TORPEDO listed is not just a name, it's their process. In their words, it is ...

"...a revolutionary dry-hopping device that controls how much hop aroma is imparted into beer without adding additional bitterness. Torpedo Extra IPA is an aggressive yet balanced beer with massive hop aromas of citrus, pine, and tropical fruit."

After a few of these, the guys even began to speak to me again. After a couple of more, there were even a couple of smiles. In a month or two I may even get off the night shift. Bitchin.

The TORPEDO is not an exotic IPA, it's a well done solid beer. The hops don't over-whelm and there's nothing sneaky. With a pleasant fading after-taste, It's always tempting to drink more. That said, I probably shouldn't have given it to them at lunch. Oh well, drink and learn.

All Hail #BeerSaturday !
Remember, next week one year! We will all celebrate with Detlev. :-))