Follow me:

    Yakima Glory

    March 22, 2011
    / Beer Review /
    Leave a comment

    Name – Yakima Glory
    Country – United States
    Type – Black IPA

    March Madness is roaring on and boy is it mad this year.  Many people throwing out their brackets after just the first round.  I admit that Morehead State and VCU messed with me a bit but what hurt me most was my underdog picks that couldn’t pull off the wins.

    Well luckily United We Drink (cheap plug) will be having our own tournament on this week’s episode.  Be sure to tune in on Friday for the most epic beer tournament you will ever see.

    So with the early exit of Villanova and the not as early exit of Temple I am having a Philly area brew to drown my sorrows in.

    Yakima Glory debuted in late 2009 in small batches around the Philly area as Yakima Twilight.  But in 2010 more was made and the name was changed.  The Black IPA (yes I like that name compared to Cascadian Dark Ale) was something I was lucky enough to try at Victory’s brew pub in 2009 and I was happy to see it on a wide distribution this time around.

    The cap is popped and I pour the brew into my nonic pint glass.  The color is a lot like a cola, even the head that forms.  There are some red hues to the color along the edges of the glass.  And it leaves a good lacing as the foam dissipates.

    The smell is big on resiny, dank hops.  I can pick up some cherry scents as well as a little roastiness but man those hops are strong.

    The first sip is quite bitter.  A ton of hops hitting you and then the roasted malt flavor comes in.  You get some caramel and sweet malts but the hops just take over again.  It finishes bitter and the taste lingers around on your tongue for a couple minutes.

    Either I’m crazy or I just don’t remember this brew being this hoppy when I first had it.  The mixing of the hops and roasted malt flavors fits the style great but the hops definitely stand out more.

    While I enjoyed the beer I couldn’t have more than one in a sitting.  I actually had two bottles and saved the second for another time.

    This is probably one of the more intense Black IPAs I’ve had.  And if you like the style you better pick this up before they are all gone since it won’t be back until late in the year.

    Grade – B+

    Share
    Leave a comment

    Thursday Beer Dinner at Howley’s with Flying Dog

    March 21, 2011
    / Beer Events /
    Leave a comment

    West Palm Beach’s favorite dinner, Howley’s, is back with another one of their beer dinners.  This time joining them are the makers of gonzo beers themselves, Flying Dog.

    Just take a look at the menu.

    These dinners do tend to sell out so be sure that you call or email them to reserve your spot.  I think I will take a Flying Dog slogan and modify it for this.  Good Beer, Good Food, No Shit.

    Howley’s Restaurant
    4700 S Dixie Hwy
    West Palm Beach, FL 33405
    561-833-5691
    howleysbeerdinner@gmail.com

    Share
    Leave a comment

    Sculpin IPA

    March 17, 2011
    / Beer Review /
    4 Comments

    Name – Sculpin IPA
    Country – United States
    Type – American IPA

    A little over a week ago I did my first video review for Ballast Point’s Big Eye IPA.  And during I said that a review would be coming soon the IPA brother in the Ballast Point household, Sculpin.  Being a man that tries to keep his promises I bring it here to you today.

    This beer is constantly mentioned by many beer geeks as one of the best single IPAs int he world.  Mighty heft claim huh?  Well let’s put it to the ultimate test, MikeLovesBeer.com.

    I poured the beer into my Dogfish Head snifter and it is a pale orangish to gold color.  A nice white head is on top of the brew and leaves a nice lacing on the glass as it subsides.

    The nose packed full of citrus hops.  There are some pine notes I can pick up but to me it’s mostly citrus.

    The taste is really no different from the smell with more big, bold citrus hops.  There is also an earthy quality in there as well.  It is pretty bitter for a single IPA.  It is the type you get from very hoppy DIPAs.  Not much in the way of malt backing.

    It is really hard to believe this beer is classified as a single IPA.  Almost everything about it’s smell and taste screams double.  But at 7% ABV I know a few single IPAs that are higher in alcohol than this one.

    Now typically when it comes to big IPAs or DIPAs I like balance in the hops and malts.  But there are the outrageous few that I enjoy the enamel ripping taste of the hops like Stone Ruination IPA and Avery Maharaja.

    This one is a hop head’s dream.  I can see where a lot of people call it one of the best IPAs out there as it is just so much hoppier than most of it’s style.  For those in South Florida Ballast Point is not down in our area yet.  But they are available in Central Florida.  So if you take a trip you will be able to get it.

    Grade – A

    Share
    Leave a comment