Beer Style #2: American IPA

Imagine, if you will, an American Pale Ale hopped up on steroids.  This is basically how I describe an American IPA to people.  APA's, if you recall from my previous post, have good hop character to them, but American IPA's the hops are kicked up several notches.  The flavor profiles can range from citrusy to herbacious to tropical fruits and so on.  Often some earthiness and floral tones to them as well.  The aromas of an IPA are incredibly intoxicating.  Common aromas again are citrus, pine, tropical fruits, and floral.  The aroma is what pulls you in to the beer.  There are few things beer that I like better than the aroma of a fresh, juicy IPA.  The color of an IPA can also be quite broad in range.  They can be a golden yellow to a deep amber color.  Many of them have a nice orange color to them.    .

IPA's really showcase the hops.  English IPA's are not as hoppy as American IPA's.  I remember trying Greene King IPA when in England last summer and my initial impression of it was that it was fairly light and the hops were minimal.  American IPA's also are medium bodied and have a nice malt backbone which holds the flavors together beautifully.  They often have a bitter finish, which is really what puts new IPA drinkers off.  Definitely an acquired taste, but once you get to the point where you appreciate an IPA, it is very likely to become your go-to style of beer.  This might be why the IPA is one of the most popular styles of beer in the craft beer world.

So what are some of my recommended IPA's....let's take a look:
1. Bells Two Hearted Ale:  A classic in the style and consistently one of the best rated IPA's in the world.  This is the beer that got me into IPA's and is always a good go-to beer.
2. Founders Centennial IPA:  Featuring the Centennial Hop in the very best ways.
3. Triton Railsplitter IPA:  Local from Indianapolis, this one packs an awesome hop punch with fantastic bitterness.  One of my favorites.
4. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA:  Another one that is consistently rated one of the best in the world.  But you won't find it in Indiana.  Definitely worth trading for or ordering online if you can find it.
5. Sun King Grapefruit Jungle IPA:  One of my favorite local Sun King brews.  Comes out twice a year and actually there is a tapping party for it on 8/30.  Amazing grapefruit flavor.  Crisp and refreshing.  Well crafted beer.
6. Surly Furious:  Possibly the best IPA I've had.  Can only get it in Minnesota. Again, very much worth trading for if you haven't had it.
7.  Stone IPA:  A classic west coast IPA and one of the most popular out there.
8.  Odell IPA:  Bold and complex.  Nicely bitter.  Not available in Indiana, but it's out there.
9.  New Belgium Ranger IPA:  A great starter IPA.  This beer renewed my faith in New Belgium as a brewery.

10. Three Floyds BrooDoo:  Only available in October, this fresh hopped IPA is one of my favorites from Three Floyds.  Be on the lookout for this one, don't miss it.
11. Fat Heads Head Hunter IPA:  Recently won an award for best in style beating out Sculpin IPA.  Massively hopped.  Can't get it in Indiana, but Ohio has it....and who doesn't love a road trip?
12.  Dark Horse Crooked Tree:  Definitely lives up to its description, crisp and dry.  Featuring the hops with a solid bitterness.  Great brew from Dark Horse out of Michigan.

Need some variation in your IPA life?  Well, there are some creative spins out there on IPA's.  Black IPA's, Rye IPA's, Red IPA's, and White IPA's have all really taken off in popularity.  Black IPA's are dark in color with roasted malts.  Rye IPA's are made with copious amounts of Rye malt.  Red IPA's are simply hopped up Red Ales.  White IPA's usually have a bit of funk to them. It's interesting to see brewers using creativity to create some of these spins on a traditional IPA.  Examples of these styles include:

1.  Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale:  Probably one of the best Black IPA's I have had.
2.  Firestone Walker Wookey Jack:  Not available in Indiana, but worth trying if you make it to Illinois or California.  Incredible Black IPA.
3.  Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA:  Don't sleep on this Rye IPA from Sierra Nevada.  It's really tasty.
4.  Troegs Nugget Nectar:  Is it an amber or an ipa? Always a debate.  For me I consider it a red IPA.  Seasonal from Troegs in Pennsylvania.  Just a quick trip to Ohio when it comes out and this could be yours.
5.  Grand Teton Pursuit of Hoppiness:  Strong ale or IPA?  In my opinion it's an IPA.  My second favorite to Nugget Nectar.  This hoppy red delivers all the goods.
6.  Anchorage Brewing Galaxy White IPA:  Massive funk and complexity....if that's your thing.

Of the variants, I would say that I enjoy them all, except White IPA's.  Generally they have been too funky for me.  My favorite IPA is Surly Furious and my favorite IPA variant is the Wookey Jack from Firestone Walker.

One more thing about IPA's.  One of the most important thing to consider when buying one of these hoptacular beers is freshness.  Check those bottle dates.  If it's old (3-4 months) or has dust on the bottle on the shelf, please pass it by.  Hop flavors fade over time and nothing is more disappointing that an IPA that has lost its hop punch.  So get those IPA's fresh if you can.  Look for a future post dedicated to the Double IPA.  What are your favorite IPA's?


Cheers!!

Review #5: Triton Railsplitter

Indianapolis has really started to develop an awesome craft beer scene.  The growth has been incredible over the past few years and extremely fun to watch.....and taste :-)  One of the breweries that has taken Indianapolis by storm is Triton Brewing.  Located on the northeast side of Indianapolis, Triton had their grand opening in the fall of 2011, and I got my first taste of their brews in December.  The brewpub is one of the best in the city.  They often have great food trucks serving up delicious eats, amazing guest taps of harder to find brews, and of course they have their high quality selection of original beers.  This place has everything you want from a brewery.  If you haven't been there yet, this weekend is a great time to try something new!!

Triton has 5 beers that are year round brews.  Magnificent Amber, Deadeye Stout, Fieldhouse Wheat, Four Barrel Brown, and my favorite and the subject of this review: Railsplitter IPA.  Triton's flagship beer clocks in at 7.0% ABV and about 70 IBU's.  Let's dig in to this hoppy masterpiece....shall we?  Well, I shall, you may have to live vicariously through this blog until you go get your own....which I suggest you do.

Choose Your Vessel:  Tulip Glass.  Remember, IPA's and Double IPA's deserve the finest of Tulip Glasses.

The Pour: This one pours a deep copper color and a thick foamy head begins to develop as the pour comes to a close.  The tulip accentuates the head of this brew and it ends up being a solid 2 finger-width head that almost spills over the lip of the glass.  I let it sit for a bit and that head did not go anywhere.  Just an indication of a resinous and robust IPA.  The beer holds itself well in the glass.  Perfect pour.  As I sit back and take this picture, the beauty of the beer strikes me as something I haven't noticed before.  It's really nice to look at.  Attractive in every way.  The deep color suggesting that you are about embark on a flavor adventure.

Aroma: Mostly pine and grass are what I get when I take a whiff.  It actually smells like a beer that would have a much higher IBU measurement, but 70 IBU's is pretty solid for a standard IPA.  I do get a bit of a sweet malt hint towards the end of my inhalation.

Taste:  This one is definitely a hop punch in the mouth.  You get a good balance of pine, citrus, and a little tropical fruit right up front with a little malt background that holds everything together nicely.  The beer finishes extremely bitter and dry, which certainly could be off-putting to some.  For me, though, it just makes me want more.  I definitely enjoy a heavy bitterness in my IPA's and this one does not disappoint.  The bitterness also hangs around for a while after I take each sip.  The flavors of this beer assert themselves aggressively, another attractive feature for me.  Halfway through I also noted that this one is refreshingly crisp and just has a really nice fresh taste to it.  Also, the lacing was quite moderate on the glass throughout the tasting.  Was so interesting that I had to take a picture.

Overall:  Definitely my favorite of the Triton year round brews.  I actually have no problem saying it's one of my favorite standard IPA's to date.  For me, it's the bitterness that really makes me crave each sip.  This is definitely a beer I recommend to friends, and one that I have sent to people as extras in beer trades.  If you read this and would like one, send me an email address so we can set something up.  I'd love to get this beer out and help spread the good work that Triton has done if I am able.  Cheers to Triton on a job well done!  Enough writing....I need to go grab another.

American Craft Beer Week

American Craft Beer Week begins today and I can't really think of a better way to celebrate the coming summer than to enjoy craft beer with family and friends.  It seems that many cities/towns are gearing up for American Craft Beer Week with a plethora of special events, tastings, and takeovers, and my home city of Indianapolis is pulling out all the stops for Craft Beer this week.  As I think about it, I probably should have just taken the whole week off of work to celebrate Craft Beer.

One of the blogs I follow, Hoosier Beer Geek, has a list of the many events that will be held throughout the city during this week.  I encourage you to check out their blog which is a wealth of craft beer information.  It's an incredibly exciting list of events, but it certainly can be a bit overwhelming to think about how many different places are offering special activities.  If you are anything like me, you might end up agonizing over the decision you have to make so much that you just stay home, sit on your couch, and celebrate Craft Beer Week on your couch with your favorite craft beer in hand.......which is, of course, a completely acceptable way to celebrate and something I surely will be doing this week.

As my wife and I are expecting a new baby in the coming weeks and having a handful of a 2 year old we already do, I am well aware that my presence is required at home during this week to continue working on preparations for the new baby and to help relieve my wife's stress with the pending expansion of our family.  So for me, attending all of the events I would like to attend is virtually impossible.  Meaning that most of my craft beer celebrating will have to be done at home.  However, there are a couple of events that I hope to be able to attend and I encourage you to do so as well if you have the time.

Monday May 14th (I know, it's a little late to be putting this out there, but seriously) go grab your car keys and a couple friends right now and head to  Macnivens for their Three Floyds Tap Takeover.  It appears that they will have 12 taps of Three Floyds brews from 5p-11p tonight....and with that selection, you simply can not go wrong.  In fact, why are you still reading this?  Why haven't you left yet?  What's wrong with you?  GO!!! EDIT: I am reminded by the good people at Hoosier Beer Geek and Gina that the Three Floyds tap takeover is wednesday night....

I might also suggest grabbing a pint before or after your Three Floyds adventure at the Tomlinson Tap Room at City Market since pints are just $4 between 2p-9p.  This is an incredible way to kick off ACBW.

Tuesday:  Here's where tough decisions are made, but I think I have figured out what I would do if I could.  I would start by going back to Macnivens for the Two Hearted firkin that will be on all day.  I then might head over to the Red Lion Grog House for trivia from 7p-10p.  I would finish the night by enjoying $2.50 pints at the White Rabbit Cabaret.

Wednesday:  I would start my day at Triton Brewing to enjoy some Rail Splitter IPA and awesome food served by Clustertruck.  Then I would go back to Macnivens for a quick couple of Three Floyds brews before heading to Flat 12 Bierwerks Rock the Block Party where your money goes to a good cause and you get to enjoy the awesomeness that is Flat 12 brews.  Part of me would really like to go to the Tomlinson Tap Room for the IndyMonthly beerfest, but the price tag is kind of steep....but if that's your thing, then go ahead and enjoy because that is certainly a good choice as well.

Thursday:  Back to Macnivens for the Sun King tap takeover.  No, your liver does not need a break, you are a well oiled machine at this point.  I would literally just belly up all day at Macnivens today and enjoy the Fresh Local Beer that Sun King brews.  There are sure to be special releases there, and from what I have read a Firkin of Grapefruit Jungle could be all the rage.

Friday:  I would actually choose today to take a break and enjoy some craft beer from my fridge/cellar.  It's a good day to break it up, but if you must go out I would suggest Happy Hour at Tomlinson Tap Room.

That's a busy week of enjoying and celebrating American Craft Beer.  As for myself, I hope to get out to at least the Three Floyds takeover on Wednesday at Macnivens or the Sun King Takeover on Thursday.  Either way, I know I will be enjoying this week dedicated to one of my favorite things....craft beer.  As always, please enjoy responsibly.  Indianapolis Yellow Cab can be reached at 487-7777 for your safe transportation needs.

Enjoy!!