Author: dave

Surfer, Marine Biologist and Technologist = The ingredients of writing the perfect Sci-Fi

Union Jack IPA

  • TYPE: IPA
  • BREWERY: Firestone Walker Brewing Company
  • LOCATION: Paso Robles, CA
  • CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
  • COST: Paid $8.99 for six pack of bottles ($1.49/bottle), Wegmans
  • ABV: 7.0%
  • RATING: 5 Swigs
  • REVIEWED BY: Dave

There is something to be said about a great IPA and the first sip, a perfume that is distinct in all IPAs and the richness that follows giving way to its signature bitterness and finally coming full circle leaving the hint of its perfume lingering. This describes Union Jack to a T, which got me thinking about this idiom.. To a T… I’ve read several reasonings and the one I would use for this brew is that it was masterfully crafted, using every available technique down to a T-square.

I highly recommend having this brew after an epic surf session, when you are salted out in the back of your throat, thinking nothing will quench your thirst. Look no further.

THEIR STORY:

Brewed and canned on California’s Central Coast

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Huger Street IPA

  • TYPE: Huger Street IPA
  • BREWERY: Palmetto Brewing Company
  • LOCATION: Charleston, SC
  • CONTAINER: 12 oz Bottle
  • COST: Paid $8.99 for six pack of bottles ($1.49/bottle), Publix
  • ABV: 7.2%
  • RATING: 4 Swigs
  • REVIEWED BY: Dave

IPA to Queen…. this is a strategic beer to drink at a party where you are being introduced to friends for the first time… just on the border of the higher alcohol at 7.2%. I mean you don’t want to say stuff like, “Hey… have you seen the latest imagery from Cassini?” Just after having passed over the host’s aspic…. this is a great beer to drink while hanging with the bestest of friends, in a cottage.. in a Beer Can Cottage….. I like this beer.

THEIR STORY:

(Hu * gee) our downtown Charleston version of an India Pale Ale has a generous and inviting head that releases a sneak peak to the complexity beneath. Now, close your eyes and inhale the flora of chinook hops which introduce you to the unique aroma of confederate jasmine..

oh no! We now have to tear down the displays of Huger Beer because it is historically not PC. Where’s a GD Safe room when you need one? Run! Run away!

Followed by subtle wafts of citrus and flowers provided by the Citra hops. Enjoy with food and friends.

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Charleston Session IPA

  • TYPE: Charleston Session IPA
  • BREWERY: Palmetto Brewing Company
  • LOCATION: Charleston, SC
  • CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
  • COST: Paid $8.99 for six pack of cans($1.49/Can), Publix
  • ABV: 4.2%
  • RATING: 4 Swigs
  • REVIEWED BY: Dave

Perfect after a hot humid day of outdoors, when you wander into a neighborhood and find an unlocked door and enjoy some time-lapse recording on their deck with a beer that won’t knock you out. Serve chilled, really chilled, just to the point of freezing.

THEIR STORY:

Great with food and friends.

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The Shape Of Hops To Come

Hops2Come

  • TYPE: Imperial  IPA (with 5 Hops)
  • BREWERY: Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company
  • LOCATION: Croydon, PA
  • CONTAINER: 1Pint Can
  • COST: Paid $10.21 for four 16 oz cans ($2.55/can), Wegmans
  • ABV: 9.5%
  • RATING:45 Swigs
  • REVIEWED BY: Dave

This Imperial Pale Ale was my coveted beer of choice in the early days of drinking craft beers: I hoarded this beer, not bringing this out at a party…. I was not sharing it at someone’s fire-pit sleep-over, I was not gifting it to a friend (well… maybe… if I could wear a Roswell alien mask) and I was not promoting it on a public website so that the prices would go up because it is so delicious. In fact, it was so delicious that it belonged on the ISS.  This was the kind of beer I could drink all night, as long as I did not have to drive anywhere (9.5 ABV).  The initial taste is sharply beautiful as each of the 5 hops tumble around on your taste buds and you want more before coming up for air.

The only issue I have is the crazy plastic top that holds the four cans in place; I was looking for the combination.  Trying to remove one of these reminds me of the scenes on Star Trek, where Scotty had to remove the dilithium crystal core rods from the reactor,

“I can’t do this, Captain!”

You might think this is a little pricey for 4 cans, but realize these are 16 oz cans and the ABV is 9.5 % so that works out to be like a million cases of Ultra.

THEIR STORY:

“We brew with the same punk mentality that has been pushing bands and punk rock for the past 40 years.  The shape of Hops to come is not only a nod to our favorite bands, but also an oath of always trying to push the limit of beer and our ability to make it.  With this IPA we not only wanted to make something bitter, hoppy, and mouth crushing but wanted to try and incorporate some new hop varieties along with some well known favorites to craft a hop bomb of a beer that you won’t want to put down even if you don’t have any taste buds left.  Hopped continuously from mash tun to kettle to fermenter, we cut loose withApollo, Newport, Slmcoe, Topaz, and Citra for a lethal hop concoction that we hope will be another step in the IPA evolutionary ladder.”

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Southern Tier / 2X Unfiltered IPA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • TYPE: IPA (Double)
  • BREWERY: Southern Tier Brewing Company
  • LOCATION: Lakewood, NY
  • CONTAINER: 12 oz Bottle
  • COST: Paid $10.21 for (6) separate  beers ($1.70/can/bottle), Wegmans
  • ABV: 8.2%
  • RATING: 4+ swigs
  • REVIEWED BY: Noose

I like this beer like I like my women…. Cloudy, Hazy, Hoppy & Sloppy. This is a double India Pale Ale kicking up at 8.2% ABV. Thank god my teeth are tightly spaced to filter out the detritus. Too many of these and I’ll be dragging a mannequin across my front lawn… if I’m lucky. Serve this up with some Rapox Hot sauce (my own recipe) on gourmet tortilla chips and who needs company.

THEIR STORY:

Why the Hell Not!

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