• TYPE: IPA
• BREWERY: Southern Tier Brewing Co.
• LOCATION: Lakewood, NY
• CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
• COST:  $8.99 six pack of cans, etc.
• ABV: 6.0%
• RATING: 4+ Swigs
• REVIEWED BY: Dave

So I met this dude in a Total Wine in West Palm, FL.  The dude was knowledgeable and we started talking about different craft beers we have tried among the backdrop of more beers then I could try in my lifetime.  He was a keg of knowledge–way beyond my samplings–but we both realized neither of us had tried out this particular IPA from Southern Tier.  I have tried others from this brewery and have liked everything so far and reached for a six-pack.  I mean, Why the Hell not?

Since I was buying quite a few others I popped a can right then and there and was transformed into a time a few second ahead of where I was.  I knew exactly what I was going to say about this craft: It was not too bitter, had a lasting taste, smooth finish with a slight tropical current reeling through it.  This dude must have thought I was some kind of savant, although the look on his face was more like the look one gives to someone about to talk to a fire hydrant–and trust me, he wasn’t waiting around for the reply until I crabbed another off the shelf and popped another.   That’s when the fight began…..

THEIR STORY:  Why the hell not?

• TYPE: IPA
• BREWERY: Sixpoint Brewery
• LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY
• CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
• COST: $9.99
• ABV: 6.6%
• RATING: 5 Swigs
• REVIEWED BY: Dave

I have had a few beers from this brewery and so far I have liked all of them.    Let’s start with the can–sophisticated, sleek, regal… It makes you want to jump up and hit a sign… any sign… taking advantage of the male gene for sign-hitting.  Right from the beginning, the florals are there followed by a blast of citrus with the hops goose-stepping through like a north Korea military parade while the 6.6% ABV creeps up on you like the dear leader himself, tapping you on the shoulder and presenting you with a stack on 1980’s dvd’s.    This is the kind of beer you bring out to impress a friend, pretending you have refrigerators full of the stuff… right next to the truffles and beluga caviar.. but a shelf up from them.. a pyramid of cans….. of sorts.

THEIR STORY:  It all started with an epic video game marathon back in 2004. Rocking blaze-orange homebrew, we saw the foam rings  down the glass like tiger stripes.  Thousands of batches and tweaks later, the BENGALI still slashes.  Tip it back and let gravity do the work.  Game on!

• TYPE: IPA
• BREWERY: Flying Fish
• LOCATION: Somerdale, NJ
• CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
• COST: $8.99 six-pack
• ABV: 6%
• RATING: 3+ Swigs
• REVIEWEDBY: Dave

I am not sure exactly where I was handed this beer, but I think it was around 1,500 ft. I was asking the bartender about local NJ beers and was suddenly swept off my barstool into the vortex, looking the eye-wall in the eye. The smart start to this beer was quickly extinguished for me. I felt it flattened out too quickly and had a bit of a soapy finish, but still, I could drink this all night, in an airship, with stewardesses dressed in 50’s airline outfits, as I sit back in naugahyde seats, staring out the open window and overlooking the Jersey Shore. It did grow on me.  The 6% ABV was a saving grace. I didn’t dislike it, but it is not on my priority buy list.

THEIR STORY:

15 taps, cool tasting room, awesome beer garden.Thirsty yet? Come visit.

• TYPE: IPA (session)
• BREWERY: Holy City Brewing
• LOCATION: North Charleston, SC
• CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
• COST: UKNOWN – had it at a friend’s house
• ABV: 4.7%
• RATING: 3+ Swigs
• REVIEWED BY: Dave

A friend who knows I am writing reviews on craft beers gave me one of these.  At first sip, it comes off as a great tasting IPA,.. Very floral… but then it flattens out… a little too quickly.   Very fragrant, bitter to a liking, but could use a little more after-burn. He gave me another can for the way home.  Well… not to drink on the way home.  No way was I getting pulled over by the police, that I thought was just some adolescent teen riding my bumper too closely so I made a quick right that almost ejected me out of my seat-belt, only to see in the rear-view mirror the telltale strips and insignias illuminated by the arc lights of the telephone poll that I almost hit.  And then a knock at my window and when I rolled it down with a vice-grip because the handle broke a long time ago and asked the officer–

“What seems to be the officer.. problem?’

“Out of the car, sir.”

That required another vice-grip to pull down on the handle.

“License, registration and insurance card, please.” he said, the light from his flashlight shining in my eyes.

I complied and handed him all the necessary paperwork.

“What is this ticket for doing fifty in a twenty-five mile an hour zone?” he said dangling the ticket I received a day earlier.

“Sorry,” and I gave him the insurance card.

“We’re going to take a little test, sir.” the officer said calmly.

Knowing I was already screwed and would be someone’s bitch in prison, I complied.

“Great.” I said almost unintelligible with a hick-up. “I like tests.”

“Stand away from the car and hold your arms out to the side, shoulder level.” he ordered me, a little more authority in his voice.

I raised my arms out to the side, steady as a surgeon about to cut into a cadaver.

“Please take your foot off the car door, sir,”  he noticed.

I did.  It was hard standing with both feet on the ground.  I did much better with one foot braced on the door.

“Now I want you to walk in a straight line to my car and back.

I looked to his car.  That didn’t seem so difficult.  I dropped my arms started to walk–

“Arms out to the side, sir.”

I complied.

When I returned, he asked me how I think I did.

“Good… for a person in my condition.” I replied.

He huffed a laugh under his breath.  “Look.  You live a block away.  I’m going to follow you back to your house.  Park the car.  Go inside. And stay there.”

I complied.

THEIR STORY:

We brewed Paradise to celebrate the prevention of drilling off of our home coast, and in support of the coastal conservation league.  This session IPA is a refreshing easy-drinker with a floral nose and lots of hop flavor with two of our favorites: Citra and Mosaic.  Here’s to the continued conservation of our great state of South Carolina.

• TYPE: IPA
• BREWERY: Founders Brewing Company
• LOCATION: Grand Rapids, MI
• CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
• COST: Paid $10.21 for (6) separate  beers ($1.70/can/bottle), Wegmans
• ABV: 4.7%
• RATING: 3+ Swigs
• REVIEWED BY: Dave

This is a light IPA and a perfect selection of beer to drink before going over to another friend’s house, who might not have IPAs to drink, and so you can drink more beer without feeling like you drank too many beers at the first place, before going to the second place… wait… where am I in this story?  Oh  yeah! This is a light tasting IPA, smooth, crisp and a very enjoyable IPA to be drinking around a kitchen island with a bowl of pistachios, before going to the second place in question.

THEIR STORY:

The beer you have been waiting for.  Keeps your taste satisfied while keeping your senses sharp.  An All-Day IPA Naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains and hops.  Balanced for optimal aromatics and a clean finish.  The perfect reward for an honest day’s work and the ultimate companion to celebrate life’s simple pleasure.

• TYPE: IPA (California Style)
• BREWERY: Terrapin Beer Company
• LOCATION: Athens, GA
• CONTAINER: 12 oz Can
• COST: Paid $10.21 for (6) separate  beers ($1.70/can/bottle), Wegmans
• ABV: 5.9%
• RATING: 3+ Swigs
• REVIEWED BY: Dave

I like the company name, but the can design looks more like orange soda to me than a craft beer. That said, I love an IPA. But this one, like the company name (Terrapin), was a slow crawl for me. I enjoyed it, but maybe only one can at a sitting. It was a bit sweet for my taste and just not a stand out or that memorable. Even their story does not seem to convince themselves it stands out among others of its class… I mean, you are a Georgia Brewer and comparing your beer to a California IPA for surfers? It’s a bit weird. I have surfed my entire life and I, nor my buds, have ever talked this way or thought this way. Something more along the lines of: “You just had an epic surf session with your buds so try slowing it down with a Terrapin Hi-5 and the stories and waves get much bigger.”

I will have one of my buds try it to hear their feedback.

THEIR STORY:

Surf / Boogie / Slap hands / Paddle: like a memorable adventure along U.S. Route 101, “Hi-5” California Style IPA leads you down a road of pure adrenaline and beauty. Capturing the majestic flavor of citrusy hops that roll off your tongue like a white cap on an ocean wave, this scenic wonder will keep you in awe, sip after sip.

A gesture in which two people simultaneously slap hands together in celebration of receiving a Terrapin Hi-5 California style 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