Beer Tasting: Aha IPA and Torpedo IPA

Hello, beer lovers! 🍻

How are you? It rains again after a week of sun and wind here, and there is nothing to do outside. So, rest, and, of course, some beer.

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Today, I have two IPA beers, one American bottle and one Slovenian can. I'll happily empty them for the 403rd #beersaturday and report back.

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Aha IPA

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Brewed by Pivovarna Hopsbrew for the retail chain Spar.
Can, 0.33 l, alcohol 6% ABV, IBU N/A. It's an IPA-style beer.

I bought the beer a few days ago in an Interspar supermarket in Ljubljana. When I go shopping, occasionally, in a big store, I always go to the beer section, and this beer was new to me. And the price was reasonable too, €1.49.
But it took me a while to find out who makes this beer because it doesn't say anywhere.
Ah, I'm lying 😂:) I asked Grok and then Gemini for reference and found it was Hopsbrew. I tried some of their beers, and they were perfect. But because this is brewed for a big supermarket chain, we'll see.

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The beer is cloudy amber in color, with an average head, and it has no particular smell. The first sip goes down the throat smoothly, and I taste the bitterness of hops and the sweetness of caramel or honey in my mouth.
The bitterness lingers in the aftertaste, and everything else disappears.

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It is a drinkable and refreshing beer. It's more similar to a standard Pale Ale than an IPA in taste and aroma. The bitterness is present but not as pronounced as in the IPA beers I usually drink. I could not get the IBU (International Bitterness Unit) information; neither Grok nor Gemini knew it.
But it's available in local shops for a reasonable price, so it doesn't matter in which category the sellers put it.
Maybe if I had another, I could write more :)

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Let's move forward!

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA

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Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA, United States.
Bottle, 0.33l, alcohol 7.2% ABV, IBU 65. It's IPA style beer.

What do the Master Brewers say?

Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale is a big American IPA; bold, assertive, and full of flavor and aromas, highlighting the complex citrus, pine, and herbal character of whole-cone American hops. Our obsession with harnessing huge hop flavor led to the development of what we call the hop torpedo, a revolutionary method of dry-hopping designed, built, and debuted here at the brewery. Our torpedo is a sleek, stainless-steel piece of hardware that delivers more pure hop aroma than any method of dry-hopping we’ve ever seen.

For me, Sierra Nevada is one of the world's best breweries, and when I have the opportunity to try one of their beers, I always jump at it.

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The beer is cloudy amber in color, with an average head. It smells of pine needles. A sip goes down the throat smoothly. In the mouth, there is a pronounced hop bitterness that does not let up, and in the background, I can taste pine and citrus aromas.
The hop bitterness and pine linger in the aftertaste for a long time.

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Drinkable and refreshing.
A great beer! It's an IPA classic, I would say. Sierra Nevada Brewery hasn't missed the mark again.
Unfortunately, it's unavailable in local shops; you can only order from a specialist shop at €3.29.
It may be in my fridge in the next round of orders.

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And what am I listening to when tasting beers and writing this? Something from
Fridays #newtunes
Mixed Venezuelan rhythms and Afro-beat. It's very jazzy and danceable.

Raul Monsalve y Los Forajidos - Machete no hace piquito