335 weeks of #beersaturday has got to make for the longest running drinking club on any blockchain does it not?
Being The Blockchain Beerologist definitely has its perks, including but not limited to getting paid to tour breweries and sample new beers! When I am not globetrotting and chugging pints, my fridge looks like a colourful mosaic of regional craft beer I enjoy sharing with the #beersaturday alliance of #beer bloggers on #hive.
This week, 'tis the season for beer gift packs and I can never wait until Christmas day!
Sidelaunch IPA Pack
I have followed Side Launch Brewing Co. since their humble start, and even before if I remember correctly. I always had them on my radar as a solid and promising regional craft brewery but lost some interest as I became obsessed with IPAs. They took a while to get into the game as far as I am concerned and had to fight their way back into my regular rotation.
I can no longer safely say they haven't got an IPA game when they deliver an IPA pack right to the shelf in front of me? Styled after a shipping container with 4 different IPAs for me to sample?
Maybe I should stop admiring it from all glorious angles and start sampling!
Pinapple Sour IPA
I won't get started on how a sour is not an IPA and vice versa but will start with this Pineapple Sour IPA. For some reason, I was surprised when a tall can came out of the box even though it is shaped that tall and it plainly says 4x 473mL on the side. Just another sweet surprise for me as I poured it healthily into the glass for a little flavour activation and foam.
The back of the label doesn't go into the specific beer itself but tells the tale of the namesake of the brewery. Blah blah hard working history blah loosely related good enough for the craft beer hipsters. I am a fan of pineapple, even on pizza, for its sweet and juicy taste which is a good fit for beer as well. In theory, it might balance out the bitterness of the hops but in practice, the sour blasts all sweetness and even hop character as all sours do when they end up trumping the IPA part of the beer. Still, as I was in the mood for a sour, this is not a bad beer! Bold flavours battling with each other with each sip and definitely not as pedestrian as some sours I have enjoyed. the hops are almost wasted on this but the sour is pretty good!
West Coast!
Next up, I opted for the West Coast IPA to get more to the heart of the IPA sampling. I poured this one heavily into my 600ml glass to get plenty of air into it and it really smelled like old school ready to be plunged into! A nice dark gold colour and healthy foamy head.
Same silly general branding on the side label so I will spare you the details. The website describes it with plenty of exclamation marks: "This dark gold, crystal clear West Coast IPA is a great example of this style! Grapefruit and pine resin on the nose give way to flavours of walnut, citrus pith and peppery spices. Great bitterness on the finish!" Should put this on the label!
When you flip to the back of the label, you really get the goods! It starts out the way I would do it with hops first. Not only that, the hops selection is right up my alley with Mosaic, a little citra for some of that balance and fruitiness, and some Chinook for that awesome dryness. A couple malts and even a little wheat for smoothness!
This is a damn good beer and I would definitely buy it if I find it solo on the shelf. Maybe the best one to date but I haven't even gotten into the last 2 in this sampler! Perhaps next week.
#BEERSaturday!
@detlev and instantly become a beer blogger here (https://hive.blog/hive-187719/@detlev/beersaturday-335)
This week for #BeerSaturday, I am inviting 