Beer blogging came naturally to me due to years spent brewing for myself, working with breweries on their technology & marketing, and the decades spent imbibing. Hence, the self-decreed title of the #Blockchain #Beerologist and I have cranked up my Beerology game this year as breweries are back in full swing.
This week, I am jumping into the 3rd edition of the IPA Fun Box!
Pint of the Week!
This week's social pint on the town is just that as it was enjoyed during the monthly Chamber of Commerce meeting. Broken Rail Brewing https://brokenrailbrewing.ca/ is a local brewery the next town over and we gathered with other business leaders for some networking and fun.
This pint also serves as foreshadowing to my Wednesday beer hump day post where I invite you along with me for a closer look.
IPA Fun Box Strikes Again
My closest beer-drinkin' buddies here might remember variety packs from Refined Fool Brewing https://www.refinedfool.com/ on past blogs. Those who are not that close will quickly discover that I am obsessed with IPAs and increasingly so with new ones I have not sampled yet. If I can evaluate a new brewery based upon its IPA game, how great is it to sample the whole breadth of their IPA chops in a gift pack?
Looking back on the image of my second IPA Fun Box, I am noticing the '2nd Edition' in the top right corner for the first time. Now that I am on to the 4th, https://www.refinedfool.com/collections/beer/products/ipa-fun-box-4th-edition I will have to keep an eye out for the next ones and perhaps ask the brewer how often to expect them. For now, I am happy to see Zane, the Party Sharks and the Weirdos return and anxious to discover the newer ones.
Single Friend
The first one up is another in a long line of recently popular Cold IPAs. You can read about this new trend here https://www.hopculture.com/cold-ipa/ but the synopsis is brewing at slightly colder temperatures than typical IPA, thus using different yeast (often reserved for lagers) and aiming for a crisper, more chuggable IPA without simply sherking on the taste and ABV like many do with session IPAs. Count me in!
Single Friend https://www.refinedfool.com/products/single-friend-cold-ipa weighs in at an even 7%ABV and uses Sabro and Sasquatch hops, wheat, and pilsner malt for their version of a cold IPA. I enjoyed this pint and would pick it up again if it was hanging solo on the shelf.
Illiterate Librarians
Next up is what seemed to be another shallow contradiction as good enough an idea for branding this grapefruit IPA. Goofy colours aside, I do appreciate a good retro feel and who has anything against reading robots?
I pulled Illiterate Librarian https://www.refinedfool.com/products/illiterate-librarians-grapefruit-ipa out for a deck session with a book. Grapefruit flavour fits well with IPA when done properly and Citrus, Comet, Centennial & Simcoe hops might just be the perfect blend. Very tasty beer and a slightly lighter ABV for summer without sacrificing flavour.
#BEERSaturday!
Here is a little bonus terpene education for you to ponder over til next #Beersaturday! Warm up your liver and join
@detlev and I at @detlev/269-thirsty-weeks-of-beersaturday-join-the-fun for this week's #beersaturday post. Grab a pint and join in the fun with a beer story of your own. Don't forget to stack !BEER tokens so that you can get rich and play the Beer King games every week here https://friends.beersaturday.com/hive One day I will be the BEER KING!
This week of #BeerSaturday, I like to invite one of my oldest blockchain friends 