While the Blockchain Beerologist has been celebrating the easing of the lockdown back in the breweries, it is time to step back and rejoice with a spotlight on IPA!

Source: https://www.pinterest.pt/goldensaintbeer/ with a little Zeke design on top.

I discovered IPA (India Pale Ale - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_pale_ale) sometime after the turn of the latest century on business trips to the USA. I will let you explore the history of IPA https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-india-pale-ale-got-its-name-180954891/ through the various links in this post as it is a story 200 years in the brewing.

For me, arriving at the slippery IPA slope was an end game of sorts that started with graduating from industry giant breweries, through darker beers, to craft beer, and jumping on the train of hops. When defending against the judgement that I am just on the hipster hopster IPA train to be progressive, I simply share that I am not 20-something anymore, don't like drinking 8 beers in a sitting, and simply prefer a beer that tastes like 8 beers in 1. That being the personal case, I support the above meme!

For now, let us explore the green fields of IPA in my life the last couple weeks for #beersaturday!

The Hoppy Fields of IPA

These were the spoils of a recent trip of mine to the local liquor store which has developed quite a high-level game when it comes to IPA variety and progressiveness. This luscious haul is special to me as it includes of of my long-running top 10, recent favourites, and a couple brand new ones. Come to look at it, it is also well-represented by some of my favourite breweries including Nickebrook Brewing Companyhttps://nickelbrook.com/, Rainhard Brewing Company https://rainhardbrewing.com/, Great Lakes Brewery http://www.greatlakesbeer.com/, and Cowbell Brewing Company https://cowbellbrewing.com/.

Let me know when your brewery tour takes you to my neck of the woods and I will acompany you to any of these fine establishments.

Fake IPA

Before we get started, be careful not to get suckered by bullshit "ipa." When I visit a new establishment and ask what IPAs they have on tap, if they say "we only have (this bullshit beer I don't even want to name)" then I just say "that's amazing" and order a stout. Seriously, if it says IPA on the can but is described like this on the website, "Blonde Ale | 5% ABV & 13 IBU Brewed without compromise since 1820, taste our heritage in this crisp golden ale with distinct drinkability. Subtle spice and herb notes from the hops and yeast come together over a light cereal grain foundation to provide a fresh easy drinking ale. The original Nova Scotia Ale and the oldest continuously brewed beer in North America: “Those who like it…” Well, those who like it should try a craft ale instead and breweries who falsely represent a legitimate brew can run backwards through a corn field.

Now that I have that public service announcement out of my system, on to a few real IPA styles.

West Coast IPA

One of the original styles of IPA I discovered and loved was the West Coast style. I found them to have a strong taste/alcohol, and hopped to the point it often tasted like a brewing competition in bitterness. These sport-hopped beverages were often dry on the end as well and my lawnmower beer drinkers refer to them as a glass full of pine cones.

This beauty was brought to me from Henderson Brewing Company recently and was good enough to be featured in one of my "happy place" photos (from my reclining chair on my deck enjoying the wide northern sky.) While it is pleasantly sport-hopped, it also features a little more malt than you generally get from PALE ales but I am good with that.

This West Coast Classic IPA https://henderson-brewing-company.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/west-coast-classic-ipa seems to have been custom made for this game-loving Beerologist. Fans of GTA5 like me will love the theme for the memories it brings back as we long for a GTA6 which may never happen. In the meantime, they emulate the style perfectly for the branding with vibrant colour, excellent label real estate usage, and a beer that makes me smile when I am pulling it from the fridge for a gaming session.

Such a pleasing combination of presentation, bitterness/hoppiness, malt character and an overall sweet and full-bodied palette-pleasing flavour. Well done Henderson! I hope you avoid copywrite action and I am able to purchase this again!

New England / East Coast IPA

I first heard about East Coast IPAs before they were popular from a friend opening up a brewery and informing that he was going to make one his standard IPA offering. He described it as plenty hoppy, but with a different type of yeast and hop for a more approachable, sweet taste and all the strength. I will have to admit that I was not too enthused as I appreciated the bitterness but man was I proven wrong!

I highlighted this wonderful 21 Haze East Coast IPA https://heritagehopsbrew.com/collections/ipa in last week's highlight of Heritage Hops Brewery in town. In a revision from the past, it was brewed as a Vermont Style IPA and I remembered enjoying it before it ran out and the brewery closed down. The brewery reopened under new management and I was excited to discover this beer was not only back, but as a year-round offering.

It also was worthy of being featured in my patented Happy Old Place (HOP!) photo as I purchased it again to make sure it is consistent tasting, and might just get elevated into my Top 10 IPAs regularly available no matter the season. Welcome Back Heritage Hops!

Hazy IPA

Hazy or Juicy IPA seems to be a style of sorts lately. Characterized by more of a citrus flavour and a chewy, unfiltered presentation. Hence the juicy haze.

Cowbell Brewing Hazy Days IPA https://store.cowbellbrewing.com/products/hazy-days has been available for months and has a strong standing in my top 10 if it stays that way. Sweet and strong, citrussy and hazy, I pick this up every time I see it on the shelf. When I have one left, I tend to save it for last as it is one of the best.

Though I personally don't subscribe to juice or hazy as being a classification, I can tell you I have enjoyed most of the ones I have tasted. Hence, it gets its own section of this IPA spectacle.

Double IPA

Back when I was gliding down the slippery IPA slope and seemingly nothing would satisfy my rapidly evolving palette, I sought out every Double or Imperial IPA I could find. Afterall, everything strong, hoppy and bitter would be even moreso if it was doubly so right? Eventually, they became too strong or bitter or crunchy for my liking and I found myself only enjoying half of the ones I tasted.

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered this new Double IPA I hadn't tasted yet, but it was from one of my favourite breweries. https://nickelbrook.com/products/metal-head

Though this beer does come on like a head-banging riffy rollercoaster, it is purposeful and well rounded! I am a metalhead from decades of loving and performing heavy metal, so I was compelled to purchase this no matter what. I definitely threw up the horns (tuck the thumb!) while drinking this one and applaud another well-crafted Double IPA.

Beer is a very personal thing when it comes to which style, brewery and taste suits you. Personally, I am happily entrenched in the IPA India Pale Ale genre and am known to compare breweries based upon their main IPA. I would recommend you sneak up on IPAs if you are not a connoisseur as they tend to be very intense, and may ruin your palette for other styles as it has with me. Otherwise, if you are a little bored with light and subtle lagers and ales, this may just revive your love for beer!

Thanks for joining me in exploring the slippery slope of enjoying IPAs!

#BEERSaturday!

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