The India Pale Ale might be the signature style of the American craft beer movement. An IPA is characterized by a slight malty taste and a strong hoppy finish. A hop head’s dream, the trend of American craft brewers is to go hoppier and hoppier. The best IPA’s somehow manage to find a balance with the hops and create something more interesting then simply “Hop Juice.” When sitting down with an IPA, most will notice the unmistakable aroma. Even if blindfolded, most would recognize the strong floral scent and know they were about to have an IPA. For me to recommend an IPA, it has to have a slightly malty balance to counter the pure bitter brought by the overdose of hops. I don’t mind the bitter finish, I just don’t like that to be the only thing brought to the party.
This is the only Imperial IPA (Double IPA) of the group, but I have turned more people on to craft beer with the 90 minute then any other single beer. While hoppy, it is very balanced and has just enough malt and sweet flavors to put those hops in check. It pours a very clear light amber, with a light head that dissipates very quickly. There is a very floral scent with a slight citrusy twang to it. It has a good bite with a very fresh taste. With each sip, the 90 minutes floral quality comes out and asserts itself as the major player in the brew. This is a very easy drinking IPA and with it’s 9% abv, a very easy brew to get in to trouble with. With some of the crazy beers that Dogfish Head comes out with, it’s very nice to see that they can still produce a quality “basic” beer.
The Centennial Pours a cloudy orange color with a bone white, two finger head. The smell is very interesting with a slight hop aroma, unlike the strong aroma that is in some IPA’s. The sip starts with a nice malt flavor and finishes with a solid hop bite. As I drink it, the hop bitterness is starting to take the flavor over and the aforementioned malt taste is all but gone. I am left with a very bitter, yet not unpleasent, aftertaste as I drink this. That is not usually a quality I enjoy in beers, but I am finding myself wanting to keep going back to the glass. This is a puzzling beer for me. It is very hoppy and not nearly as balanced a flavor as I prefer, but I would not steer anyone away from this. I can completely see why hop heads love this beer.
Lagunitas IPACrystal clear are the first words that came to mind upon completing the pour of the Lagunitas offering. A couple of sips in and I am reminded of the first time I had the 90 minute. It is just so different then others of the style, and even of my own expectations. It has a nice balanced floral smell, with a flavor profile that reads almost like a Japanese subway map. Hop, malt, hop, sweet and finally back to hop. I am actually invigorated drinking this beer and I am really enjoying the creeping sweetness that is continuing to grow as I make my way through it. This is one of the most balanced beers I have ever drank. There are times when deciding to write about beer really pays off, and this is definitely one of them.
Being from New Jersey I had high hopes for this hometown offering, but alas this one did not deliver for me. It poured a cloudy amber color and had a nice sweet aroma with a hop undertone. Upon tasting this beer you get the hop taste that you expect, however after some of the other IPA’s, it wasn’t as fresh. There is are malty and citrusy hints throughout the flavor but it just doesn’t seem balanced enough. I never understood the reviewers term “piney” before. How can something taste like something most of us have never eaten? This one definitely has a piney quality to the flavor, though.
Harpoon IPAThis might be the “classic” IPA in the group. From the clear light amber color to the sweet hoppy aroma, this beer IS IPA. The Harpoon is the crispest, most refreshing beer in the group. The hop taste is front and center without knocking the beer out of balance. There is just the right amount of citrus and malt flavors in the background to make this an enjoyable beer. In a world where we are getting more and more one man shows (Hop Juice) it is nice to see a full cast put on an enjoyable show.
Southern Tier’s flavors are usually very bold to say the least, and so when I approached this IPA, I did so with a little bit of trepidation. I mean it looked innocent enough with it’s cloudy, rich amber color and the quickly dissipating white head. It smelled innocent enough with the ever so slight smell of malt behind the traditional IPA hops, but still, I had been fooled before… I was instantly relieved the second the beer touched my lips as I got the hop flavor I was expecting, but also noticed a sweet almost honey like quality to the middle of the flavor. The flavor however, has a dark quality to it. Not dark like a stout or a porter, but not the bright flavor most IPA’s have either. They, (Southern Tier) played this one pretty close to the hip and I must say, that is alright with this guy.
In the end I would have to rank them as follows.
- Lagunitas
- Dogfish Head
- Harpoon
- Founders
- Southern Tier
- Flying Fish
I was really surprised by how much I liked the Lagunita’s. This was a very enjoyable post to “research” and write. If you liked the Styles Highlight in this format please let us know. Agree or Disagree with my ranks? Have a better example of an IPA? Let us know in the comments below.
