The Barley Whine

Beer debates, more civil than sober

Bells Mars

August 30, 2014 by Steve Leave a Comment

The 1st in “The Planets” series, Bells Mars is offered as a double IPA inspired by Gustov Holst’s opus 32

THE BEER

Released in August on 2014 Bells Mars, like all double or imperial IPAs should be tasted as close to brew date as possible. With so many volatile hop oil aromatics packed in, you will lose some of the greatness of the Bringer of War by aging this one. With a recipe tested in small batches at the Bell’s Eccentric Cafe under the name Larry’s Latest DIPA, at hopped around a ratio of 3.4 lbs of hops per barrel, this is not just a retread of a current production beer.

Bells Mars DIPA

TASTING NOTES

The beer was tasted the same week it hit shelves in the Cleveland market, middle of August. Pouring the 10.1% ABV beast brings to glass a ruddy copper color with strong carbonation for the amount of alcohol within. The head is pale orange/tan with microbubbles rather that foamy. What a nose on this one! Bells Mars aromas are a mouthwatering mix of citrus, tropical fruit, resinous pine, caramel malts, and a hint of booze. Taste is similarly massive, awash in the citrus and tropical fruits up front, the pine and sweet malts follow, washed down by the hint of bitterness and alcohol, which is almost completely masked. Reminds me slightly of Bells This One Goes To 11, Finish is fairly dry. The potent carbonation stands up to all the elements and almost creamy body and makes for a refreshing ale despite all it brings

CONCLUSION

This beer will be polarizing to some. The kettle and dry hopping are massive, and clearly they are using more than Centennial hops to bring the god of war to your glass. That said, for those that are bold and enjoy the front lines of craft beer to the officer’s tent, Bells Mars proves the guys in Kalamazoo are still making huge, different beers that any beer geek must get a hold of. Like the Hemingway inspired 2 Hearted Ale– now available in cans– Bells Mars uses a classical, cultural muse to bring a game changing, hop wielding brew. If you see one on the shelf, buy it and drink it immediately.

9.5/10

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Filed Under: Beer Reviews Tagged With: Bells, DIPA, High ABV

Great Lakes Chillwave

April 21, 2014 by Steve Leave a Comment

 

Great Lakes Chillwave

Once known as Alchemy Hour, Great Lakes annual double IPA comes out each winter around February/March. Judging by GLBC’s proximity to Lake Erie, the name certainly speaks to the cold Cleveland temps during the winter month’s this beer is released. The word itself comes from modern music. Chillwave is perhaps the first genre of music defined by a blogger. With lo-fi “80’s sounding” synthesizers and dance beats, the guy at the page 3 inspired, Hipster Runoff blog dubbed a few bands ‘chillwave’, and off it went. Here is one of the most recognized chillwave acts, Neon Indian:

If you are still awake after than downbeat track, on to the beer…

THE BEER

For many years the craft beer scene has been expanding, and adherents have gone from seeking beers from Europe, or something close to as good locally, to the chase for something new. As we have highlighted in the past, double IPAs are one of these new beer styles that developed in the United States in the last 20 years. Using Mosaic and Nugget hops, Great Lakes Chillwave finally brings this bold style to the GLBC lineup in a bottle. Will Chillwave take the relaxed, old-school path in the way chillwave music does?
Great Lakes Chillwave

TASTING NOTES

Drank this right after it hit shelves and the aromatic hops are fresh and floral, with some citrus notes, and not overly dank. Head is modest with tiny bubbles that linger. The nose starts off sweet with a caramel malt note, followed by some citrus, resin, and tropical fruits. Initially the taste repeats the line sung by the nose, sweet first, with some citrus and other hop notes. After a few sips the bitterness begins to assert itself on the back palate however, leading to a pleasant balance. Bready malt notes also come through, with a very subtle hint at the 9% ABV, most of which is well masked. The carbonation is solid for the higher alcohol content, and the finish leaves you wanting more.

CONCLUSION

Great Lakes Chillwave turned out to be a a great double IPA. With all the great hops in the nose, this is incredibly delicious and drinkable,. Like the best imperial IPAs, Chillwave brings huge hop flavors, while not doubling down on the residual bitterness, and making one heck of a refreshing brew. While not as aggressively citrus/dank as another recently northeast Ohio favorite Hop Juju, Chillwave succeeds in making hops the focus of a beer that has enough balance to appeal to nearly any craft beer fan. Killer DIPA.

9.0/10

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Filed Under: Beer Reviews Tagged With: DIPA, Great Lakes Brewing Company

DIPA Battle: Fat Head’s Hop Juju versus Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree

March 17, 2014 by Steve Leave a Comment

Fat Head’s Hop Juju versus Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree

For this review we take on two double IPAs that are super fresh, released to markets the same week. With similar IBUs, we were inspired to compare the two Midwestern breweries efforts in this category. And so, we bring you our DIPA Batttle: Fat Head’s Hop Juju versus Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree. Double IPAs are a hugely hopped-up style, with an alcohol content often approaching a barley wine. From the Oxford Companion to Beer:

Based on the original India pale ale (IPA) style that was revived by the American craft brewing movement in the 1980’s, the newly minted ‘double IPA” (also known as “imperial IPA”) seeks to take both alcoholic strength and hop intensity to new levels.
 

In late February two double IPAs appeared in our local beer stores simultaneously. One is a newcomer to stores, the first bottling of Fat Head’s Hop Juju. Regarded by locals as a world-class DIPA, as exceptional a double as Headhunter is a traditional IPA. Hype was palpable. The second beer is old-school as far as the imperial IPA scene goes. Having been released in 2005 as a hop bomb with 98 IBUs and a massive ABV of 12%, it represents all the brashness and swagger of the team at Dark Horse.

So how did the two hoppy beers compare, and which one won the battle?

TASTING NOTES

Fat Head’s Hop Juju.

First up was the paler of the two,  a semi-translucent— wouldn’t call it cloudy— copper pour with thick white head. As the original Batman show would say: BAM! KAPOW! BOINK! This beer has a massive piney hop nose with undercurrents of citrus, plants and a hint of malt. The taste is even bigger, with a huge grapefruit/citrus element, balanced somewhat by a cracker malt flavor. The body is medium with solid carbonation. Finish comes in with big bitterness, even more hops, and a dryness. 

What a beer! Hop lovers are always told that every double IPA with  major bitterness is right up their alley. In this case, Fat Heads delivers the goods with an amazing beer from hop crazy nose to thirst inspiring dry finish.  A 2013 Great American Beer Festival gold medal winner, Hop Juju shows what a world class double IPA can be.

 

Hop Juju vs Double Crooked Tree

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree

The team up at Dark Horse are known for taking chances on beer. For their imperial IPA, they went literal in this persuit, doubling the malt bill and hops, while keeping the water at the same level. From this description we might expect a near barley wine level of malts. With 98 IBUs and an ABV of 12% this thug is bringing all his swag to the party.

Pour is ruddy orange/copper with some haze. The head is thin, khaki-orange, and dissipates quickly. The nose is caramel malt with medicinal phenols and a distinct scent of booze. The body is medium, feeling heavier due to the weak carbonation. Tasting this thing is much like the smell: caramel malts, a plant-like note, bitterness from the hops, and alcohol. Double Crooked Tree is very sweet, reminding one more of an American barley wine than an IPA. Finish is bitter and booze-forward.

CONCLUSION

In this battle, I expected to huge delicious imperial IPAs. The results proved us half right. Dark Horse brought a malt loaded booze bomb, that seemed designed to cover up the hoppy high IBUs. The new Fat Head’s beer was closer to what was hoped for, a beer striving for the superlative heights of double IPAs. Superbly flavorful, but actually achieving a good balance between the juicy citrus hops and malts.

The winner then, is Fat Head’s Hop Juju by knockout in the first round. Even if older double IPAs left too bitter or malty a taste in your mouth, this one will not disappoint.

 Fat Heads Hop Juju

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree

4.5/10

Fat Head’s Hop Juju

9.0/10

Filed Under: Beer Reviews, Best Of Series Tagged With: Dark Horse, DIPA, Fat Head's, High ABV

The Alchemist Heady Topper

October 12, 2013 by Steve 1 Comment

 

The Alchemist Heady Topper

Heady Topper. Some say the best beer in the world
The Alchemist’s Heady Topper

Note: For this review, Dave and I are combining forces once again, this time for a simultaneous review, both from the mainland, and on a tropical isle, connected via the audio of long distance cellular telephony. The cans are from the same batch, about 4 weeks from the cannery at the time of our tasting. Now for the writing about beer.

To talk about Heady Topper, we first need to talk about Tropical Storm Irene. When this squall blew through Vermont in 2011, many businesses were heavily damaged, including John and Jen Kimmich’s Alchemist Pub & Brewery in Waterbury. Financially strapped already from the recent building of a cannery, the Pub was ultimately abandoned, and the cannery repurposed as Alchemist Brewery. What was a loss to the Waturbury residents in terms of nightlife, was a windfall for beer lovers everywhere.

With FEMA not covering basement property in the downtown, the old brewery could not be recreated in such a high risk location. Instead, The Alchemist Brewery was reborn at the cannery location atop a nearby hill. They started brewing their flagship double IPA Heady Topper in 10 oz cans. The beer has proved so popular that despite increasing production, have not been able to brew enough to meet demand. It seems people can’t get enough Heady, or other Vermont beers like those from Lawson’s Finest and Hill Farmstead. Having visited Vermont a few years back, when loading the cabin up with local beer essentially meant Magic Hat # 9, we can attest to how the quality and variety of Vermont beers have increased. And the buzz about these new craft brewers has spread beyond the granite state. So much so that the local beers are now some of the most valued trade commodities within the craft beer community, with Heady Topper topping Beer Advocate’s oft-cited ‘Top 250 Beers’. So is the best beer in the world something canned from Vermont? Let’s pour it out and find out.

THE BEER

Drink from the can! That is what the Heady Topper can tells you to do, and brewer John Kimmich recently did an enlightening video explaining why they feel this way. He essentially argues that inside the car the beer stays protected from light, as well as air, with a layer of CO2 sitting above the beer, protecting it from oxidation. Makes sense, but you lose some of the nose on a beer like an IPA and aluminium is not as good an insulator as glass is, leading to more rapid temperature changes. For these reasons, we chose to try the DIPA both from the can, and from a glass. That, and I had a really cool Heady Topper glass I wanted to use…

The Alchemist brews Heady with 6 hop varieties, coming in at 120 IBUs, and 9% ABV. In their words: “This Double IPA is not intended to be the strongest or most bitter DIPA.  It is brewed to give you wave after wave of hop flavor without any astringent bitterness.” So the promise is all of the hop flavors and aroma many love, with less of the bitterness that can turn some palettes away from IPAs.

TASTING NOTES

Dave: Looks like a wheat beer, unfiltered and cloudy. Big hop profile in the nose, minor biscuit malts as well. Taste is all hops, tropical fruit with pine, not Bubblicious gum. There is a graininess with some hop solids present. The finish has dryness from the 8% ABV that makes you want more. The yeast here may be helping make this so balanced. Could drink a lot of these, which might be dangerous. Would rather session a Zombie Dust, but this is a great highly hopped DIPA.

Steve: The pale gold color is clearly murky and unfiltered, reminding me of an IPA that sat too long with some floaties. Aromas are minimal in the can, but from the glass there are citrus hoppy scents, and some malt. Flavors are initially a surprise. The hops are there but there is much less bitterness you would expect to pair with the aromatic pine/tropical fruit notes. There is a significant malt backbone as well, not quite enough to call this sweet, but certainly it is less bitter than many DIPAs. Bell’s Hopslam comes to mind here: big hop presence with minimal bitter bite and a well hidden high alcohol content. But where that beer uses honey sweetness to balance the big hops, which still eventually build up, Heady seems to simply be devoid of most astringency. The body is significant and as Dave said, grainy, with that dry finish that tempts you to take another hop-centric sip.

CONCLUSION

Having sampled Heady Topper in both the can and a glass, we both feel this beer is one great double IPA. The issue of the can providing the best experience is less clear. If you are going to be sitting around in the sun drinking Heady, the can is for sure the way to go, it will be protected from the elements of light, and air, as well as have a nice insulation. However, if you are indoors, drinking such a delicious ale, these beer is not going to sit long in your glass, and you will not only get a great taste, but all that wonderful aromatic hop ecstasy in the nose.

In either vessel, does this compromise the BEST BEER IN THE WORLD however? To us it doesn’t quite reach that level. The amazing work done to remove the bitterness in big IPAs has a downside. There are flavors in those huge more astringent DIPAs, where the bitterness matches other flavors, such as Pliny the Elder, Abrasive, or even a lower lower ABV beer like Zombie Dust. For me, with all the complexities available to brewers with yeasts, barrels, and exotic adjuncts, no IPA is likely to be my top beer. That said, this amazing beer is certainly near the top in terms of sessionable DIPAs, incredibly enjoyable hop experience even for those beer lovers that shrink from bitter beer. Pick up a few the next time you are in Vermont.

9.0/10

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Filed Under: Beer Reviews Tagged With: DIPA, Double IPA, The Alchemist

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow

July 4, 2012 by Steve 1 Comment

Hoppy 4th of July! For this special holiday review we take sample Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow. A double IPA , Apololypse Cow is one of many hoppy  brews from  from Munster Indiana’s Three Floyds Brewing Company. Hop forward beers like Gumballhead, Alpha King, Zombie Dust, and another DIPA, Dreadnaught (9.3%ABV / 99 IBUs). All delicious examples of some of the best hopped beers in the world. Three Floyds has won Best Brewery in the World from RateBeer.com 5 of the past 6 years for good reason. These beers are consistently superlative.

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow
Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow

So how about another double IPA in the lineup? Can it compare to the Dreadnaught or other world-class double IPAs? To start, it differs from its sister beer the Dreadnaught primarily by the addition of lactose milk sugar. This gives a creamier body in the same way a milk stout is smoothed over. But what will that do to an IPA? Enough prologue, let’s taste this bovine!

TASTING NOTES

A big citrus nose flows out of the frothy headed, amber colored ale. Amazing grapefruit and tangerine assault the palate immediately, followed by bread-y sweet malts covering up most of the 11% ABV. Going down the hatch with brisk carbonation you get a cheek pinch of bitter hops, lemon and some faint ethanol burn. This is a flavor explosion of citrus and floral hops, sweetness, booze, wrapped around the slick body! Drinkability is far too high for such a boozy brew. Compared to 3 Floyds’ other DIPA, the Cow has more body and sweetness, complexity and finishes at least as bitter.

CONCLUSION

The Apocalypse Cow is a seasonal release for June. It just appeared at my local bodega and I’m guessing it won’t last. If you like Bell’s Hopslam, Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster, or any big IPA, give this a try. You may have a new favorite hop bomb.

9.5/10

Filed Under: Beer Reviews Tagged With: DIPA, High ABV, Three Floyds

Prior Ideas

AIPA AleSmith American Pale Ale APA Avery Bells Black Ops Bourbon Barrel Aged Brandy Barrel Aged Brooklyn Brown Ale Cigar City Cleveland Beer Week Coffee Dark Horse DIPA Dogfish Head Double IPA Fat Head's Firestone Walker Founder's Great Lakes Brewing Company High ABV Hoppin' Frog Imperial red Imperial Stout IPA Kölsch Lagunitas Lambic - Fruit Milk Stout Pumpkin Ale Russian Imperial Stout Russian River Samuel Adams Sour Ale Southern Tier Stone Stout Surly The Bruery Three Floyds Troegs Wild Ale Willoughby Brewing

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