Beer of the Week: Elysian Prairie Rose Wet Hopped IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

This was a very disappointing season for fresh hopped beers. Even ones that I have had in the past and loved seemed to be lacking something this year. One of the few exceptions to this was Elysian’s entry into the style, their Prairie Rose Wet Hopped IPA. Elysian described the beer as follows:

Named for the scented flowers of the Yakima Valley and the Texas Panhandle – Amarillo – Prairie Rose is a fresh hop IPA bittered with eponymous hop shooting stars – Galaxy and Comet – to a magnitude of 60 IBU’s and finished with 40 pounds worth of we Amarillo hops from Virgil Gamache Farms. 6.5% ABV.

The beer pours vaguely orange in color with citrus and citrus peel dominating the nose with background green hops and grain. A burst of citrus on the palate initially but quickly moving to slightly floral hop bitterness with a touch of resin. The beer then finishes with a mild burnt citrus peel that lingers pleasantly with just a hint of bitterness. Big bold hop character dominates without overpowering your palate, leaving a rich and complex flavor profile when you debate if a second pint is a good idea.

Elysian’s Prairie Rose Wet Hopped IPA saunters in riding high with a handsome 4 gauchos out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Reuben’s Cask Imperial IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Reuben’s has temporarily gotten away from its cask program, and that is not a good thing since their beers generally do well with a cask treatment, revealing an incredibly deeper flavor that you don’t get on their regular versions – it is not to put down the regular versions of the beer, but the cask seems to take the fantastic regular version to a completely new level. One of the last casks that they did was their Imperial IPA dry hopped with Citra and Amarillo. If there was ever a beer that was screaming for the cask treatment, it is this one.

The beer pours heavy orange-brown, almost the color of tea with an in your face citrus nose with notes of grain on the background and just hints of resin interspersed. The beer builds slowly at first with citrus peel and grapefruit gaining traction on the palate for quite a long while before transitioning into a somewhat tea –like profile with a slightly tannic finish that is enhanced with a mild bitterness that lingers for a few seconds before fading away. For a high alcohol cask beer, there is no alcohol burn and the beer is clean and smooth with great balance and layers of flavor that evolve as you get further into the pint. The beer goes down almost too smooth and, despite the significant hopping, isn’t a palate killer, giving you the chance to actually move on to a different beer, but honestly, if you are drinking this one, you probably aren’t going to consider anything other than ordering a second pint of the IIPA.

Reuben’s Cask Imperial IPA with Citra and Amarillo dances into the picture with a graceful 4 Texas two-steps out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Elysian Oblivion IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Thanks to the ever-changing tap list at Elysian, there is always a new beer to try, and I am especially happy when that new beer happens to be an IPA. This was a big beer, clocking in at 7% ABV and 70IBU, but considering that Elysian makes some of the more solid IPA’s around, I gave it a whirl.

The beer pours hazy golden orange in color and is brimming with hop character – I could smell this beer from over a foot away. Closer inspection yields light notes of grapefruit and citrus, light green hops and grain. The hop character dominates the front of the palate with significant orange peel with notes of grapefruit and a pleasant light bitterness than carries throughout the beer. These notes are then joined by moderate grain middle before finishing slightly sweet and grassy with those mild bitter notes. There is no obvious alcohol burn despite its ABV and the beer has a nice progression of flavors without being one note. Oblivion is more hop forward than most of the Elysian IPAs, but not so much that it will blow your palate.

Elysian’s Oblivion IPA races toward destruction with a brave 3 perils out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Reuben’s Grapefruit IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

One of my favorite things about IPA’s is the grapefruit/citrus character that the hops bring to the party. I absolutely love the balance that it brings to the beer and delivers an extra layer of flavor. A few months back, Reuben’s did a grapefruit infused IPA. I was a bit skeptical about the beer since most of the other grapefruit based beers were a bit disappointing to say the least. Given Reuben’s track record with IPAs, I figured that this one was worth a shot. The beer was based on their Wheat IPA and then double dry hopped.

The beer pours hazy yellow in color with lots of wheat character on the nose supported by light hop and grapefruit notes. The beer drinks milder than you would expect, starting out very light up front with a grain forward flavor before moving into some pleasant bitterness with notes of light grapefruit that build into a stronger bitter citrus peel flavor. The beer finishes with a tinge of harsh, acidic bitterness on the first couple of sips before mellowing out the further into the beer you get. It isn’t overpoweringly bitter, and it is more acidic bitterness of grapefruit than hop bitterness and it takes a few sips for your palate to adjust to that before you don’t notice it, making the beer feel slightly out of balance at first, before it corrects itself. Despite that fact, this beer was probably the best grapefruit based beer I have had and shows much more depth than previous ones I have consumed.

Reuben’s Grapefruit IPA firmly plants itself with 3 citrus orchards out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Stone Enjoy By 7-4-13

Stone Brewing has a great series of hoppy beers called “Enjoy By”. Basically, these beers are made to be consumed fresh and done so by the date on the bottle. These beers come out about once a month and are generally available in better bottle shops in a 22 oz. size with the price varying depending on the beer. This version of the beer was a double IPA and not exactly what you would call a small beer.

From the Stone website:

Style: Double IPA
ABV: 9.4%
Bottled On: 05.31.13
Enjoy By Date: 07.04.13

You have in your hands a devastatingly fresh double IPA. While freshness is a key component of many beers – especially big, citrusy, floral IPAs – we’ve taken it further, a lot further, in this IPA. You see, we specifically brewed it NOT to last. We’ve not only gone to extensive lengths to ensure that you’re getting this beer in your hands within an extraordinarily short window, we made sure that the Enjoy By date isn’t randomly etched in tiny text somewhere on the label, to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of retailers and consumers. Instead, we’ve sent a clear message with the name of the beer itself that there is no better time than right now to enjoy this IPA.

The beer pours golden orange in color with an off white head. Notes of lemon, orange and grapefruit dominate the nose with an ever so slight note of grain. The beer starts off surprisingly mild for a double IPA with a pleasantly light bitterness before reminding you that, yes, this is a double IPA and quickly moving into the intense citrus range with orange and grapefruit dominating with some citrus peel thrown in for good measure. Those flavors stick around for a long time before fading with a light resin on the back of the palate and a slight sweetness on the front mixed with the residual citrus notes still trying to fade. I wish the beer had slightly more balance as the intense citrus was nice but the bitterness came and went and there was some alcohol burn on the back of the throat which made the beer a little tougher to drink. Overall, it is still a fine double IPA and worth giving a shot.

Stone’s Enjoy By 7-4-13 was a blast triggering 3 fireworks out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Anderson Valley Hop Ottin’ IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Anderson Valley makes some interesting beers, many of which I definitely like. I happened to be out at Beveridge Place Pub in West Seattle and saw Hop Ottin’ on tap and, never having had it before, I felt compelled to try it.

From the Anderson Valley website:

Hops. They are the cornerstone of India Pale Ales around the world, and our Hop Ottin’ IPA is no exception. Handcrafted with copious amounts of Columbus and Cascade, this beer is a showcase of bright citrusy aromas, bold grapefruit and pine-like flavors, and the resiny bitterness that hop heads crave. With a brilliant, deep amber color and solid malt backbone, hints of citron, roses, and bergamot climax with a dry, herbal finish in this well balanced interpretation of a West Coast IPA.

FOOD PAIRINGS: Garlic fries, curry chicken, mahi fish tacos, carrot cake cookies

CHEESE PAIRINGS: Sharp Cheddar, Gorgonzola

GLASSWARE: Pint Glass

ALC/VOL: 7.0%

BITTERNESS: 78 IBU

MALTS: Pale Two-Row, Crystal (40L), Munich (20L)

HOPS: Columbus, Cascade

AVAILABILITY: Year-Round: Draft, 22oz & 12oz bottles, 12 oz cans

The beer pours pale amber/orange in color with floral hops and grain on the nose. Slightly floral and sugary with the initial sip, the beer yields large amounts of burnt orange peel as the dominant flavor in the beer with hints of slightly astringent hops. It felt really out of balance – not really dominantly bitter, or floral or citrus, but all of those were present and it felt like the beer wasn’t sure where it wanted to go. The balance got slightly better as it warmed, but it was still off-kilter and really didn’t enjoy it.

I think that Hop Ottin’ was the first disappointing Anderson Valley beer that I have come across and it shows with an unspectacular 2 fur trappers out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Speakeasy Double Daddy IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Living on the west coast means an abundance of double and imperial IPA’s tend to be available and it also means that I want to try any new ones that enter into the market. When Speakeasy became available in Seattle and one of the available beers was their Double Daddy IPA, a beer which I have tried and liked in previous trips to SF, I figured it was time for a review. The beer was from a 22oz. bottle.

From the Speakeasy website:

Doubling down on malt & hops, Double Daddy raises the stakes. With its good looks and no-limit style, DD takes the pot every time.

Style: Imperial India Pale Ale

Release Date: January, 2003

Alcohol Content: 8.5% by volume

Malts: Pale malted barley, English Munich Malts

Hops: 4 Varieties of Pacific Northwest Hops, 3 hop additions, including dry hopping

Yeast: Speakeasy Ale Yeast

Tasting Notes: Copper color. Huge hop aroma. Bitter, hoppy and warming alcohol on the palate. Finishes incredibly dry and clean for such a big beer.

The beer pours amber in color with a white head. Lots of citrus and grapefruit on the nose with grain and some floral notes hiding in the background. This beer is a major hop bomb – slightly bitter with juicy grapefruit and orange peel dominate with a long finish that contains hints of grain in addition to the hop character. Some green hops and resin become present in the middle of the finish as the beer warms, which was surprising but not unpleasant and an nice addition to balance out the citrus a bit more. The alcohol is well integrated and not noticeable, making this an easy drinking beer for any hop head.

Double Big Daddy is a find double IPA, and one that will hold up in the crowded NW beer market.

Speakeasy Double Daddy IPA slides into the party with a solid 4 zoot suits out of 5.

Beers of the Week: Anacortes Brewing/North Sound Brewing Maple and Smoke

By Iron Chef Leftovers

You may remember last week when I posted a terribly disappointing review of the Rogue Voodoo Maple Beer and I said the following:

I am willing to admit that I am not a huge fan of rauchbier, but I can appreciate the subtle flavors that smoke can add to a beer, lifting it up to a different plain. Stay tuned to next Tuesday where I actually review a beer that does this.

Well, lucky for you, I am going to keep my word and take it one step further, I am going to give you 2 beers that use maple and smoke well.

Back during Seattle Beer Week, Beveridge Place Pub in West Seattle held an Iron Brewer event. Basically a pair of breweries are given an ingredient that they have to use in a beer and then the two are put up head to head in a blind tasting with the winner receiving the most votes. In this case, North Sound Brewing and Anacortes Brewing were paired up together in this smack down. Here is what they turned out:

Anacortes Maple and Smoke – Amber in color with hints of brown depending on how the light catches it. Strong notes of maple and smoke on the nose, covering any other scents in the beer. Tasting it was a different experience; the beer was not as big as I was expecting, starting out slightly sweet with notes of nuts and malt and finishing up with a long maple syrup ending. There is very little smoke on this beer and it tasted like drinking a lightly smoked, maple glazed almond – all that was really missing was the salt. The beer was well balanced and easy to drink but I found myself wanting just a hint more smoke flavor to add more complexity.

The Anacortes beer fanned the flames with 3 roasters out of 5.

North Sound Maple and Smoke – tan/orange in color with light smoke and hops dominating the nose on this beer and maple in the background if you go looking for it. Slightly sweet on the initial taste before yielding to some resin hops and grain and then finally finishing with a long, slow transition to light smoke and hints of maple – reminded me of smoking fish over maple but being some distance from the fire. Incredibly restrained with the use of maple and smoke – they are there and in balance with the other flavors, but don’t completely overwhelm the other notes in the beer. North Sound made a maple and smoke IPA.

The North Sound beer torched the competition with 4 bonfires out of 5.

A few things about this event – there were 6 beers (3 pairs of beers with different ingredients) and I thought the North Sound was the best of the 6. I was absolutely convinced the North Sound beer was brewed by Anacortes – North Sound is not known for their IPA and Kevin at Anacortes brews what I feel is the best one in the state. These beers go to show that you can brew something with smoke and not have it taste like you are eating a smoldering log.

Beer of the Week: Populuxe Founders Imperial IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Since I decided to post 3 beer reviews a week, I came up with a rotation: the Friday and Sunday posts rotate between NW Peaks, Reuben’s and Populuxe since I have a major backlog from those 3 and the Wednesday post is always some other brewery. I plan on keeping that rotation for the near future until I can get caught up or at least somewhat caught up. Today is an exception though and it is because I wanted to get this information out there to all of our readers in time for you to actually try a beer.

So why break from the plan now? Well, I sampled a beer that was so extraordinary that everyone should run out and try it.

Populuxe recently hosted a party for their Founders Club and were kind enough to put out 3 new beers for us to sample. One of those beers was their Founders Imperial IPA. As you can guess, this was a big beer, coming in at 9%. The beer is supposed to be on tap at the brewery starting this Thursday for anyone to enjoy.

The beer pours deep orange in color with a major amount of hops on the nose and copious amounts of citrus and citrus peel. An incredible hop bomb that is front loaded with juicy citrus and just a touch of barely noticeable bitterness. The beer then moves into the realm of citrus peel and hops where great balance keeps the beer from becoming overly sweet or bitter but with an abundant hop character (citra were used) that would please any hop head. The finish is long, with more citrus and decent amount of bitter peel but not so much to be unpleasant. The alcohol was very well integrated and not noticeable on the beer and the beer has enough bitterness to let you know what you are drinking but enough balance that you get to enjoy its many layers of complexity.

I haven’t been this enamored with a beer since the Imperial Rye IPA from Reuben’s and I will go as far to say that this may well be one the 20 best beers I have ever had. I would put the Populuxe Imperial IPA up against just about any other Imperial IPA and I think it would come out on top.

Check the Populuxe FB Page on Thursday and if it is on tap, get down to the brewery and drink it. Just save some for me.

The Populuxe Founder’s Imperial IPA builds its case with a perfect 5 monuments out of 5.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled programming already in progress.

Beer of the Week: Populuxe Wheat IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

One of the most amazing things about Populuxe is, that despite their tiny brew capacity, they manage to put out a wide variety of beers. The generally have around 8 taps on at any given point and still occasionally manage to sneak in new beers once in a while.

They recently released their Wheat IPA and, of course, I had to give it a shot.

The beer pours hazy orange in color and the nose permeates with citrus and lemon with notes of green hops and hints of wheat. The beer has a very interesting flavor profile; lemons dominate the beer at the beginning win a slightly tart way before moving into a completely different set of flavors. Grains appear next and dominate the middle of the beer in a complete change from the citrus heavy beginning, providing a nice change of pace. The beer finishes with just a hint of tannic hops that lingers with a light bitterness mixed in and what tastes like lit could be a small amount of rye at the very end of the beer, probably from the combination of wheat and hops.

Overall this beer is well integrated and refreshing; perfect for a warm summer day, plenty of hops and character to keep it interesting, but light enough that you could easily find yourself going back for more.

Populuxe Wheat IPA sings in at 4 amber waves of grain out of 5.