Beer of the Week: Big Time Whiny the Complainer

By Iron Chef Leftovers

One of the beers that I usually wait for every year is Big Time Brewing’s Imperial IPA, Whiny the Complainer (take a guess what that it a play on words referring to). They were one of the first Seattle breweries to put out a Pliny clone and it usually sells out quickly despite being a big beer, mostly because it is brewed once a year in a relatively small batch. The nice thing is that it is also available in 22 oz. bottles at the tap room upon release for $15. This year, the alcohol was dialed back a bit to 9.4% ABV (it is usually over 10%). This review is for the bottled version of the beer.

From the Big Time website:

A triple IPA that has more of everything. Alcohol and hops dominate the flavor of this intense bitter treat. Hops include Cascade, Magnum, Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cetennial, Nelson Sauvin. OG 22 ( Plato1.088), 9. alcohol by volume. Brew # 2,300.

The beer pours hazy orange brown in color with a significant amount of citrus peel on the nose with hints of grain and just a touch of spice hiding in the background. The beer starts out on the palate with a bit of sweetness which lingers a few seconds until it is joined by a significant orange presence and just a touch of bitter orange peel. The finish is fairly low key considering the size of the beer, with touches of bitterness and orange peel and just a touch of resin bringing a bit of burn to the back of the throat. The finish is long but not overpowering, which is a nice change for an Imperial IPA. The beer drinks fine, but not as big and hoppy as it has been in the past and I was expecting more from it based on past experience and the cost of the beer. It was a fine beer, but disappointing compared to its past incarnations.

Big Time Brewing’s Whiny the Complainer steps up to the window and files 2 complaint forms out of 5.

Beer of the Week: Hoppin’ Frog Hop Dam Triple IPA

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Along with the Hoppin’ Frog Double IPA came their Hop Dam Triple IPA. This thing was a monster at 10% ABV and an indeterminate amount of IBU in a 22 oz. bottle that ran about $16. Give the nutty numbers on the double, I had no idea what to expect from this beer.

From Hoppin’ Frog:

Some say “bigger is better!”. At Hoppin’ Frog, we built a massive hop dam to handle the enormous amount of hops added to this colossal American Triple I.P.A. An intense experience of citrus and piney hop character is complemented by layers of rich malt flavor. Behold our new standard for hoppy beers.

The beer pours hazy orange in color with a significant amount of sediment in the glass. Boozy and floral with strong notes of citrus and orange blossom and not much else on the nose. A very tea like quality on the first sip – tannic and bitter, so much so to the point of overwhelming everything at first. Once your palate has a chance to adjust and settle in, the beer becomes rich and full of citrus with a significant but pleasant bitterness. The finish is long with plenty juicy citrus and black tea that just lingers (there was one other flavor component on the description, but I can’t read my own writing – it looks like dilberness, whatever the hell that means). The beer surprisingly has no discernable alcohol burn making it surprisingly easy to drink from that respect, but the balance could have been a bit better, bringing out some of the more subtle notes in the beer. In all, this beer reminds me of where West Coast IPA’s made on the West Coast were about 10 years ago when it was a race to see how many hops they could fire into a beer. It might be the new standard for hoppy beers, but give me a Pliny or a Blimey any day.

Hoppin’ Frog Hop Dam Triple IPA crosses the road with 3 Froggers out of 5.

Mark Your Calendars, Hop Heads of Seattle

By Iron Chef Leftovers

Twelve Breweries, all doing triple IPA’s, all being served at once.

The breweries:

The venues:

February 17th – Brouwer’s Café (400 North 35th Street, Seattle)
February 20th – Pike Brewing (1415 1st Avenue, Seattle)
February 26th – Special Brews (14608 Highway 99, Suite 307, Lynnwood)
March 5th – Pint Defiance (2049 Mildred Street West, Tacoma)
March 13th – Naked City Brewery & Taphouse (8564 Greenwood Avenue North, Seattle)

I will most likely make at least one of them, you know, just because I don’t do enough to support my local breweries.

More info here.