If you’ve written about beer before on a blog, Beer Advocate, Rate Beer etc., you may have noticed that writing about the India Pale Ale can get a little samey after a while. There’s an A/B quality to this beer style – is it this, or is it this? Does it have a little of this, or a lot of this? Keeping IPA-reviewing boredom in mind, I submitted a big bottle of ALESMITH IPA, straight outta San Diego and one of the most heralded IPAs of our time, to a bruising checklist-style quiz as I ingested it. I believe you will find the answers highly illuminating. You may use this checklist for future IPA study in your own home, or when out at the bar with friends and loved ones. It is certain to take your conversation – and perhaps even your luck with the opposite sex – to the next level. Here goes – ALESMITH IPA:2. Would you say it’s more West Coast, East Coast or English? West Coast all the way.
3. Piney, or citrus? Piney.
4. Smooth or sharp? Smooth.
5. Normal foam head, giant foam head or no foam head? Definitely a giant foam head here.
6. Light, medium or high carbonation? Highly carbonated.
7. Dissipating bitterness, or strong bitterness on the aftertaste? Very strong bitterness.
8. Any unusual fruits in the mix, or just the de rigeur grapefruit? Grapefruit only here.
9. Golden, deep golden, amber or orange? Amber.
10. Hop lover’s dream, hop lover’s wet dream, or hop lover’s orgy in heaven with 42 virgins? Hop lover’s dream.
11. Most importantly - where does it fall on the Hedonist Beer Jive ten-point scale? 7/10.
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8 comments:
I picked up a bottle of this, of all places, a 7-11 just off Interstate 5 in Carlsbad. I was just headed in for a soda and this was staring back at me from the fridge.
Great list. I agree...drinking IPA's is not boring, but writing about them can be.
Tisk Tisk. Alesmith IPA is much better than 7/10. Yup writing about IPAs can get very boring. But god I love them.
So Alesmith IPA and PtE get considerably lower scores than Stone IPA?
Next time you're in San Diego find a bar that has all three on tap and see how they line up.
I think you'll change your mind.
JHamel, I'm totally game for that experiment. But tell me - what is PtE?
Pliny the Elder, of course.
Alesmith IPA might be better then Pliny in my mind. But it's damn close.
Surprised to see such low comments/scores on such fantastic IPA's...in addition...how is the Alesmith IPA classified on number three as "piney" and yet on number eight you refer to it being strictly grapefruit driven. Am I mistaken or are grapefruits in the citrus family???
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