Ladies of Craft Beer

Posted By: Theresa Carpine

My sister Lisa suggested that we get together with our mom to bake and decorate Christmas cookies this weekend. Her timing couldn’t have been better, as I had recently received a delivery from South Durham Confection Company with samples of their cookies to pair with craft beer. So while we waited for our own sugar cookies to cool, we enjoyed baked treats from North Carolina with a variety of craft beers from across the nation.

South Durham Confection Company is a new venture of Alison Collins and Jimmy VerVaecke that combines their love of food and craft beer. Alison is a lifelong cook and began pursuing the culinary arts full-time in 2009. Jimmy describes himself as “an IT cubicle drone by day,” as well as an award-winning homebrewer and ranked BJCP beer judge.

“Together we seek to create savory snacks to pair with our favorite craft beers,” Jimmy explained in an email. “We’re starting our journey with a line of cookies infused with a variety of herbs, spices, fruit, and nuts. We wanted to get away from the traditional styles, like chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and peanut butter.

“Not only do savory cookies make a tasty snack, we believe that this is an excellent way to introduce people to many of the flavors they would find in craft beer,” Jimmy added, noting that a freshly baked cookie served with beer is a friendly option for an unadventurous beer drinker.

Four types of cookie–Blue Cheese and Rosemary, Madras and Chili Powder, Cornmeal and Thyme, and Toasted Sesame–are currently listed on SDCC’s website, but it’s the just the beginning. Alison and Jimmy have plans to develop seasonal and collaboration cookies using ingredients that are fresh, local, or “just plain interesting.”

“Much like great beer, our cookies start with just a few basic ingredients. We can alter the ratios – as a brewer might with malt and hops – and the process to create several basic types of cookie,” Jimmy said. In keeping with the spirit of homebrewing, SDCC cookies are handmade in a kitchen, not a factory, and do not contain preservatives. That also means you should eat them soon, which isn’t a difficult task.

For the pairing, Alison and Jimmy sent two batches of cookies. Toasted Sesame is described as “the classic peanut butter cookie–minus the peanut butter,” with sesame seeds, tahini, and sesame oil giving these buttery cookies their nutty character. Blue Cheese and Rosemary infuses a classic shortbread cookie with tangy blue cheese, tart dried cranberries, and piney rosemary leaves.

At the pairing party, which my brother-in-law John also attended, I took the suggested pairings for the cookies into consideration and looked for nationally-available beers while paying tribute to SDCC’s home in North Carolina and my roots in the Northwest. I managed to get some great deals on a wide selection of craft beer at Rosauers Supermarket, a Northwest grocery chain, and Bottles, my local beer and wine shop.

We started with Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale (Bend, Oregon), a Gold Medal winner at 2010 Great American Beer Festival. Mirror Pond is a reliable beer that goes well with almost any kind of food, but John found that Toasted Sesame was a bit too sweet with this dry-hopped pale ale. We all agreed that the elements of Blue Cheese and Rosemary cookies, like tartness of the dried cranberries, suited its pairing with Mirror Pond.

Next in the line-up, we tried Flying Dog Dogtoberfest (Frederick, Maryland). I was very excited to find this style of beer (a suggested pairing for Toasted Sesame) in mid-December, as most märzens are fall seasonals. Following the Mirror Pond, Dogtoberfest offered a more balanced flavor of malt and hops, which went well with both types of cookies. My mother Joyce noted that Dogtoberfest really brought out the peanut flavor of Toasted Sesame.

We moved on to Victory HopDevil (Downingtown, Pennsylvania) and, although the piney, resiny hops of an India Pale Ale were suggested to highlight the herbal character of the Blue Cheese and Rosemary cookie, I was leery to serve it since none of my pairing partners are big fans of IPAs. Lisa didn’t really like either cookie with the HopDevil, but she surprised me by saying that the IPA was good on its own! Jimmy was right; serve beer with a cookie and your guests might enjoy a beer they wouldn’t have tried otherwise.

Our next beer was Abita Turbodog (Abita Springs, Louisiana), which was another exciting discovery at my local bottle shop. I asked the proprietor if he carried any Southeastern beers, as I wanted to serve at least one beer that might be more readily available for the Durham, NC market that SDCC serves, and he pointed me toward Turbodog. The nutty characteristics of this Brown Ale were well-matched for the Toasted Sesame. John also suggested trying this beer with a plain serving of blue cheese, rather than the shortbread cookie itself.

For our last beer, I wanted to serve something from Washington, so we enjoyed a 22 oz. of Pike XXXXX Stout (Seattle, Washington). I noted a smoky, bacon-like aroma right off the bat, and I wasn’t sure how well those flavors would suit either cookie. Lisa and John liked this dark extra stout with Toasted Sesame, and my mom thought the pairing mimicked chocolate and peanut butter, which are two flavors that always go well together. I, on the other hand, thought that richness of the stout brought out the creaminess of the blue cheese in the shortbread cookies.

After all was said and done (or drunk), our very unscientific findings (my notes towards the end of the tasting became slightly incoherent) were as follows:

- Lisa thought Toasted Sesame matched up better overall to the various styles of beer.

- Joyce thought the presentation of Blue Cheese and Rosemary was the prettiest, and perfect for the Christmas season too.

- If he was going to enjoy a cookie on its own, John would choose Toasted Sesame.

- John’s favorite pairings were Turbodog with Toasted Sesame and HopDevil with Blue Cheese and Rosemary.

- Favorite beers of the night: Lisa and I liked Dogtoberfest, John liked Turbodog, and Joyce liked Mirror Pond.

Visit South Durham Confection Company for more information and follow @durhamcookies for updates. Cheers!

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Originally posted 2010-12-15 09:05:05.

Posted By: CPortner

After sustaining devastating damage to The Alchemist Pub and Brewery, in Waterbury, Vermot as part of flash flooding related to Hurricane Irene, progress is being made to reopen the local watering hole.

The Alchemist - Wild Child Taste & Coaster

Flood waters inundated the pub and brewery. The brewery, walk-in coolers, offices, and all dry and paper goods were in the 1500 sq ft basement of the building. Most of which was entirely ruined – except Grundy Tanks used for beer fermentation and conditioning. Water rose about waist-high in the pub, according to Jen Kimmich, co-owner with her husband and head brewer, John. They are very thankful for the outpouring of support they received after Hurricane Irene from the Vermont Brewing community and beyond! Recently, they requested photos of the pub for insurance purposes and received so many that they have been unable to respond to everyone. (They received enough photos to submit to the insurance company. “Thank you to everyone” – Jen Kimmich)

In less than a week, the pub and brewery have been completely gutted and all equipment and supplies removed. This has exposed pieces of the building that have not been unearthed since The Flood of 1927. The revitalized Alchemist Pub and Brewery will include more features to protect against future flooding including concrete floors, new sump pumps, and a roof-top generator. For the most part, the pub’s layout and design will remain the same though they hope to add twenty additional seats and a longer bar to reduce wait times. Target reopen date: Early 2012

The Alchemist Beer Menu

As unfortunate as these circumstances may be, The Alchemist Cannery, a fifteen (15) barrel brewery and canning operation, opened its doors on September 2, 2011. One style of beer is brewed each week and canned on Tuesdays. The first beer canned was Heady Topper, a double IPA (ABV 8%, IBU 120). Open to the public from 11:00am – 7pm, 7 days a week for tastings, self-guided tours and purchases. Expansion plans to retail stores and bars in Vermont are in the works. Metro Boston area fans may see cans from The Alchemist following Vermont distribution. A grand opening celebration of The Alchemist Cannery will likely take place in November.

Many businesses in Waterbury, VT were dramatically affected by Hurricane Irene. If you would like to show your support for The Alchemist Pub and Brewery and other local businesses, please consider making a donation to Revitalizing Waterbury – Business Flood Relief Fund. 

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Posted By: Theresa Carpine

Fresh hop season is here! During this brief period in late August and September, hop growers harvest their crops for the eager and grateful craft beer community. While most of the hops are dried for year-round use, a portion of a newly picked crop is sent to nearby breweries and added directly into the beer kettle; this process is also known as wet hopping.

Horse Heaven Hills Kaliptonite Fresh Hop IPA

Fresh hop beers are noteworthy for their earthy and herbal aroma and taste. Verging on (and sometimes bounding over) the edge of grassy characteristics, even the most diehard IPA drinker can be turned off by the “lawn clipping” quality of some fresh hop beers; others wait with bated breath for a fresh batch of this seasonal style each fall.

I see a lot of fresh hop beers coming from breweries in Washington, Oregon, and California, probably due to the abundance of hop farms in these Western states. A few Colorado breweries, like New Belgium and Great Divide, have also gotten into the fresh hop game, as have some East Coast favorites, like Flying Dog and Harpoon Brewery.

On August 27, 2011, BeerNews.org reported that labels for three fresh hop beers were recently approved; hopefully we’ll see updates about more of these seasonal beers in the coming weeks.

One place where you’ll find lots of freshly-hopped ales is the Fresh Hop Ale Festival in Yakima, Washington on Saturday, October 1, 2011. The annual event is a fundraiser for the Allied Arts of Yakima Valley and the lineup this year includes 21 fresh hop beers; in order to be eligible in the festival competition, the beer must be produced with hops that were picked no more than 24 hours prior to brewing. The festival includes a Homebrew Competition as well! Other craft beers, wines, and ciders will also be served during the festival.

If you’re visiting Yakima for the festival, the American Hop Museum in Toppenish is just 30 minutes away. I’ve never been, but it might be an interesting destination if you’d like to learn more about the growing process and the history of hop production in America.

Which fresh hop beer has you excited for fall? Leave a comment to let us know!

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Posted By: Devon Wade

Much like the way I met the man who would become my husband, I met Guinness in 2005 at an NYC bar while trying to hang with “the guys”. Like most Southerners I know, I had a preference for cocktails…well, mixed drinks, really (not to be confused those amazingly complex concoctions that are so popular these days). My drink of choice? The ever-flavorful Vodka and Soda, of course!

On this fateful day I was sitting in a pub after work with two of my guy friends. They had each ordered a Guinness, and in my absence (ladies room), they had taken it upon themselves to kindly get one for me as well. Unbeknownst to them, this would be my very first departure from “The Big Three”, and possibly also my first time straying from a beer that didn’t have “Lite” on the label. Never one to turn down a drink, or appear too “girly”, I did my best not to let on. As tried to mask my fear and premature gag reflex I had an epiphany: this wasn’t terrible! In fact, I kind of liked it. As I made quick work of the pint comments were being thrown out from the fellas: “We don’t know any girls who like Guinness!” “Are you really a fan of dark beer?”. Uh, of course. Always have been…

In the months that followed Guinness and I were quite exclusive. And then all of a sudden, I developed a wandering eye. Sierra Nevada lead me to Magic Hat #9, who introduced me to Brooklyn Lager, who exposed me to some members of his family: Brooklyn Brown, Pennant Ale, and my first seasonal: Brooklyn Winter. But I didn’t stop there. I soon found my way to bars specializing in craft beer, and began ordering down their menus. If I spotted something I’d never heard of, it wasn’t long before it was in my hand. I was a woman on the prowl, with an insatiable appetite for hops.

It’s been years since Guinness and I first met, but I still think of him from time to time. Our relationship has cooled considerably since those early days, but each time I find myself in a sports bar overflowing with bros and Bud Lights, I’ll order one and think fondly of the good old days. As with love, beer preferences change and grow over time, but no matter how many exotic Belgians or brazen IPAs I try, I’ll never forget, Guinness: my first love; my gateway beer.

This is Devon Wade’s first post with Ladies of Craft Beer. Devon is an experienced writer who enjoys craft beer and organizing beverage-based events.

Originally posted 2010-11-05 12:10:17.

Posted By: Leah

In addition to my love of beer, I have a love for my Basset Hound, Tenor. This year for Thanksgiving, Aaron and I decided to go to Arizona to visit my family, but instead of flying we drove the 2300 miles round trip so that we could bring Tenor along. We were expecting to pick up a couple bottles of beer we can’t get in Texas, so driving was an added bonus of not having to hassle with checking bags or shipping these precious bottles back.

As we passed through Tucson, I began looking at the online website for Bevmo (thank goodness for iPhones) basically trying to see if any of their locations had the Stone Vertical Epic in stock, since it had been announced in early November that the TABC had rejected this beer for the state of Texas due to the verbiage on the label. Score! Bevmo had it listed, but it said low inventory and we’d have to call the store to confirm. I then decided to peruse the Craft Beer section of the website. The first bottle listed was Firestone Union Jack! They don’t distribute in TX for any beers. Then I searched for Bell’s, another brewery that doesn’t distribute in Texas. Triple score!!

Once arriving in the Phoenix area, we stopped at Bevmo, conveniently located on the same exit from the freeway as my dad’s house, to pick up some beverages for that evening, planning to complete our list the next morning once we could get the computer out and see the full site. As Aaron was getting out of the car, I remembered Goose Island from the Midwest Beer Tasting that I had done with TX Girl’s Pint Out, and demanded that he look for Sofie or Matilda in addition to the Bell’s Two Hearted and Union Jack we had already decided on. (I went to get us In-n-Out burger while he picked up the beer, another guilty pleasure I can’t have in TX.) When I returned he had a beautiful bottle of Sofie and a bottle of Jolly Pumpkin, Oro de Calabaza. He got back into the car and began to describe the wonder that was the craft beer aisle in an Arizona liquor store. It sounded nearly as glorious as the map at GABF, and I couldn’t wait to see for myself.

We arrived at my dad’s and told him of our spoils. Dad and my step-mom, not being beer geeks, were excited for us, but not nearly as excited as we were. He suggested we check out Total Wine and More, which he felt had a larger selection. We relaxed that evening and then promptly reviewed both websites in the morning (after taking Tenor to the park, for anyone worried about my dog getting enough exercise). The Total Wine website gave a PDF of all beers that they carry, but no listing of current inventory. That said, we compiled a list of all the beers we wanted to find from both websites and then headed out to Total Wine since we had already stopped at Bevmo.

Low and behold, Aaron hadn’t exaggerated. This was nearly paradise. (Nearly in that there are still breweries that don’t distribute there either, i.e. Russian River, but I digress *sigh*) Walking in, we had gotten a cart, and as we s-l-o-w-l-y meandered down the aisle of goodness we filled that basket. Completely. Now, we aren’t talking overflowing (I have some restraint), but the entire bottom was full. There was Alaskan Smoked Porter, Goose Island Sofie, a few Lost Abbey/Port Brewing bottles, The Bruery, Odell, and Stone Double Bastard. Alas, there was no Stone 10.10.10, but we were not giving up search, and Maureen Basenberg (@AZGirlsPintOut) had also been wonderful enough to get me a bottle. We were also informed that the 3 Liter Double Bastard bottles would begin arriving that week in addition to the Lukcy13asartd.

We returned to the house, nearly infamous from the amount we had spent in there, and began separating out the bottles we planned to enjoy during vacation and those we planned to return to TX with. The next day we returned to Bevmo to pick up more Jolly Pumpkin and some Lost Abbey that we didn’t already have. When all was said and done, we had accumulated about 5 boxes we needed to find room for in the car. We weren’t exactly sure how we would be able to do this, but we’d figure it out, right? At this point, we had pretty much cut ourselves off and were just going to enjoy vacation and check out breweries/beer bars around town.

We had practiced amazing restraint those next few days, only enjoying our bottles already purchased and enjoying the taps we cannot have at home. One place we visited, Papago Brewing, also sells bottles in addition to being a brewing and having an awesome tap list. They had the Stone Lukcy 13asartd, so of course we bought it.

Then on Wednesday, we stopped at Whole Foods in Chandler to pick up some last minute dinner necessities for Thanksgiving and stumbled upon another beer schmorgousboard. While I was picking out brussel sprouts, Aaron had gone to the beer department just to see if there could possibly be anything we missed. When I got there, he quickly ushered me to the 2 cases of 10.10.10 that were sitting in the aisle. We spent a little more time there talking to one of the employees and then I noticed a bottle that said Gueuze and directed Aaron’s attention towards it, which led him to see a bottle of Cantillon! The Holy Grail of Lambic! There were 4 bottles of Classic Gueze and 5 bottles of Lou Pepe Kriek Lambic. So we bought as much as our good conscious would allow. That evening while visiting my mom, I stopped at the Total Wine that I passed on the way there. To my surprise, I found another Cantillon! Who knew?!

After enjoying a great Thanksgiving with my family, we made it all fit in the car (Tenor too) and began our trek back to Houston. While heading out, I made one last call to the Tucson stores to see if there was potential for anything we still hadn’t found, or to see if they had any Cantillon in stock. There was one item left on our list that they did have, so I asked them to hold it and we made our way to their store. When all was said and done, this is what we brought back, give or take a few…

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Originally posted 2010-12-01 14:13:56.

Posted By: Theresa Carpine

After almost two months of nominations and voting, the Elite Eight in the 2011 March Madness IPA Tournament had been selected and I trekked out across the state line with my favorite IPA drinking buddy (my mom) for the Tasting Tournament at Enoteca Fine Wine & Beer in Post Falls, Idaho on Wednesday, March 23, 2011.

The tasting room was already well-packed when we arrived (early) and more enthusiastic IPA drinkers continued to show as we watched the clock, waiting for the first pours. We were each given two glasses, designating them as A and B for each round.

Our next tasting included two beers with very similar profiles and I theorized that they could have been Imperial IPAs. The first beer had a smoky aftertaste, but I preferred the beer with a slight whiskey finish, possibly a barrel-aged beer. My suspicions were verified as my pick for the flight, unfortunately the losing beer, was revealed as Dogfish Head Burton Baton Oaked IPA.

Third in the line-up were two beers that split the tasters right down the middle. The first beer startled my senses, tasting a bit the way tobacco smells—generally smoky and bitter but with a strange sweetness—and so I found the taste of a second beer much smoother and even. Enoteca owner Russell Mann cast the tie-breaking vote and my choice for Laughing Dog Rocket Dog Rye IPA, last year’s winner in the tournament, was eliminated.

The final tasting in the first round included two more beers that split the vote almost evenly, although there was no question in my mind that I preferred the smoother ale that followed a beer with quite a funk. I questioned whether I would like my choice for the round over the losing beer—Old Schoolhouse Brewers Reserve Imperial IPA—if I tasted it on its own.

In Flight 5, we compared the winners of the first two flights. In this tasting, the winner of Flight 1 was a bit too sweet and I preferred the balanced IPA flavor of its competitor. The voters agreed, and Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA was eliminated in the tournament.

The tobacco-taste of the winner in Flight 3 still haunted me and while I didn’t enjoy the smell of the other beer, it had a more pleasing taste. My fellow tasters agreed and voted out Laughing Dog Alpha Dog Imperial IPA, which is a beer that I’ve tried before and, while it wasn’t mind-blowing, it was enjoyable, so it was interesting that I had such a strong dislike of it in a blind taste test.

While I was bit disappointed that none of my favorites made it into the tournament (one received enough votes but was cut due to availability issues), the blind tasting was a great opportunity to try a variety of beers and reflect on the subtlety of all the flavors that compose the beloved India Pale Ale.

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Posted By: Theresa Carpine

What is it about IPAs that drives people wild? There’s no question that the hops have something to do with it. The hop-heavy style is a holdover from brewing methods intended to keep Pale Ales from spoiling during the sea voyage from merry old England to India during the early 19^th century, but modern IPAs have taken the concept and adapted it in every way, color, and style. Dry hopped, wet hopped, whole-cone, double, triple, black, rye, Northwest, Belgian…need I go on?

Given the obsessive tendencies of hopheads, it should be no surprise that I find myself following not one but two March Madness-style IPA tournaments this year. Brewing News, which distributes regional newspapers with beer news across the United States and parts of Canada, is currently hosting their fourth annual National IPA Challenge. More locally for me, Enoteca – Fine Wine & Beer in Post Falls, Idaho is holding their second annual IPA tournament this year. Participation and scope for these tournaments is quite different, but both hope to determine one thing: what’s the best IPA out there?

Each year, National IPA Challenge starts with 128 contenders, submitted by American (and a few Canadian) breweries on a first-come, first-served basis, and follows the traditional NCAA format, pitting beer against beer for a 1:1 single elimination bracket tournament.

“The idea came about after a series of conversations with like-minded IPA lovers around me, and a desire to reveal the great IPAs that are being brewed around the U.S.,” said Brewing News publisher Bill Metzger in an email. As “a flavorful, complex beer style” popular with drinkers in their 20s and 30s, a tournament featuring American India Pale Ales was, and continues to be, a success.

Online participants can submit their bracket predictions, but winners are determined by a panel of judges—all brewers—in a blind taste-test over five rounds, starting on February 13, 2011 in Buffalo, New York and ending on March 5, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A free case of the 2011 NIPAC champion, donated by the winning brewery, is the top prize for the online participant who has accumulated the most points by choosing the most accurate winners throughout the tournament. The winning brewery receives a banner to hang in their business and will be featured in an upcoming news story in the seven regional newspapers distributed by Brewing News.

Inspired by the national tournament, Enoteca owner Russell Mann wanted to give his customers a chance to participate with beers available in the area. “In our small North Idaho/Eastern Washington market, we have been holding monthly beer tastings since 2006, so we figured we could get enough people together for something like this,” Russell explained in an email.

March Madness IPA Tournament at Enoteca begins with 28 competing IPAs that must be available in the north Idaho region, submitted by beer drinkers, vendors, and brewers. Online voters can select three beers per vote and are able to return each week to continue voting up their favorites. The top 7 beers make it to the tasting round; last year’s winner, Laughing Dog Rocket Dog Rye IPA, gets an automatic entry into the Elite Eight. On March 23, 2011, tasters (space is limited so Reserve Your Tickets now) will cast their votes in three rounds of head-to-head blind tastes to determine the winner. Last year, Enoteca Beer of the Month Subscription Club Members received a bottle of the winning beer in their April Bin and, if available, the 2011 winner will receive the same treatment this year.

I appreciate the intention of the NIPAC as a national competition and that I can participate by following my bracket, hopefully until the bitter end, pun intended. However, it’s nearly impossible for the average (even avid) craft beer drinker to track down every beer in the competition without investing in an online order or bribing friends around the country to ship the stuff that’s not available locally. Also, I had to make a tough choice in my bracket: vote for the beers that I want to win or try to anticipate what seasoned brewers will select as their favorites? I went with my heart this time.

While NIPAC might have a more “accurate” finding in terms of the nation’s best IPA, I think I’m more excited to drink a few rounds with some local hopheads as we find our favorite IPA in available in the Inland Northwest.

Is your local beer shop or tavern hosting a local IPA tournament? What beer do you hope comes out on top at NIPAC this year? Leave a comment and let us know!

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Posted By: JOConnell

West Coast IPAs have a reputation for being rather hoppy. Not just a little bit but big, citrusy, grassy and bite ya’ in the ass hoppy. I love them but it can be rather tricky to cook with them. The beautiful hops cook down to a bitterness that is not pleasant in most foods. So I am continually on the search for ways to use beer in my favorite recipes and this is one that works. Beer in hummus may seem weird but hear me out. I always add liquid because it gives the hummus a creamier texture. There’s lemon juice and olive oil in the recipe but it’s not enough and plain water gives no flavor. Then one day I threw in a little Sweetwater IPA from the bottle I had just poured and “Viola!” I mean “Ah-Ha!” Do be aware that this is consenting adult hummus since the alcohol has not been cooked out, though, really it’s not much.

Hop Bomb Hummus

2 cans Garbonzo Beans, aka Chickpeas, drained

1 large clove Garlic, peeled

1 large Lemon juiced, plus the zest of said lemon

3 Tbl Tahini

1/4 cup American IPA

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

In a food processor pulsate beans and garlic until coarsely chopped. Incorporate the lemon juice, lemon zest and tahini in to the ground beans/garlic. Add the IPA and whiz, scraping down the sides as needed until almost smooth. With the processor going add the olive oil in a small stream, this seems to make it blend more quickly. Taste. Then mix in the salt and pepper to your liking, beans usually do need a good bit of salt.

Pat yourself on your back for eating such a healthy snack with your beer.

Posted By: LDelk

I am lucky, and some might say downright blessed to be able to drive by the beach communities of Solana Beach and Cardiff-by-the-Sea on my way to work in Encinitas. Hot surfers, balmy breezes, salty air, and bright sunshine make for a lovely afternoon distraction. I’ll admit, I’ve almost driven off the road looking at the scenery (in more ways that one.)

One of my favorite places to pop in is Pizza Port right on Highway 101 in Solana Beach. Relaxing with a nice hoppy IPA always seems to pair perfectly with the ocean air and calms whatever nerves might be exposed in a hectic day.

Today I’m home, but craving that fuzzy feeling, I crack open a bottle of my own Port beer, and bingo! I’m sitting on the deck of Pizza Port smiling in the sunshine….

Port Brewing Wipeout IPA, 7% ABV: This just smells West Coast. Holla! Exploding with hoppy aromas of citrus, herbs, pine, grass, and tree sap. All of that vibrancy comes bursting from the 5 hop varieties used: Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe, and Summit. (Introduced to me from a brewer in New Orleans, I instantly became a big, big fan of Simcoe.)

This is the kind of beer I just want to stick my nose in ALL of the time. It makes me smile. And MAYBE it’s just the power of suggestion, and MAYBE it’s because I am sitting literally one block off of the ocean, but I swear I smell salty beach air in the beer. And the flavors? Ahh yes! Piney resin and bright citrus notes with a nice hop bite bitterness on the finish.

And one of the best parts? It’s widely available. Found on many taps and in your beer shop for only about $5, this beer is aces in every category. It’s a classic, and so wonderfully easy and enjoyable to drink. Serve it at a party, and to those just getting into IPA’s. You’ll have new obsessed IPA fans before you know it.

CHEERS!