Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA

BA score: 89

Brewed by: 
Rogue Ales 
Oregon, United States

Style | ABV 
American IPA |  8.02% ABV 


Reviews: Pour in a hazy honey amber color with one finger foam head. Initial taste is lemony citrus rounding out by a mild punch of hops at the end. (I like IPA so my mild might be medium to those not used to IPA) Lower carbonation than your typical IPA but I am starting to like that as I am able to pick up various notes of the beer better. Slight sweetness makes this a very drinkable IPA. Could have killed the 22 oz on my own easily instead of sharing with a friend. 

Hopnotist - Parallel 49 Brewing Company

So went to Vancouver about 3 weeks ago and being a beer nut I am, I had to visit at least one brewery and after lots of research, Parallel 49 was the destination.

I really knew very little about this brewery and nothing about their beers other than it's one of the oldest craft brewery in Vancouver and has a pretty large following by the locals.

BA Score: 92

Brewed by: 
Parallel 49 Brewing Company 
British Columbia, Canada

Style | ABV 
American Double / Imperial IPA |  8.50% ABV 

Availability: Limited (brewed once)

Notes/Commercial Description: 
Parallel 49's first anniversary ale. Single hopped double IPA brewed exclusively with Mosaic hops. 

86 IBU

Review: Absolutely blown my mind away. Definitely top 5 IPAs I have had and believe me, I had a shit load of IPA since I started drinking craft beer. Pours in a slightly hazy medium copper amber color with 2 fingers of puffy bubbly head. 

It smells of dank (natch!) wet forest petrichor, musty orange and grapefruit citrus flesh, hints of mint-tinged wintergreen, bready caramel malt, white chalk, lesser generic tropical fruit notes, and further leafy, floral, and certainly perfumed hops. Extremely drinkable for a 8.5% IPA. I had 2! 

The carbonation is fairly low-key in its meek frothiness, but generally supportive all the same, the body a stoic medium-heavy weight, and way more smooth than I would have opined at initial hop contact. It finishes off-dry, the bready caramel malt calling time, yet sort of futilely, as those hovering Mosaic hop esters just won't go the fuck to sleep.

Another immensely enjoyable and well-rendered single-hop IPA (oh, right, a DIPA), all from the good graces of a single hop strain. These sorts of affairs are getting more and more rounded and drinkable since one of those (in)famous Danish twins carried out their broad IPA experiment a few years back. So, we now lay in the afterglow of that, and, I gotta say, the layin' is certainly swell.

Saison Dupont - Brasserie Dupont sprl

I am back bitches!!!!!

I didn't disappear because I stopped drinking craft beer that's for damn sure. In fact I probably drink 10x more since I stopped writing this blog. Just been busy with life in general and busy hitting up breweries and beerfest and tasting all the amazing craft beers now available since it's becoming so goddamn popular.

BA score: 93
Brewed by: 
Brasserie Dupont sprl 
Belgium

Style | ABV 
Saison / Farmhouse Ale |  6.50% ABV 

Availability: Year-round

Review: Besides IPA, Saison is probably my second favorite type of beer. It's highly carbonated and dry. Almost like a champagne of the craft beer world. Pours in a slightly hazy golden color with tons of foam/head. Smell immediately brings an unrestrained funk and earthiness. Some floral/fruity tone makes its way in as well. Fairly complex and some notes pushing a bit too far than other when drinking. Extremely refreshing. Medium in terms of drink-ability because it's so crisp and dry. But it is epitome of the style I suppose. You can pick one up at WholeFood!