for my drinking pleasure this evening i’m going with an imperial pale ale rather than an ipa. no good reason why, just happened to love Southern Tier’s unearthly ipa and thought i’d give their Hoppe a try.
Southern Tier reports: “2XIPA in the Bottle – April 15, 2010 is the first day for bottling our newest beer, 2XIPA. Phin DeMink has declared it the best beer we’ve ever brewed! 2XIPA also has the distinction of being the first beer to be distributed in our newly designed packaging. Cheers!”
if only my local purveyor of beer had had some in stock, that’s what i would have chosen to imbibe this evening. but no use crying over unavailable beer – let me turn my attention to the clear, honey coloured beauty in front of me!
speaking of beauty, let me extol the virtues of the cascading beer bubbles at the pour! what a head! i wanna pour some more just to see the wonder of it again. and i did! and it was a thing of beauty and a joy to behold.
plenty of hops in the aroma, and in the sipping. i’m not a fan of wheat, and this beer is made from malted white wheat, but so far i’m okay with it. the hops are balancing it very nicely.
the bottle says: “The simplicity of Hoppe tests the skill and ability of the brewer to create something truly majestic. We craft this much like a sculptor who uses only a hammer and chisel to shape stone into a masterpiece. Hoppe is spawned of these few essentials: barley, wheat, hops, yeast and water. This limited palatte is an exercise in minimalism, with refined elements which are deliberately selected. This simple combination creates a golden shimmering brew infused with delicate aromas. The artful nature of this beer is exposed with the first taste. As the malt and hops create a composition of flavours, an elegant finish leaves an impression that your tastes will not soon forget. Don’t be deceived by the innocence of Hoppe. Please enjoy in moderation.”
they suggest serving it in a fluted glass at 42F
the specs: 19 degrees plato, 4.0 degrees L, 2-row pale malt, kettle hops: columbus, aroma hops: amarillo, dry hop: amarillo and columbus
would i have another? well, since it comes in a 650 mL bottle, yes sir, i will have some more. however, the wheat is showing its ugly head to me and i gotta say that i probably won’t buy this particular beer again. its not the beer though, its me, really.
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