hoppy bitch

just in time for ipa day, i drank a hoppy bitch!
from trade route brewing of pacific washington

she’s only 60 ibus according to the bottle

and very nicely balanced

but yes, she is a hoppy bitch!

website says:

This northwest IPA is bold and balanced, with a rich malty flavor and a strong hop presence. We use premium 2-Row, Crystal, Munich and Victory malts to create the perfect base for showcasing Yakima-grown Columbus hops. After one sip you’ll agree, this is one hoppy bitch of a beer.

6.3% ABV 80 IBU

amanda and sarah brought this one back for me from washington
because they love me
and because they rock!!
 
i liked it
its not a hop monster, so you could probably taste another beer after this one!
its not going to make my top ten list
but i would definitely and quite happily have this one again

rogue juniper pale ale

rogue juniper pale ale
what a great bottle
and a great looking beer!

from the bottle:  “a pale ale, saffron in color with a smooth malt balance, a floral aroma with a dry spice finish from whole juniper berries”

food pairing:  turkey
13 degrees plato
34 ibus
77 aa
3.2 degrees lovibond
100% pure rogue

yes on the malt balance
yes on the floral aroma
yes on the dry spice finish
quite refreshing
enormous head on the vigourous pour, which lasted several minutes (the head, not the pour)

from the website:  “HISTORY

The Turkey was named the official bird of the Rogue Nation in August 2007. To commemorate the momentous occasion, Rogue Juniper Pale Ale was dedicated to “the turkey in each of us.” An axe and the dedication have been added to the serigraphed 22oz bottle and Juniper Pale Ale tap stickers.

The Pilgrims were ale drinkers and most likely enjoyed beer at the first Thanksgiving. Juniper Pale Ale, like all Rogue products preserves water by using more ingredients, contains no chemicals, additives or preservatives and uses Free Range Coastal Water.”

i don’t actually know what juniper berries taste like, but i’m told they’re piney and bitter

so i think i was expecting this beer to be more piney and bitter

or to smell like gin!

but it doesn’t and it isn’t

yes there’s floral notes in there

but they’re not bitter or overwhelming

they’re simply delicious!

i heart rogue

and i heart this beer

i gotta get me another couple of bottles while its in season!

spinnakers

next up for a taste test is spinnaker’s mitchell’s esb

now i love me an extra special bitter

so i have high hopes!

crazy creamy head on the vigourous pour

expected more sediment in the bottle and in the glass from this live yeast product, but there really wasn’t much at all

dark caramel colour

not much of a hop nose

5.2%

not as hoppy as i tend to like my esbs

but the live yeast is not giving it a yeasty flavour, so i’m a fan

it won’t replace any of my favourite esbs in my regular rotation, but i’d certainly have it again (and again)

the bottle says:  “Brewed in honour of John Mitchell, first brewer & Publican of Spinnakers Brew Pub, Victoria, this beer is a classic English style Extra Special Bitter, brewed with English two row pale and crystal malts, balanced with English Northern Brewer and East Kent Golding hops.

Spinnakers beers are live real ales, are not filtered or pasteurized and contain no additives or preservatives.  Natural sedimentation may occur.  Pour carefully, in a single motion, leaving the last centimeter.”

the website says:

“Founding partner and brewer for the first six months. John’s name is still carried on an original beer, Mitchell’s ESB. The other beers bearing John’s distinctive mark include Mt. Tolmie Dark, and Empress Stout. In his 1988 New World Guide to Beer, British author Michael Jackson describes John’s ESB as “beautifully balanced, the Mt. Tolmie Dark as a classic strong mild, of which Britain should be envious and the Empress Stout as a model of the style.””

gobble gobble

from the rogue news service:

Quit Wine-ing: Turkey Finds Its Soulmate

Newport, OR, September 10, 2010 – According to Garrett Oliver, author of “The Brewmaster’s Table,” the question most often posed to sommeliers is “What wine goes best with a turkey dinner?”  The answer Oliver says, is beer!   

 

Juniper Pale Ale however, does not stop at the Thanksgiving dinner table.  In fact, only 29% of turkeys in the United States are consumed during the holiday season; leaving the rest of the year to pair Juniper Pale Ale with turkey sandwiches, turkey burgers, turkey hot-dogs, and turkey bacon.

Rogue’s passion for turkey has been growing over the years.  The turkey is now the official bird of the Rogue Nation and Juniper Pale Ale has been selected by the National Turkey Federation as the Best Beer to Pair with Turkey.  By this time next year, Rogue plans to induct every single turkey into the Rogue Nation.

Juniper Pale Ale is saffron in color with a smooth malt balance, floral aroma and a dry spicy finish from whole juniper berries.  It is brewed with 11 ingredients including Juniper Berries, Crystal, Triumph, Maier Munich, and C-15 Malts; Styrian Golding, Amarillo and Rogue Farm Revolution Hops; Free Range Coastal Waters and Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast.  It will be available in 12oz and 22oz bottles, as well as on draft. Brewing Specifications:  13^o Plato, 34 IBU, 77 AA, 3.2^o Lovibond. 

Juniper Pale Ale is a 6-time gold medal winner at the World Beer Championships and uses hops grown on our own micro hopyard.  The 42 acre hop farm is located in Oregon’s Wigrich Appellation.  Rogue remains committed to saving the terroir of Oregon hops and barley, one acre at a time, by growing our own.

Juniper Pale Ale is dedicated to the turkey in each of us.

dogfish head’s aprihop

hops and apricots?!?
looking forward to tasting the dogfish head aprihop
“a serious india pale ale brewed with real apricots.”

good head on the vigrourous pour
subtle apricot nose
some cloudiness in the glass
dark caramel colour
7%
50 ibus

the website says:
Aprihop

 

Availability: 

 Seasonal

Aprihop is our fruit beer for hopheads!

It is an American IPA brewed with Pilsner and crystal malts massively hopped in in the continuous fashion. The flavor is complimented by the addition of Apricots.

After fermentation the beer is dry hopped with irresponsible amounts of Amarillo hops. The beer is hoppy in the aroma with the apricots playing a supporting complimentary role.

The flavor is rich with late hop flavors and it’s bitterness is tempered by just the right amount of malt sweetness and fruity undertones from the apricots.

This is one of our most popular seasonal beers and we’ve been brewing it each spring for quite a while now. We release the beer each March and you should find it on the shelves through May.”

kinda glad it only came in a four-pack

cuz its just a bit on the fruity side for me

amanda of course loves it

its her gateway kind of beer to appreciating hops

fruit those babies up, and she’ll be a hops fan in no time!

although…. the further i get into my glass, the more i am appreciating the subtle apricot flavours, the hop and malt balance and that 7% is going to my head rather nicely

i’m a happy camper…