100 Beers of 2010: 9/100 - Bell's HopSlam Ale

 
Beer Style: American Imperial IPA
ABV/IBU: 10%/70(?)
Serving Style: Poured from the bottle into a Dogfish Head chalice.

Appearance: A nice 1/2" head formed from a moderately aggressive pour. A nice, clear golden orange with healthy carbonation levels. It's one of those thick, dense looking beers where the carbonation slowly creeps out. Quite nice, though. 4/5

Smell: Insanely huge aroma, with sweet fruits and honey, citrus zest, cherries, floral and resinous notes... phenomenal. 5/5

Taste: Candied maraschino cherries, resinous hops, with a bit of bite combined with an overwhelming sweetness that smooths it all out. There might be some mild tart apple in there, too. It was better on draft, but still so good in the bottle. 4.5/5

Mouthfeel: Ideal - good density and carbonation, nice, mouth-filling consistency. 5/5

Drinkability: One of the most famous beers around, and for good reason. Huge aroma and taste, with a perfect mouthfeel. Even with a big ABV, you want to keep drinking. A classic. 5/5

Overall grade: A+

100 beers of 2010: 7/100 - Alpine Exponential Hoppiness

[Didn't take a photo for this, and can't find a decent one]
Beer Style: American Imperial ("Triple") IPA
ABV/IBU: 10.5%/Unknown
Serving Style: Poured from the bomber into a DFH chalice.

Another fine west coast beer I got via a trade.

Appearance: It pours fairly cloudy and opaque, with a brownish yellow color, and a small head that slips away. The carbonation isn't immediately evident, but there is a dense carbonation visible in the brew. Swirling the glass brings up quite a bit more carbonation, it looks like a whole new pour. The cloudiness isn't super nice, but as the beer warms in the bottle it pours more clearly.

Smell: Tropical fruits, candied apricot, lemon peel, maple, piney freshness, nice, fairly forward, and pretty different.

Taste: VERY different, and a bit odd initially. As I got accustomed to it, the beer slowly revealed itself. It's initially quite resinous, not quite solventy, but there is a sweet/spicy/zesty thing going on. The bitterness is amazingly controlled, with no tongue bite at all. There is a bit of mild alkalinity through the mid-palate, but it fades and gives way to a sweet finish. While still a bit chilled, there is a thinness on the edges that makes it not fully realized. LET THIS BEER WARM UP.

As it warms, the beer comes into its own, and gets solid. Some mild vanilla and oak flavors come out, and the finish gets warmer and boozier with some heat in the back of the mouth. It still has some odd, resinous tang, but it's more of a statement now, and one that speaks powerfully. The tropical fruits come out more with the warmth, as well, which I missed while it was cold. Fantastic.

Mouthfeel: Thick, creamy, chewy, and great. Perfect mouthfeel.

Drinkability: It took a bit of time for this beer to warm up to reach its peak - let it get warmer than you think it should! Once it warms up it integrates nicely and the flavors reach their peak. The controlled bitterness is unexpected and welcome, as so many huge IPAs let their alkaline flavors run free. Each sip reveals something new. A highly recommended big American IPA that takes some time to show its colors.

Overall grade: A

Review: Nøgne Ø India Pale Ale

Poured from a bottle into a snifter glass over at Mark's place.

Look: An opaque apricot, almost cloudy, with a moderate but lasting head. Not necessarily visually appealing.

Smell: A slightly sour and funky aroma, not very floral or piney in the least. It was moderate in intensity and not super enticing.

Taste: I got notes of sweet fruit, pear, and low-AA hops, with some lingering bitterness on the tongue. Definitely a euro IPA with more of a funky fruity bitterness as opposed to the citrus of American hops.

Mouthfeel: It was pretty good, a creamy effervescent beer without reaching sparkling.

Drinkability: It's definitely tasty and chuggable, and not a taste bud overloader. I'm not a huge fan of euro IPAs, though, and this isn't an exception to that rule. I definitely prefer their Sunturnbrew barleywine over this.

Some quick tasting notes

Bill and I made a quick stop to Rustico last evening in search of a few good drafts. As if in answer to my question of "where in DC can I get Loose Cannon's Big DIPA," Rustico just happened to have it on draft, along with one of my favorite beers, Avery Maharaja, and Weyebacher Double Simcoe IPA on cask. Bill and I each got a big 16 ounce pour of Big DIPA, and my take on it was that it's good, but not great. It's in the Maharaja style of sticky, sweetish, DIPAs, but lacks the complexity and great nose that exemplifies the style. I first had it in Cleveland, and after this second pour, I don't need it again.

I then got a small pour of Maharaja while Bill quaffed the Double Simcoe. The cask pour was surprisingly delightful, which is hard for me to say, as I usually heavily dislike casks. The Double Simcoe was really nice - a thick, internal kind of carbonation that lended it body and weight beyond any cask I've had before. After a swig, a number of tiny bubbles would be rising up the side of the glass... very appealing. My Maharaja was as good as always, of course.

Ah, IPA... when will I get sick of you for good?

Review: Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

Poured from a bottle into a Sam Adams Sensory glass.

Look: A very mildly hazy golden orange brew with a thin head. A very light amount of cabronation is evident rising from the nucleation points. Attractive, sure, but not beautiful.

Smell: A really great nose on this one, sweet, resinous, citrus, floral - pretty damn big. Definitely pulls you in for a taste.

Taste: Really, really, big for something out of a 12 ounce bottle, even though that statement makes no sense... It has a huge aromatic hop flavor hits your mouth with a rich sweetness that isn't cloying in the least. The initial flavors subside to the typical DIPA dry-bitter tongue that isn't exactly ideal. Complex and definitely ingriguing, but you can definitely tell it's high alcohol. Very tasty.

Mouthfeel: A nice, fairly thick brew with good levels of carbonation. I could say the usual "dances across the tongue" stuff, but that's a little silly here. It's got a really nice overall texture and is assuredly appealing, but nothing either outstanding or deplorable.

Drinkability: This is a fantastic Imperial with a ton of flavor, and if you like the style the bottle will be gone before you know it. It's a big beer that doesn't really hide the booze, but full of big flavors and aromas and shows you what an IPA can be if pushed to the limits. A winner from Harpoon, definitely heads and shoulders above their normal fare.

Review: Dogfish Head Burton Baton

I poured a 12 ounce bottle from this year's batch into a Sam Adams Sensory glass.

Look: Appealing golden reddish-brown with a slightly tan head, I didn't get much head on my pour from a 12 ounce bottle, but I went easy on it. A steady stream of bubbles arose from the nucleation points at the bottom of my Sam Adams glass. The thin head quickly dissipated, but some light lacing was evident.

Smell: Not too strong, but a vanilla oakiness with maybe some fruit and hops - nothing too overpowering in the least.

Taste: This has some of the characteristics of all the trendy burbon-barrel aged beers but none of the overpowering flavor some of them exhibit. The initial flavors are sweet but not too sweet, with some nice caramel, vanilla, oak, and fruitiness, without being cloying. The snap of bitterness cleans the palate nicely with some sweetness and effervescence remaining on the tongue. I expected a beer with fairly low carbonation, but I feel the moderately high levels help to avoid an overly sweet and sticky beer. Some of the baking soda flavors I've been hating about high-IBU beers make their appearance a minute or so after swallowing, but aren't abhorrent.

Mouthfeel: As I mentioned, I think the carbonation levels help create a truly excellent mouthfeel - nearly on the levels of Saison Dupont perfection. It's full and smooth in the mouth and the sweetness is well-displayed, but the bubbles and hop snap leaves your tongue feeling ready for more.

Drinkability: Honestly, I consider most any beer highly drinkable if it's a style I enjoy. Burton Baton is quite dangerous, as the high ABV is disguised by a truly excellent mouthfeel that allows you to take one swig after another. A great beer from a brewery I would expect to make a high-end DIPA.

The Euros make some weird DIPA

I've recently had two Imperial IPAs from european breweries that were wildly different from the beer I typically enjoy - that being American Imperial IPA, of course. I'll just put my cards on the table here - I love big, sticky, resiny beers, loaded with flavor. Sometimes, though, one has to branch out and explore the world, and the opportunity to try some new big IPA is hard to pass up.

I was in Atlanta last week, and at the excellent Porter I tried Brewdog's Hardcore IPA. Brewdog is a Scottish brewery with a unique brand and a penchant for brewing big beers. However, calling this an Imperial IPA is a stretch, since the beer that poured out of the bottle was a thick, creamy, fruity beer that tasted vaguely ciderish. Low carbonation, very low hop aroma, and very low bitterness. You could sense what they were going for, perhaps, but there was none of the zest that only a face full of alpha-acid rich hops can bring to a drink. I mean, it wasn't a bad beer at all - very drinkable and enjoyable, really - but it's hard to fathom what they were doing besides purposefully making a non-American Imperial IPA.

I had a similar beer tonight at the far-too-close Rustico, who had an Impy IPA out of Denmark, WinterCoat's Double Hop. While I could ignore their choice to serve it in what was essentially a mojito glass, I couldn't overlook the similarity in taste and composition to Brewdog's offering. Low carbonation, low bitterness, little hop aroma, but big apple flavors and a thick, creamy mouthfeel. It drank easily enough (but little doesn't for me, sadly), but it certainly didn't quench my thirst for IBUs.

So what's up with these breweries? Are they making statements against the American DIPA trends, making poor imitations, or just making a bigger ale with familiar flavors for their local markets? It's not quite a trend by any means, but it's something to keep an eye on.