Pints and Steins

Editor’s note: This post begins a four part series that will feature four brews from the islands, specifically Maui and the Maui Brewing Company.

I am positively a huge fan of IPAs. It’s likely my favorite style of beer. That said, I’m pretty picky on Imperial Pale Ales and I only have a handful that I get again and again.  Will Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Company join that list?  Let’s find out.

First of all, Maui Brewing Company comes from my most favorite vacation spot on the globe: Maui, Hawaii. I’ve heard great things about Maui Brewing Company and know of the company because they came to the Oregon Brewers Festival last year where I had a brew of theirs. This brewery has some fans in Portland, Oregon, which is why I know of them.

Big Swell IPA has a slogan that I dug from the beginning of the buying experience: “Big, Hoppy, Bold, Smooth, And Hoppy…Did We Mention Hoppy”. I mean, with expectations like that, this brew better own up.

The hops for Big Swell IPA come from the Northwest including Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and a few others.Big Swell IPA comes in at an ABV of 6.8%, so it’s a sipping beer and a not so bitter IBU rating of 50+

At first sip, this beer does taste very flavorful. I wouldn’t say bold, but smooth and hoppy is the way to go. Bold to me sounds overpowering and like getting a sucker punch right in the kisser.

Big Swell IPA is smooth and flavorful. As advertised, the malt is the first flavor that your mouth picks upon. Then the hop flavor, a bit floral but more just punchy, kicks and makes for a very balanced drink.

Big Swell IPA is a very nice balance of all the ingredients. I was sad when I finished my can (yes can…this beer is not bottled) I desired more of the flavor of this beer.

I can easily say that Big Swell IPA will make the shortlist mentioned above. This beer is amazing and is a very very good IPA any beer lover would enjoy.

With this review, we begin a new series of reviews, this time of Lagunitas Brewing in Petaluma, California.  Lagunitas is sort of a cult favorite up here in the Pacific Northwest.  We are a pretty territorial bunch up here, typically preferring beers that are made locally (like within 20 miles); but the Petaluma brewery has some fans up this way.

So, with that, lets take a look at Lagunitas IPA.  Their take on the India Pale Ale is an interesting one.  Here’s how the brewery’s website describes their IPA:

India Pale Ale
Thanks for choosing to spend the next few minutes with this special homicidally hoppy ale. Savor the moment as the raging hop character engages the imperial qualities of the Malt foundation in mortal combat on the battlefield of your palate!

So, they describe it as super hoppy.  To me, this would imply bitter and therefore uber yummy.

However, I had a 22-ounce bomber of this IPA and I was thoroughly disappointed.  This beer is not very hoppy at all – in fact, it tastes like a weak pale ale.  A barkeep could have served me this beer and told me it was a pilsner and I wouldn’t have flinched.

Lagunitas IPA is very pale in color.  It is almost tan, again, like a pilsner.

I guess up here in the Pacific Northwest, where we grow hops and wear flannel and like our coffee strong, this IPA doesn’t cut it.

Also, I’m being brutally honest here and perhaps I’m missing something.  Are you a Lagunitas fan – can you shed some light and perhaps show me the way?  Or am I justified in my dislike for this IPA?

Pelican Brewing, as said before, is located on the Oregon Coast in Pacific City.  This amazingly beautiful spot on the beach is augmented by the fact that there is a very strong brewing presence in town in Pelican Pub and Brewing.

Today’s Pelican ale we are evaluating is India Pelican Ale.  This brew is named after the mascot of Pelican Brewing, Phil the Pelican.  This IPA (amongst my favorite type of ale) is made with Cascade hops, giving it a noticeably sweet aroma.  However, this isn’t a sweet citrusy beer, the hops are balanced with a mild malty flavor that provides a bit of spice.

At first sip, India Pelican Ale has a strong hoppy bitterness.  You can definitely tell that Pelican Brewing uses a robust mix of hops to give an initial bitter sting.  However, India Pelican Ale transitions quickly to being a smooth tasting balanced beer.

Any IPA lover (even the picky ones) will feel at home with an India Pelican Ale in their hands.  It’s a familiar taste, making this brew a very good example of what any Oregon IPA should strive to me.

Alaskan Amber is from Alaskan Brewing of Juneau, Alaska.

Alaskan Amber looks more pale in color in the bottle I had than the image on the right.  However, even though I was expecting a Pale flavor, this is very much a classic Amber ale.  It has enough malt and hops to bring forward a flavorful sip that is sure to satisfty.

This ale is a perfect beer going into summer, as it has enough flavor to keep you satisfied, but not so much that you feel overwhelmed.  I can easily see this beer going well with a salmon or other white meat on the grill.

I have also had the Alaskan IPA which is a healthy, hoppy beer, so Alaskan is a beer that comes highly recommended.  The guys and gals up in Juneau know what they are doing when it comes to the brewing!  Nice job guys!

I’m at Deschutes Brewery in the Pearl District of Portland Oregon right now as I write this.  I just ordered a Quail Springs IPA.  Here’s a quick review:

This IPA is not very hoppy…rather it’s smooth.  More like a Pale Ale with a bit more hoppy-ness to it.  Fans of Widmer’s Broken Halo will find this beer to be wimpy in the hoppi-ness/bitter category.

However, if you’re an Ale lover who wants to get his/her feet wet with an IPA, this is a great ‘gateway beer’ that will expose you, lightly, to a taste of what an IPA can be.

Try it out…available at the Portland pub and your favorite beer store.

When it comes to types and styles of ales, Imperial Pale Ale is amongst my favorite. We have many great IPAs here in the Northwest including Widmer’s Broken Halo and Deschutes Inversion IPA.

However, at my local micro-brew grocer, I had a new IPA catch my eye on my last trip. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA is the product of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Milton, Connecticut, USA.

The 120 Minute IPA is continually hopped over a 120-minute boil and then dry hopped every day for a month. According to Dogfish, the 120 Minute IPA is the “Holy Grail” for hopheads.

This IPA weighs in at 120 on the IBU scale for bitterness and has 20% alcohol – so this is definitely a sipping beer.

This beer snob was very surprised with my first taste of 120 Minute IPA. Surprised, that is, not in a good way. The beer, at first sip, is especially sweet, almost like a Barleywine such as the one from Anchor Steam of San Francisco, CA. The intense sweetness doesn’t last long and after it wears off you are greeted with a slightly bitter after taste.

This beer is so strong and sweet, that this puppy (pun intended) would take well over 120 minutes to finish – it’s truly a strong sipping beer.

Have you sampled Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA? What are your thoughts?

I look forward to the conversation in the comment section below.