As summer finally shows itself, I can say that one of my favorite beer styles to drink on a hot day has always been an American IPA. Generally hoppy and bitter with a balanced flavorful malt and citrusy/piney aromas, these beers tend to be perfect in an outdoor setting. Some may shy away from the overly bitter nature of this beer, but I see it as the ultimate showcase for both malt and hops. Here, a few compatriots and I compiled an assortment of west coast IPA's in an attempt to stack them up against each other and discern a clear favorite. Nine individual beers were brought to the table. This was a fairly ambitious undertaking as an IPA has a tendency to skew the palate. It was understood that many of them might exhibit similar flavors and one might decide that there is no clear winner. Either way it was going to be fun.
As blind taste tests go, each beer is poured randomly and none of the tasters are aware of what is what. The goal is to form an unbiased opinion about what you like and don't like . This particular go around it was decided that we would use a point system instead of the traditional first, second... and so forth. With so many beers, we could easily decide a ranking afterward by just using arbitrary 0-10 point rankings. Here I will list all of the beers and give you the points I assigned them and small description for each in ascending order from least to most favorite.
9) Alaskan Brewing Co. IPA - 7 out of 10
This beer was somewhat malty in terms of balance, however the malt was uninteresting and just tasted like a boring medium bodied grain malt. The hops are there but barely. This was the most underwhelming beer during the test in this regard. This brew over all tasted thin and ordinary. It is definitely an IPA, but I couldn't really give it much because it did not offer much.
8) Rubicon Brewing Co. IPA - 7 out of 10
This was a disappointing one, as I have frequented Rubicon Brewing Co. and loved their IPA on tap. The bottled version however was much different. There was virtually no aroma with this brew. The malt overpowers the hops. The hop flavors are merely an afterthought and are very floral in taste. Overall this version of their IPA was just O.K.
7) Moylans Brewing Co. - 7.25 out of 10
This beer is well balanced and very bitter. The mouthfeel was pretty heavy, but it worked here. I liked this beer enough but it would not be my first pick for an IPA to drink. The aroma was fairly good and the hops come off a little piney.
6) Russian River Blind Pig IPA - 8 out of 10
A very light malt on this one. Kind of a refreshing taste. The citrus like hop characteristic is good and the bitterness is also well balanced with the light malt. A fairly run of the mill IPA taste, however it is done very well. This was a close call when considering what would be in the top five.
5) Eel River Organic IPA - 8 out of 10
This was a malty beer for sure. More like a Pale Ale than an IPA really. However the hop aroma was great and there was a very rustic taste in this beer. Very balanced as the malt was prevalent but allowed the hops to do their thing taste wise. Not particularly bitter at first but there was a little bit on the back end. Overall, I would drink this regularly.
4) Stone Brewing Co. IPA - 8.25 out of 10
Very bitter beer here. Almost exactly what I tend to think of when i think "IPA". This beer hit all the bases really well. Wildly aromatic, bitter but not harsh, medium to light malt, and very drinkable if you like IPA's. People who shy away from bitter beware because this is what this beer does best! The hop flavors were the star of this beer and I liked it.
3) Marin Brewing Co. IPA - 8.25 out of 10
This was a malty beast. Very sweet malt. Almost more of a double IPA in this sense. The hops were more piney and heavy tasting than I am particularly fond of, but the malt base was so robust that this beer offers a refreshing change to the others. I quite enjoyed this monstrous IPA!!
2) Anchor Brewing Co. Liberty Ale - 8.5 out of 10
This beer according some may not be a true IPA. I say it is. There is really nothing else it could be in my book. Here, this beer was the epitome of perfect balance of hops and malt. Not to say it was the only balance that works, it was simply as if there were equal parts of both ingredients in the taste profile. The malts tend to shine here but the hops are definitely there and make it one of the best beers I have ever had. This beer was so good that it was almost my number one. This is the one I would recommend drinking on a regular basis.
1) Russian River Pliny the Elder -9 out of 10
This is as perfect as it gets for an IPA. This beer is strong. Strong enough to be classified as a double IPA. The flavor though is as much a regular IPA as anything else, but the hops are the star here. So perfectly bitter and very citrusy... The aroma is very crisp and clean. You can smell the bitterness!! The malt is very light bodied and refreshing. This beer is King of IPAs... Given the strength of this beer, I would not put down more than two of these in a sitting, but then again I wouldn't really have to.
Odonata is the new face of microbrew in Sacramento as I have previously mentioned... (see previous Odonata post) Their flagship brew is the Saison, and for over a month now the draft version of this beer has been available at various places around Northern CA and has been really good. However, the real premier of this beer is now underway as the bottles have hit the shelves. The saison style is notorious for being finished in the bottle and now I feel as if I am finally getting the finished product from Odonata in their Saison. In one very general statement I can say that this version is perfection. Read on...
