Craft Beer: Indian Pale Ales for Indian Summer
I don’t know how it was for you, but this summer seemed to zip by with the speed of lightning. Maybe it was all the hard work I put in, or maybe it is simply because I am getting older, and each progressive year is a smaller percentage of my life span. Either way, I am happy, because it means that fall is here, and it is by far my favorite season. In the Northern Hemisphere, there are usually a few weeks of above-average temperatures from September to November that are referred to as the Indian summer. There’s nothing better than those golden autumn afternoons with football games on the TV, crabs boiling in the pot, and an ice-cold beer after a day of hurricane surf. It’s even better when that beer is an Indian Pale Ale – a beer style named for its durability in transit from England to India, not Native American Indians. The standout ingredient in IPA is the hop, so it is no wonder IPAs taste so good in the fall, when hops are harvested. After a long summer of doing all sorts of different things, it is nice to get back to the normal routine, slow down, and enjoy the simple comforts in life. So in that notion, this episode’s beer recommendations are a list of some of my personal IPA favorites.
Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, 6.4% / 60 IBU • Bend, Ore.
When I lived out west (2008-11) I had the opportunity to try beers from Deschutes brewery. At the time I was working for Sierra Nevada and they were a big rival, so I think I hated to admit that everything they made was actually pretty awesome. They had not been distributed on the East Coast when I moved back, so it had been a couple of years since I had anything from them. Then last summer my friend Mike Heenan brought me a six-pack of Fresh Squeezed IPA that he had obtained while working a festival with the Deschutes reps in Philly. I was completely blown away by how it good it was. Fresh Squeezed is a next-level beer. It is like having a really fantastic meal at a restaurant. Each sip is extremely gratifying and leaves you wanting to taste more. The brewery describes it best: “It is as if mosaic hops were squeezed right into the bottle.” Juicy and fresh and bursting with grapefruit and orangey flavors, it is a very well-rounded and drinkable IPA from a great brewery. As of now it is available in Pennsylvania, but the inside scoop from my New Jersey beer distributors is that it will probably be coming to our state in the next year or so. I can’t wait!
Stone Go To IPA, 4.8% / 65 IBU • San Diego
Stone Brewing has always been known to use a lot of hops in all its beers. It was making big and bold IPAs before “double IPAs” were even a thing. In that tradition, it crafted Go To IPA, a vibrant session ale with an alpha acid rich flavor and aroma. To make it, the brewery employs a technique called “hop bursting” wherein it adds an extreme amount of hops during the final stage of brewing to pull out all of the aromas, flavors and bitterness of the hops. The result is a drinkable beer that is loaded with all of that hoppy goodness you expect in a normal IPA. I received a case of it on my birthday and have been enjoying one any time I have a long day at work. It is different from any other session IPA I have ever had, and the alpha acids of the hops are definitely prevalent, fresh-tasting and pleasant.
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA 7% / 70 IBU • San Diego
This beer is a cult classic in the realm of beer geeks. Dangerously drinkable for a 7% beer, it has the smoothest finish of any beer I have ever had. Viscous and full of aroma, it almost disappears in your mouth and becomes one with your tongue, imparting a whole range of hoppy flavors from apricot and mango to flowers and lemons. It is one of the more expensive beers in a six-pack but well worth it for the absolute craftsmanship of this delectable ale.
Ithaca Flower Power IPA 7.2% / 75 IBU Ithaca, N.Y.
The first time I tried this beer was at the Atlantic City beer fest about 5 years ago. I had never heard of Ithaca Beer Co. and was shocked at how awesome its beer was. In fact, it was the best beer that I tried that year and I have had it several times since. It starts off with a super fragrant nose, which is floral with hints of honey. The first sip follows up well, with a perfect amount of hop bitterness and tropical fruit flavors on the tip of the tongue. A dry-malt backbone and slightly seltzery head balance out the package and it keeps tasting better the more of it you drink.
Upper Pass First Drop APA 5.9% / 65 IBU • Stowe, Vt.
They say the best kind of beer is a free beer. Actually, most of the beers in this article were ones that were given to me as a gift by friends at one time or another. First Drop is no different. I was working at the Whitebrier one day and the owner of the brewery came in to sample some local brews, we got started talking, and he skateboarded back the next day from his family’s 10th Street summer house to bring me a few samples. I cracked open the 16-ounce can of First Drop and poured it in a glass to find a very hazy New England-style ale with a brownish orange hue. Hazy beers are a bit off-putting for me normally, but I tried it and it was very good. Bold grapefruit flavors up front were rounded out by a lingering finish of lemon zest and orange. The body was not too heavy despite the cloudiness, and the bubbles that stuck to the side of the glass shimmered like glitter as they ran down the sides. I’ll have to have more than one before I pass any real judgment, but for now I’m stoked on this beer and had to give it a mention.
Victory Hop Devil 6.7% / 50 IBU • Downingtown, Pa.
A true East Coast IPA. I have been drinking this beer for a long time, as has everyone else, but it is still a classic, and one of the better IPAs on the market today. Plus, it is available almost everywhere in the area. This beer is full-bodied with a strong malt backbone and a darker amber color that matches the sweet roastiness of the malt. I get a strong resinous piney kick from the hops, which is different from the citrusy West Coast IPAs that are mentioned above.
