Smuttynose IPA

When I first got into IPAs, I was drawn to unbalanced, hoppy ales. I have since come to appreciate malt-hop balance in my IPAs. Some breweries, notably Dogfish Head, changed course to strive for more balance in their ales. Smuttynose was not as hoppy as I remembered in aroma and flavor, but it is very well balanced. 

Smuttynose has a strong malt backbone. It's balance is evident in the nose which smelled of earth, spice, and orange rind. The flavor followed through on the aroma's foundation and, like an orange rind, was slightly sweet followed by a bitter resin flavor. Smuttynose has always been very bitter, and that hasn't changed. The bitterness is the only unmuted aspect of the flavor, which is otherwise balanced and subtle.

 

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

I've drank this beer on many occasions and was never very enamored with it. 90 Minute is a 9% Imperial IPA with a flavor driven by malt. It's a big beer dripping with malt complexity. It's continuously hopped for 90 minutes while it's brewed, but it doesn't come off insanely hoppy in actuality. The hops are masked by a "ridiculous amount" of English Two Row barley. As a result, 90 Minute's flavor gravitates toward an English IPA with a jacked up abv. The nose smelled of spiced bread that reminded me of Christmas. The body has a thick, chewy texture. There is a sweetish, Toffee character in the flavor and the finish has a deep bitter quality that is coffee like. 

Like I said earlier, I was never big on this beer, but that was before I tried it with food. I drank one with steak and now I see what all the hype is about. It's amazing with steak, which complimented and rounded the deep malt complexity. 

Cape Cod Beer Tour

For being located in the liberal, progressive, and "not at all" racist Northeast, the beer scene in Cape Cod is pretty weak. You can find a liquor store here or there has one kind of Dogfish Head and some local micro offerings, but for the most part it's the Majors and Sierra Nevada that reign. It's comforting in that it reminds me of the beer scene at home (minus the bag boy barraging you with "Do you know what they call sex in Alabama?" jokes). But you know there's more to life than Sierra Nevada out there. 

I found one exception to the boring beer stores on the Cape: Kappy's Fine Wine & Liquor of Falmouth, MA. It's like Total Wine in store size and selection but with the cozy, run-down flavor of a local store. The beer isle is massive and it almost made me pass out. There are a range of brews from Dogfish Head, Smuttynose, Left Hand, Middle Ages, Boulder, Clipper City, Otter Creek, Wachusetts, along with a bunch of other New England micros that I've neither heard of nor would waste my time on. Going to Kappy's is a bit like finding a fountain of beer in the desert. I picked up Sam Adam's Triple Bock, Stone's Vertical Epic '07, a Dizzy Fizzle (DFH) Palo Santo Marron (a 12% brown ale aged in Palo Santo wood), Legacy's Hoptimus Prime, Stone Coast Batch 420 IPA, Middle Ages ImPaled Ale, and an Avery Marahaja for old times sake. Unfortunately, I have to drink all this in the like three days before I head back to Abitaland, so my posts may get a little fuzzy. Here goes the beer tour.

Boston Beer Tour

I was in Boston last weekend and, as is my wont, went out and got some good beers. Mostly, I hit up oldies but goodies I can't get my hands on in the Siberian winter of beer that Florida is. I didn't really get to try any new beers because I found so many that I knew were money. I like to do a little quality control just to check and make sure my favorite ladies haven't changed.

I went for Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA first. This is probably the best IPA I've ever had. It's perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about it. It has a spot-on balance of malt and hops and neither one gets out of line. The aroma varies between citrus and pine. It has a long silky body that highlights both the malt and the hops. This beer is liquid luxury.


Avery 'Twelve' Saison Ale is Avery's twelveth anniversary beer. A Saison is a spiced Belguin farm ale brewed to toast the spring. This version is the most appetizing form of Saison that I've encountered. It has a spicey, soapy cinnamon aroma and I mean this in the best way. It tastes like spiced cake and smells like a cosmetic product. I would bathe myself in it if that were acceptable. This beer is amazing for it's uniqueness. It is very rare (and possibly out of production) so I would recommend grabbing it if you see it in the store.



Next, I was on to Middle Ages BrewCo's Druid Fluid out of Syracuse, NY (I think). The Druids were some sort of midget people from England similar to present day Gypsies. This beer is a barley wine. It has smooth and thin body that isn't as thick and robust as most barley wines. This suits it because it's easier to cram more of it into your stomach. It's high in alcohol too. I drank a bottle at a family party and considered myself lucky that my pants were still on when I finished. My point isn't to mention that my family takes off their pants at parties but rather that it is high in alcohol. Unfortunately I didn't take notes and I was a little drunk when I drank it, so I don't have anything important to say about the flavor, etc. I will say that this is a great beer. The brewery makes a whole line of beers that are all good, well-made, tasty ales.

Pictured here is a picture that's very small. Dogfish Head's Raison d'Extra is pictured small for your own protection. This is the portion size I would recommended trying of this beer, that is to say small. It's somewhere around 15%. D'extra is a jacked up version of Raison D'etre, similar to Barry Bond's head circa 2006 vs. his head circa 1989: Big and Bulbous. This ale is brewed with a boatload of raisins. It's sort of like a Port in a.b.v. and flavor/aroma. It has a big aroma and flavor with notes of prunes and, obviously, raisins. Unlike my counterpart, I shared this Dizzy Fizzle beer with four people. My portion was 3 or 4 ounces. Even with such a small glass, I still felt it like a shot of whiskey. I even had to slow myself down on three ounces, but that was because it was lunch time. In my opinion, this is Dogfish Head's best attempt at a high alcohol beer as far as flavor is concerned. The World Wide Stout has more complexity, but you can find yourself wondering why they brewed it and, worse, wondering why you are drinking it. Raison D'Extra on the other hand, has a good flavor and is pleasing to drink if you like big, dank, pruney flavors like certain Ports.

Boomshakalaka

I'm drinking Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout as I write....and I can barely concentrate on typing. I wouldn't say that the World Wide Stout has completely blown my mind, but I almost don't know what to say about it. The beer is black as night. There is barely any head, but what head there is looks like caramel.

Dfizzle suggests that you drink it for dessert, but I'm enjoying it as an appetizer. It boasts 18% abv, and just several sips in I can tell that I will feel it later but you can't taste the alcohol. The aroma is strong and the flavors are extremely deep and complex. Crazy barley action going on here. I can taste coffee flavor...and I LIKE IT.

This beer is consistently rated highly, and now I know why. If you have the opportunity to try this beer, take advantage.