Guinness IPA -- An Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks

Guinness Nitro IPA is a beer with a major identity crisis that works both for and against it.  When you look at Guinness Nitro IPA and their original Stout from 1759 the similarities are striking, but it is the differences that put this IPA in class of its own. They both use the same malted barley grown not far from St. James Gate in Ireland, the same yeast strain that has been preserved for over 250 years, and they both use the same method of Nitrogen carbonation.  Even though the Stout and IPA share similar traditions, this new IPA is very much its beast of its own. The distinguishing facet of the Nitro IPA is that it features 5 hop varieties; Admiral and Celeia are used in the boil for bitterness, then Challenger, Cascade, and Topaz are dry hopped for aroma. This beer proves that Guinness’s roots and traditions are as strong as ever and they still have the capacity to surprise and even though it is not groundbreaking or overwhelmingly innovative, I do truly enjoy the new IPA.

Upon pouring the Nitro IPA from the can to a Guinness glass the beer surges in the traditional fashion and builds that recognizable head that is very thick, pure white, and about a quarter inch deep. The appearance is characterized by a beautiful golden color with a rich hue that refracts light brilliantly and cleanly. The nose is underwhelming but pleasant with slight citrus notes from the aroma hops used in the dry hopping process and a faint malty character from the malted barley. In taste this is in no way a hop-forward beer, but the hop profile works well in that it adds a bit depth to the crystal grains taste and expands the flavor in complex and unique ways that move beyond the classic Guinness Stout. The hop notes slightly noticeable albeit pleasant on first taste, and they do not linger whatsoever, making a very clean and accessible brew. The Nitrogen carbonation works well balancing the hop flavor perfectly and creates a smooth and enjoyable experience.

Guinness Nitro IPA is a bold move, and while it is not overly exciting it does end up paying off. The surge, head, and balance due to Nitrogen are all classic Guinness but the hoppy notes and golden color are treading fully in India Pale Ale territory.  Everything in this beer is in perfect balance and I would recommend Guinness Nitro IPA to stout fans, IPA fans, and those looking to cautiously expand their palate into hoppy beers. 

Let’s pour another.

**Disclosure: Guinness sent me two free bottles for a taste test for another writing assignment and invited my wife and I to a Guinness Sponsored beer pairing dinner that was quite enjoyable. I included only my own opinions and thoughts for this review. 

DUB by 10 Barrel -- Affordable IPA for Hop Heads

Dub Double India Pale Ale by 10 Barrel Brewing Co. is an extremely hop-centered and malty beer that represents everything the American Double style strives to be. Double or Imperial IPAs are everything you would expect from an India Pale Ale just turned up to 11 and Dub is no exception. When I sat down to do this review I was blown away on how tipsy I was after finishing the 22oz bomber, and this makes sense due to the abv weighing in at a whopping 9.5%. Needless to say I had to wait a couple of hours before writing and making this post. Dub is not an easy drinking nor balanced beer by any measure but that is just what 10 barrel was going for and what adventurous hopheads are looking for.  

I poured the 22oz bomber into a tulip glass in order to properly aerate the brew and I was able to enjoy two full glasses from the bottle. The head builds quickly to a thick white foam two fingers thick that dissipates in a moderate amount of time into a thin layer layer of cloudy white foam. The nose is predictably hop-forward but there are some citrus notes and an aroma of maltiness from the grain. The color on the pour is a hazy golden orange that diffuses light well. The taste is obviously hop-forward but the extreme malty quality of the grain balances it well. While this is not a beer for the hop adverse it is surprisingly drinkable and smooth for the 9.5% alcohol rating and the extreme amount of hops 10 Barrel uses in brewing. The conventional bitter aftertaste is present, but again not as big as I would have expected from such a large Double IPA.  It is easy for a hop lover like me to finish the whole bomber in one setting, but I would be careful of what you are planning on doing after imbibing due to the high alcohol content.

Dub Double India Pale Ale by 10 Barrel Brewing Co. is in no way suitable for the IPA newbie or those who do not love hops, but it is a great introduction for the hophead looking to enter the Double IPA style from the standard IPAs that they love. It is amazingly drinkable considering the hop profile and high alcohol content and I recommend it to anyone looking to become more adventurous in their beer drinking.

Road Beer -- Aggieland -- Shiner Bock

Road Beer is a reoccurring series of quick reviews of beer I have while traveling.  These posts will always be done on the spot and posted via my phone live while actually traveling, so please forgive the occasional  egregious typo and auto-fill.

After visiting Texas A&M for the first time we stopped by the amazing Torchy's Tacos for some first rate Texas Tacos; I of courses seized the opportunity to have Shiner Bock on tap for the first time.

Shiner Bock is a no frills, simple, and clean everyday beer, I was very impressed by it and plan to incorporate it into my everyday rotation. It has nice caramel notes that balance well with a slight maltiness that finishes well with a clean lager finish.

Shiner Bock definitely earns it's strong strong reputation, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Road Beer -- DIA -- Epic Sour IPA

Today I am starting a new series; Road Beer, quick reviews of beers I had while traveling.  These posts will always be done on the spot and posted via my phone live while actually traveling, so please forgive the occasional  egregious typo and auto-fill.

I tried Sour IPA by Epic while waiting for my flight to Houston from Denver. Epic tap handles always catch my eye since I am a huge fan of most of their stuff, and a sour/IPA crossover caught my attention and piqued my interest. I am honestly not a huge fan of sours, they tend to be a bit pretentious and I honestly think people tend to overhype them, but since I am a huge IPA fan I decided to give it a shot.

This Sour IPA was a bit of a letdown, especially considering its 'Epic' pedigree.  The sour notes were pleasant and did not overwhelm the flavor profile like they do in many traditional sours and they  also subdued and accented the hoppiness well.  Sadly though this beer seemed to be a mediocre compromise of two styles rather than the seamless marriage it could have been.

Catch you a bit later down the road.

Dublin -- One Pint at a time.

I wanted to take a quick break from the normal beer reviews and do a quick piece on my recent trip to Dublin. This will be the first of many travel related beer and booze posts. 

Dublin is an amazing city that straddles it’s rich history and modernity with ease, finesse and elegance. My wife and I visited last summer and it quickly became a trip of a lifetime, I hope that others can experience just as we did; one pint of brew and glass of whiskey at a time.

On our first day we took a leisurely 4 kilometer walk across the entirety of the city center as we made our way from our hostel to our first destination; the Guinness Storehouse.

Guinness at St. James Gate is a sprawling campus that stretches multiple city blocks and is connected by underground tunnels and sky-bridges stretching overhead. Visitors are only allowed in the storehouse and not the brewery itself; it is a visitor friendly complex where you can explore the various facets of Guinness and its history at your leisure while on a self guided tour. Here you can learn about Guinness’s brewing process, rich history, and enjoy installations such as advertisements over time, and the evolution of the brewing process. One new aspect which I enjoyed greatly was tasting the new experimental brews created by the Brewer’s Project at the ‘Open Gate Brewery’, Guinness’s small batch experimental brewery that is responsible for creations such as Guinness Blonde and Guinness IPA. By far the greatest experience in the storehouse is pouring your own pint under the direction of of an experienced St. James Gate bartender and then enjoying it as you overlook all of Dublin from the Gravity bar; it was obviously the best pint of beer I have ever experienced.

The next day, we headed in the opposite direction out of the city center to the Old Jameson Distillery. Before moving to the distillery in Cork Jameson produced all of its whiskey onsite in Bow street, right near Temple Bar. Jameson was the major employer in Dublin for over a century and its influence can be felt throughout the city even today as a major taste and trendmaker. After arriving we went on a guided tour where I learned more about Irish Whiskey in one hour than I had my entire life previously thanks to a passionate and knowledgeable guide. The pinnacle of our experience at Jameson was tasting various special reserves and limited releases, many of which were only available at the distillery.

The greatest aspect of Dublin however reside in its beating city center with Trinity College, St. Stephen’s Green, a dozen amazing museums and scores of pubs.

Pub life in Dublin is eclectic, energizing, and soaked in history; it is a true experience to behold. My wife and I had pints in no less than 14 pubs and they were all very different from one another yet shared many similar aesthetics. A very large number of these pubs exist now as they did 200 years ago with very little changed or modified; you could easily imagine Irish Nationalists sitting in the booth across from yours plotting independence from English rule a hundred years ago or a poet writing his next great work. It was an experience in of itself to just take in the history of each pub, trying to place yourself in the historical context in which they existed.

Take my advice and go experience Dublin one pint at a time.

A Match for Lovers -- Raspberry Nitro Stout and Vanilla Ice Cream

Somethings just go great together: peanut butter and jelly, thunder and lightning, Kim and Kanye, and now Double Chocolate Raspberry Nitro Stout by Fort Collins Brewery with vanilla ice cream. It is well known that stouts mixed with ice cream is an unbeatable combination but with this pairing we have found the king of the crossover.

Double Chocolate Raspberry Nitro Stout is a full bodied brew that pours a rich dark brown with micro-sized nitrogen carbonation barely visible to the naked eye under a thick white head with a hazelnut tinge. When you add a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream the nitrogen carbonation dances around the newly introduced sugar source building a bit of a frothy blanket around the top of the glass that releases a bouquet of rich scents. Taking the first sip brings an avalanche of amazing flavors; the chocolate base is melded perfectly with rich vanilla overtones from the ice cream while the caramel notes from the malt ties it all together extremely well. The concoction finishes stronger than any I have ever had with lingering raspberry notes stick to your tongue long after the drink is finished. Picking different stout to ice cream ratios as you consume this decadent treat allows you to play with the complex flavor interactions in a way impossible with just beer alone.

Double Chocolate Raspberry Nitro Stout by Fort Collins Brewery with vanilla ice cream is not a drink nor is it a dessert, it is an experience in of itself. Find your lover, grab a fresh bottle, a scoop of ice cream and experience the best pairing of sin that Colorado has to offer.