Even though they both advertise the Nelson hop as the main selling point, this IPA tastes nothing like the Nelson IPA. That being said, it is a good IPA, easily drinkable without any cottonmouth aftertaste.

You win this one Widmer.

One, it was a more accurate depiction of the style. It’s an IPA…only roastier.

Second, I was much less tempted to spend $4 on a bottle.

I like IPAs to a certain degree. Bridgeport’s IPA is a fridge staple after all. But still, I tend to shy away from buying them (especially in 22oz form), since I still fee like they are just some insane experiment of how much mouth abuse a person can take and still pretend they like something. Which is how I feel about Hopworks Secession Black IPA … er … Cascadian Dark Ale. I applaud the local flare and use of organics. Unfortunately, in the end, the IBU’s are too high, rendering any other flavor hard to enjoy. Thumbs down.

Then one day a week or two ago, I tried the Gigabit IPA from Hopworks. The initial excitement was mostly out of novelty, but as I was drinking, I couldn’t help but think to myself “wow, this is really good”. I thought perhaps it was a fluke, but now having had a few in the interim, I can say something I never thought I would.

I like IPAs.

And I blame Todd Stadelhofer. A few days ago, as I was sitting on the fence about my newfound flavor appreciation, famed homebrewer Todd brought by his newest concoction: Mayday IPA. And I was worried. Todd values his beer recipes, and I value getting free beer. So I was really a little timid about drinking it, for fear that my virgin interest in IPA flavor would prove to be a passing fancy.

Then I sipped. And I sipped again. Then a hearty gulp. Hot damn. This is good. Real good. I don’t feel I’m nearly qualified in the hop arena to make any particular “toity” remarks, other than to say it was really tasty. Refreshing, and although tinged with hoppiness, not so much that my cheeks felt like I’d been on the shoe end of Chuck Norris. It was even so good that the wife stole the second half of the 22.

I’m new to the IPA world folks, so bear with me as I explore the limits of the fresh tastebuds. Nonetheless, I can effectively blame and thank Todd for solidifying a new era in Frosty Goodness lore. Liver be damned.

Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale (3/6)
Poor Claymore. This isn’t a bad beer per se, its just that there are so many better Scotch Ale’s out there. The flavor was vaguely malty, but other than that just kind of not present. Perhaps I’ve had one too many brain bashing Wee Heavys to truly appreciate this. But I still love them for trying. After all “If it’s not Scottish, its cr*p!”

Silver Moon Snake Bite Porter (3/6)
This is the first beer I’ve had from Silver Moon, and I hope to try more. Hopefully their other showings will be more impressive. I love porters. And this was a decent porter. Not awesome, not bad. But, it sort of falls into the camp of “identity crisis” porters that taste too much like stouts. Its got a strong hickory flavor as well if you are into that sort of thing.

Hopworks Gigabit IPA (4/6)
The great thing about this beer, is that even though I don’t even like IPAs, this stuff was great. Citrus-y, light, with a mellow hop aftertaste that appeals to those of us who avoid cheek smash. For those of you not in the know, this beer was brewed as part of a contest Google is putting on to give one city in America free fiber optic internet. So Google…we better win, or I’m switching back to Yahoo.

I’m a late comer to the IPA bandwagon, and while I can appreciate a good kick in the cheeks now and then, after two bottles of Stone IPA in a single sitting I’m done for awhile. Enter Alaskan IPA. This stuff is good. Simple, refreshing, not too bitter, no after taste, and with a nice cascade hop aroma that isn’t over powering. That probably makes it a failure to an IPA purest, but it’s a great entry level IPA for those of us that still aren’t worthy of “Arrogant Bastard”.

I don’t think I’d travel to Alaska to pick up another six pack but I’m anxious to find out where he got it. Hope it’s nearby.

I still prefer my beer in a bottle, but I guess I won’t turn my nose up at canned beer if it is from Caldera.

Amy and I headed down to Harborside’s McKormick & Schmick’s. The city was unbelievable and the weather was spectacular. We each had the Dungeoness Crab Stuffed Alaskan Salmon with Brie. To drink, I had a Harborside exclusive Full Sail Grand Son of Spot Cask Conditioned IPA. Perfect with the salmon an amazing evening. Just the right amount of hoppiness , a complex first sip and a crisp finish.

I mixed it up with a Fish Tail Organic Cask Conditioned IPA (kind of a theme here). The waitress seemed to give me a “he’s not going to like this” look  when I ordered it. After the first sip I knew why. It was probably a good IPA, but not after the Full Sail. Somehow it just didn’t measure up. Maybe the lack of fertilizer or genetic engineering in the hops? Whatever it was, it just seemed to fall flat. The waitress must have read my mind, or seen the same thing before, because she asked me what I thought and immediately offered to take it back and exchange it for another Grand Son. I gratefully accepted the offer.

A little New York Cheesecake with raspberry and a nice stroll on the boardwalk finished things off… well, the night is still young.

While I was there I took back some bottles that had been piling up. After waiting in line with 6 other people while the attendant tried to get more than 3 of 4 of the machines working I vowed to lobby the state legislature to change our bottle return system. But that’s another post.

After staring at the wall of beer with what must have been an expression of pure agony, I settled on a 4 pack of Dogfish 90 minute IPA. The box said, “Quite possibly the best IPA in America” or something like that so I figured it had to be good.

Next stop was dinner. We’ve been driving by a local Ochoa (Mexican cart) for weeks and remarking about how many people  were there at all hours of the night. I decided Tacos Lupitas would be my source for bachelor nourishment.

On the corner of 87th and Beaverton Hillsdale Highway the location is less than ideal. It’s nestled between a pawn shop, an eyeglass repair shop, and a place called “Private Rendezvous” that deals in erotic massage. I’m not sure what people thought when the Skylark rumbled in but a couple thumbs-up made me feel welcome.

Once home I queued up Richard Pryor Live from the Sunset Strip, opened the Dogfish 90 minute IPA, and dug in to my Carne Asada tacos. The meat was subpar but the salsas, grilled onions and peppers, and pico de gallo was amazing.

Psst… Story time is over, here’s the review!

As for the Dogfish 90 Min IPA, it was like nothing I had ever tasted. To call it an IPA merely hints at the experience. At it’s heart, the 90 min is an IPA. The taste is driven by the hoppy goodness I love about IPAs. However, that is just the beginning. The taste builds to resemble something more akin to a bourbon or whiskey. It kind of resembles  a barrel aged beer but the taste is more complex and goes well beyond a hint.

The final sip revealed only one inevitable flaw. That would be alcohol content (9%, probably more). After two I was pretty much done. Not trashed, but pretty darn close. Maybe I’m a lightweight but damn, this beer kicked my ass. Of course, that only means that my brain now has a pavlovian chemical association with the 90 that will only make me love it more.

A few weeks ago I had the 60 minute (almost blogged about it!) and although the two beers share a few syllables, they are much different. I still got the impression I was going to be trashed after a couple, but they really stood alone. I guess that is why they make two versions.

So, one beer in the Freddie’s fridge down and a couple hundred more to go. Tonight Deschutes Brewery’s Red Chair IPA is queued up. I think I might review it too, but don’t bet on it.

—Skylark

First off, as we all know I am a sucker for labels. For a homebrew, this one has got a great one. An oregon license plate “Hit n Run” with the alchohol level (just a guess or the real valu?) and IPA as the registration stickers. Nice. Well done.

Beyond the label, it proved to be a very easy drinking IPA. Mr. Edwards apologized ahead of time that it was a little weak. But in a world where IPAs and IIPAs seem to overcompensate for art with more hops, I found it enjoyable. I love a hoppy beer, but it can definitely be taken too far. I could say that Hit ‘n Run needs more hops but I won’t. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Just do what the big microbrewers do (ahem, Fat Tire), just name it something different! If it tastes kinda like an IPA but is easy drinking, just call it Easy Rider IPA or something and put something about how you were trying to capture the drinkability of a lager and the hop-roots of an IPA. Viola!