Founders Backstage Series #10: Dissenter Imperial IPL

Backstage Series #10: Dissenter Imperial IPL, Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, MI
(Strong Pale Lager/Imperial Pils, Rated 98)

Beautiful golden pour with a nice, fluffy white head. Fantastic aromas of mild citrus, sweet grapefruit, tropical fruit, and floral hops. Taste begins with hop bitterness, sweet citrus, with an earthy, malt goodness. Complex, crisp flavors. Well balanced. Couldn't tell this was 8.7% abv at all.

Beer Camp Across America West Coast Double IPA

Beer Camp Across America West Coast Double IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA
(Imperial/Double IPA, Rated 96)

Nice golden, yellow pour with a thick, white foamy head that leaves some great lacing on the glass. The nose is bready, malty, and citrus. Brewed with five varieties of hops, this beer is packed full of hop flavor. Bit of sweetness up front followed by a mouthful of bold hop flavors. Grapefruit, orange citrus, floral. Finish is dry with a malty, lingering, bitterness. 8.5% abv is well hidden. Excellent West Coast IPA!

Mermaids Red Ale

Mermaids Red Ale, Coronado Brewing Company, Coronado, CA
(Amber Ale)

Amber ales, sometimes red ales (depending on the color mainly), focus more on malts, but the hop character varies. Some of my favorite amber/red ales have had higher hop profiles. No surprise considering my love of IPAs. This offering from Coronado Brewing has a reddish color with a nice off white head. Aromas of sweet caramel malts with hints of citrus and floral hops. Taste is toasted malt up front, with a smooth sweetness, and finishing with a hoppy tingle on the tongue. Very drinkable!

Fuggles IPA

Fuggles IPA, Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, ME
(IPA)

Rich copper color with a faint, white head. Aroma is malty, citrus bitterness, and sweet fruit. Taste is earthy and a bit harsh. Mild piney hops. Finishes bitter and a little watery. After having so many amazing IPAs, the poor examples seem to stand out even more.

Escape to Colorado IPA

Escape to Colorado IPA, Epic Brewing Company, Salt Lake City, UT
(IPA, Rated 90)

Deliciousness in a can, this IPA pours a near clear, golden yellow with a thin white head. Aromas of citrus, grapefruit, and tropical fruit are subtle. Taste is mild citrus, pine, with a bit of malt near the end. Low on the hops. Light body. Earthy. Nice 6.2% abv of easy drinking here.

Ale Epeteios Imperial Stout

Ale Epeteios Imperial Stout, Left Coast Brewing Company, San Clemente, CA
(Imperial Stout, Rated 94)

Solid black pour with a faint mocha head. Rich aromas of roasted malts, coffee, licorice, and chocolate. Flavor is robust with bitter roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and a toasted nuttiness. Nice hop-malt balance. Easy finish. Just a tad boozy at 9.5% abv.

Crowdsourced Batch # 5 Night & Day Vanilla IBA

Crowdsourced Batch #5 Night & Day Vanilla IBA, MobCraft Beer, Madison, WI
(Black IPA)

 Dark brown pour with a thick, almost never-ending, tan head. Aromas of roasted toffee, rich coffee, malts, and faint vanilla sweetness. Holy carbonation! The fizz lasts throughout the taste. Bitter hops up front, followed by roasted coffee, and finishing with vanilla goodness. Yet, the carbonation tingles my tongue to the very end. Great beer!

Let me share a little about MobCraft. They are quite a unique beer company, well, unique to me anyways. They crowdsource most of their recipes and every month there are new beers that are one-time only brews. Beer lovers visit their website (or receive invitations via email) and submit ideas for a beer flavor or style that they have wanted to see if it could get made. The recipe ideas are put up for a vote and the winning recipe gets brewed. How awesome is that?! One recent recipe I had that I thought was totally awesome was called Tequila Mayan Bird, a beer brewed with cocoa powder, white ghost chilies and aged in tequila barrels. YUM!  If you are in the area, give these guys a try!