Tag Archives: 60+

Beer Reviews

89. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

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This is probably the higher IBU rating that I have had. Some brewers do not post the IBU rating so I cannot be sure but 90 is very impressive. Overall this beer was better than I expected as I am not a “hop head” and usually do not enjoy beer with high IBU ratings. The color is a great bronze/gold color with a small head that leaves a great lacing on the glass. The appearance alone makes this beer worth drinking. Taste was smoother than I expected for a 9% ABV – 90 IBU beer and there is a lot of malt in there to help offset the hops. This is a very good example of an IPA or more accurately a double IPA. If you like hops give this a try. I am now looking forward to the 120 IPA review.
Pros: Appearance, smooth
Cons: Lots of hops which can be a pro if you like them
Alcohol Content: 9.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 90
Rating: ★★★☆
Brewers Website: Dogfish Head
Brewers Description: Esquire Magazine calls our 90 Minute IPA “perhaps the best IPA in America.” An imperial IPA best savored from a snifter, 90 Minute has a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate. 90 Minute IPA was the first beer we continuously hopped, allowing for a pungent — but not crushing — hop flavor. Since introducing the world to the continuous-hopping method with our 90 Minute IPA, we’ve since released the continuously hopped 60 Minute IPA, 120 Minute IPA and even a 75 Minute IPA (a cask-conditioned blend of 60 and 90 Minute IPAs). In addition to the continuous hopping, 90 Minute IPA is also dry hopped with our ‘Me So Hoppy’ device during conditioning (check it out in the video below). This beer is an excellent candidate for use with our Randall The Enamel Animal filter!

Beer Reviews

78. Mayflower IPA

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For someone that does not prefer IPAs I seem to drink a lot of them. Seems like almost every craft brewer has their version of an IPA so I end coming across more and more as I expand my search for new beer. This one again came from my sister-in-law and improves on the last IPA but there are still better options out there. Color is a great orange with a nice clean white head. Easy to drink even with 7% alcohol. Hops are not overpowering and leave a bit of room for the malt to come through.
Pros: Color, right blend of hops and malt for an IPA
Cons:
Alcohol Content: 7.0% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 69
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Brewers Website: Mayflower Brewing
Brewers Description: As the British Empire expanded, English brewers added extra hops to keep beer fresh for increasingly long sea voyages. The beer on board the Mayflower shared this trait. Mayflower IPA puts a descendant’s twist on this style, with a powerful hop profile balanced by plenty of malt character. We use the freshest hops from the Pacific Northwest to give this beer its distinct, piney flavor and delightful, fruity aroma.
Beer Reviews

76. Clown Shoes Muffin Top

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Ended up with an interesting selection of beer from my sister-in-law as she went to Mass this week and picked up a few bombers and other local beer. This is a Triple IPA from a brewery called Clown Shoes. I do not care for IPAs so a Triple IPA is not something I usually enjoy. This beer poured a beautiful light orange with a cloudy look and small head. Left lots of lacing on the glass but unfortunately the taste did not live up to the appearance. Being a Belgian style beer there is a fair amount of fruity flavor but the orange taste was more from the peel than the fruit and left a bitter taste in the beer. I made it through the first glass of this one but did not go back for more.
Pros: Color
Cons: Not pleasant orange peel taste
Alcohol Content: 10% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 60+
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Brewers Website: Clown Shoes
Brewers Description: Not currently listed on their site.
Beer Reviews

66. Smuttynose “Finestkind” IPA

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Smuttynose is quickly becoming one of my preferred brewers with every beer being in the top 2 for its style. Their Pumpkin is my favorite fall style, Brown ale was great and the Pale ale was solid while not my favorite Pale. This IPA is a perfect example of a pale ale with a solid amount of hops but the aftertaste does not linger too long. Color is great with a nice white head which lasts and leaves a great lacing on the glass. I cannot think of a better IPA and I am not usually impressed by IPAs.
Pros: Color, bite but not a lingering aftertaste
Cons:  Minimal aroma
Alcohol Content: 6.9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 65
Rating: ★★★½☆
Brewers Website: Smuttynose Brewery
Brewers Description: Portsmouth is a colonial era seaport town, so it goes to follow that sooner or later we’d brew an India Pale Ale as a tribute to those big, hoppy 19th century ales that made the long sea voyage from England’s temperate shores, ’round the Cape of Good Hope, to the sultry climes of the faraway East Indies.
But there’s another reason we brewed this beer, one that’s closer to our home and hearts. Hopheads.
Ten years ago we brewed our first batch of Shoals Pale Ale, our American interpretation of the traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter) style. At the time, it was widely considered to be darned hoppy. However, a funny thing happened over the last decade – our Shoals Pale Ale didn’t change; beer lovers did, and we started to hear more and more: “Why don’t you guys make a really hoppy beer?”
You could say, then, that Smuttynose IPA is a physical salute to the glory of the American hop grower. The citrusy hop flavor coming from a mixture of Simcoe and Santiams is pleasantly balanced by a smooth bitterness from the Amarillo hops. The beer itself is light bodied and crisp with a golden color that will throw a slight haze, as we bottle it unfiltered. At 65 IBU’s, this is definitely not a training-wheels IPA, but is meant for hop lovers looking to satisfy their craving in a way that’s not easy to find. We think they’ll be quite pleased.
Beer Reviews

43. Stone Brewing Arrogant Bastard Ale

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This is my first 22 ounce bottle beer review and I bought this after seeing Stone Brewing on Drinking Made Easy. The description on the bottle and the brewers website is very accurate as this beer is full of flavor and very close to being barley wine. Very little carbonation, lots of complex flavors (not all of which I enjoyed) – too much hop flavor for my taste. The beer does have great color, pours well with a great head that lasts. It is a quality beer just not my style.
Pros: Color
Cons: Too hoppy
Alcohol Content: 7.2% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): Lots
Rating: ★★½☆☆
Brewers Website: Stone Brewing
Brewers Description: This is an aggressive ale. You probably won’t like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory–maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it’s made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beverage will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make things taste better. Perhaps you’re mouthing your words as you read this.

At Stone Brewing, we believe that pandering to the lowest common denominator represents the height of tyranny – a virtual form of keeping the consumer barefoot and stupid. Brought forth upon an unsuspecting public in 1997, Arrogant Bastard Ale openly challenged the tyrannical overlords who were brazenly attempting to keep Americans chained in the shackles of poor taste. As the progenitor of its style, Arrogant Bastard Ale has reveled in its unprecedented and uncompromising celebration of intensity. There have been many nods to Arrogant Bastard Ale…even outright attempts to copy it… but only one can ever embody the true nature of liquid Arrogance!

Beer Reviews

41. Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

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This is another solid beer from Harpoon. I was a bit skeptical as an IPA with a 120 IBU rating and 10% alcohol is not usually something I would enjoy but this one had a nice white head that stayed throughout the entire beer leaving a nice lace on the glass. The brewer does a nice job offsetting the bitter hops with some sweat malt flavoring. At 10% ABV you can taste it and it is a beer that should be enjoyed slowly.
Pros: Lots of hops but still not overpowering
Cons:  Strong (that could be a pro or a con depending)
Alcohol Content: 10%
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 120
Rating: ★★★½☆
Brewers Website: Harpoon
Brewers Description: Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA will challenge your senses and your palate. As the vibrant aroma rushes out of your glass you will notice the blend of piney and tropical fruit notes.  At first sip, this big beer starts with a powerful hop bitterness up front and an aggressive hop flavor and character throughout.

Leviathan Imperial IPA is brewed with tons of pale malt and just enough caramel malt to provide a sweet malt body to balance the hop intensity. We used copious amounts of a variety of hops including Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo at various points during the boil to create a complex hop flavor and clean lingering bitter finish. We then fermented the beer with Harpoon’s own versatile proprietary yeast.   Finally, we dry hopped at a rate of over 1 lb a barrel to produce this beer’s massive aroma.

Beer Reviews

24. Baxter Brewing Stowaway I.P.A.

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If you have been following my blog you know that IPAs are not my favorite beer. This is better than some of the other IPAs tried but still not my favorite beer. The IBU rating on this one is 69 which I believe is the highest rating to date and you can certainly tell the difference. If you like IPAs I am sure you would enjoy this beer.
Pros: Great color
Cons:  Extended aftertaste – typical of an IPA
Alcohol Content: 6.9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 69
Rating: ★★½☆☆
Brewers Website: Baxter Brewing
Brewers Description: Bold, complex flavors with a solid malt backbone and assertive hop profile, along with cold conditioning, give this beer its crisp, clean, hoppy finish.
Technical Specifications:
– A proprietary blend of North American 2-row malted barley, including barley grown in Northern Maine’s Aroostock County
– Domestic and imported “Character” malts provide complexity, color and body
– 5 different hops varieties grown in the Pacific Northwest
– Double dry-hopped during fermentation and conditioning
– Clean, well attenuating, top-fermenting American ale yeast
– Pure, soft water from Lake Auburn, Maine
Flavor Profile:Deep amber-to-orangish in color; pours with a nice, creamy head; huge hop aroma of citrus, pine and grapefruit rind notes with a big, complex, and intense hop flavor that lingers for a very long time. The malt flavor up-front turns dry and crisp; full bodied and a dry finish with a pleasant, long lasting, hop aftertaste and beautiful lace left in the glass. Stowaway leaves you wanting more.
Beer Reviews

14. Gritty McDuff’s 21 IPA

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Probably the best IPA I have reviewed so far. This beer had a great color, aroma and sweet finish. Gritty’s does a great job with their beer and I am sure this would compare well with other East Coast IPAs. With an IBU rating of 60 it has just the right amount of bitterness without being overwhelming. Even if you are not normally a fan of IPAs this one is worth trying.
Pros: Solid amount of hop flavor without the extended aftertaste
Cons: Slight aftertaste but that is to be expected from an IPA.
Alcohol Content: 6.8%
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 60
Rating: ★★★½☆
Brewers Website: Gritty McDuff’s

Brewers Description: Gritty’s 21 IPA is a unique blend of American hops with a British body utilizing English 2-Row Pale malts. This IPA starts with a hoppy aroma and taste; ending with a sweet finish. Plenty of Munich and caramalts are used to give the beer that golden hue. There are fifty-six pounds of Cascade Hops used in each 50 barrel batch that is brewed! Then we finish the beer with Willamette & Warrior Hops, (Warrior is a high-alpha acid variety of hops) All this leads to an IPA that is worthy to celebrate our 21st Anniversary!
Beer Reviews

12. Kennebec River IPA

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Seems like all craft brewers offer a variety of IPAs and most are very similar in style and flavor. While I am not usually a fan of IPAs, I have to say the IPA from Kennebec River Brewery and  Gritty’s IPA may change my mind. This a quality beer with great flavor and a fair amount of bite from the hops but not overwhelming like IPAs often are.
Pros: Flavorful, great color and aroma
Cons: Slight aftertaste but less than many other IPAs
Alcohol Content: 5.9% ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): 60?
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Brewers Website: Kennebec River Brewery
Brewers Description: Our flagship ale, this was our first brew ever made in 1997. This copper colored, medium bodied IPA is crafted with abundant amounts of North American malted barley for a full malt flavor. The aggressive bitter bite comes from a generous addition of Nugget hops, with late additions of Willamette hops adding subtle flavor and aroma. (Six packs available in stores year-round).
Beer Reviews

4. Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

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I am not a big fan of IPAs and that will show with my rating of them as I move through the different brewers. The extra hops give the beer an extra bite that I really do not care for. If you are a fan of IPAs I am sure this is a quality beer.
Pros: Great color and aroma.
Cons: Bitterness makes it hard to drink
Alcohol Content: 6.0 ABV
Calories: 209
IBU (Bitterness): 60
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Brewers Website: Samuel Adams
Brewers Description: Samuel Adams® Latitude 48 IPA is a unique IPA brewed with a select blend of hops from top German, English, and American growing regions all located close to the 48th latitude within the “hop belt” of the Northern Hemisphere.  The combination of hops in this beer creates a distinctive but not overpowering hop character.  The beer is dry hopped with Ahtanum, Simcoe®*, and East Kent Goldings hops for a powerful citrus and earthy aroma.  The hop character is balanced by a slight sweetness and full body from the malt blend.