And that’s because they pucker your mouth.
Some do more than others, of course, and the variety of hops
used in different beers also leave various lingering impressions on the palate.
Good session IPA’s like Founders All Day
or Oskar Blue’s Pinner, or the outstanding Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch are quite delightful, and in the PubScout’s
personal opinion, preferable to the ones that blow your mouth and palate apart.
Though I’ve never understood why “dank” is considered a desirable
flavor, even some of those can be quite pleasurable—at the right time and with
the right food.
But where does a true Hophead go to sample some of the most
interesting IPA’s all in one spot? Simple. IPA Alley at The Old Bay in New
Brunswick.
I attended yesterday’s event early due to other commitments,
so I had no way of knowing if the Alley got packed as the night wore on. I do
know that beer raconteur Gary Rosen was expected to make an appearance, and
that alone usually produces a gladsome and special mayhem. But he wasn’t there
when I was.
What was there, however, was a raft—twenty-one, to be precise--
of special IPA’s selected by Tommy Sheehan, The Old Bay Restaurant’s Beer
Meister. Each beer came with a well-written description of what the IPA nut was
about to throw across his palate, and there was even a special menu provided by
Chef Joe Donlin that was geared to match all those hops.
At Sheehan’s suggestion, I ordered the “Hopped up Flight of
the Day” (six four ounce pours for $16) and one of Joe Donlin’s special
pizzas—BBQ Bacon.
The flight, progressing in intensity from sessionable IPA to
Triple IPA, included Founders All Day, Ballast Point Sculpin Grapefruit,
Brewdog Punk IPA, Carton 077XX, Kane Overhead and Captain Lawrence Seeking
Alpha.
It was good to see the two Jersey beers on the list, and, as
I had enjoyed them before, I knew what to expect. Ditto with the Founders. The
Ballast Point Sculpin Grapefruit, 7% ABV, 70 IBU’s and rated a 100 at
ratebeer.com was certainly intense, but this drinker was glad he only had to
finish four ounces, otherwise his lips would have slammed shut. Oddly, it did
go well with the BBQ Bacon Pizza, leaving me to understand why some people enjoy grapefruit juice with
their eggs and bacon in the AM. Normal people opt for orange juice. Sorry, but
that’s the way I see it.
But the other two on the list were true winners. The Brewdog Punk IPA, a “fusion” IPA, is
hopped with New Zealand hops and they shine through from beginning to end. The
write up said the finish was “aggressive,” but I didn’t think so, which is why
I probably liked it so much.
The Captain Lawrence
Seeking Alpha is a TIPA (as opposed to a DIPA) and its presence at the end
of my serving board caused me no small consternation. Would it cause not only
my lips, but my nose and eyes to be sucked fully into my oral cavity, never to
appear again? And how would I ride my motorcycle to wrestling practice with
this baby checking in at 11%?
The answers, in order, are “no” and “quite ably, thank you.”
The pizza probably helped with the latter.
But I found the CLSA to be quite delicious and in no way
intimidating. The array of hops (Tomahawk, Mosaic, Cascade and Citra ) blended
very well indeed with the two-row malts to make this a nicely balanced, very
tasty brew.
Tom Sheehan told me this event was his second annual one,
and that he also has a stout-centered event during the winter which is quite
popular. I haven’t been there, but if this event for Hopheads was an
indication, Stoutheads might want to stay tuned for January news.
 |
| Sabrina |
I passed the time waiting for my food and beers to come out
by chatting with the delightful and efficient Sabrina, who was doing extra work
this day due to an injury to her regular bar-back. Had she not been so busy,
she probably would have had more time to chat with me, provided, of course,
that my lips could open enough to speak after the beers.
JK.
Bottom line? This is an event Hopheads should not miss.
