I'm excited for something from La Quince, although it isn't a famous Black Velvet. Maybe a later date? Anyway, this is something that might tickle anime fans with the picture on the label, and maybe the name Angry Boy would make more sense to them too. It's a DDH Cream IPA, which doesn't sound like an aggressive or punchy style, but I have been fooled by light-sounding modifiers to IPA before. It's a respectable level of alcohol at over 6%, so it shouldn't be watered down in any way.
It was pushed a little on Instagram, a special arrival at Birra Y Paz. From across the ocean, Sierra Nevada's Powder Day. As temperatures were warming up when I was shopping, it looked like a good option with its frosty design. It's also a double dry-hopped IPA, usually tense and flavorful brews. Although it's a little colder, but sunnier, today than in the last few days, a 7.7% beer ought to keep the internal fires going.
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| It's probably too late for a snow day...probably |
A piney musk practically explodes out of the car as the tab gives way. It's a very clear, almost watered-down looking IPA, with impressive head, though. It's bitter at first, it doesn't take long for a little bit of sweetness to kick in. It isn't a light kind of sweet either, it's substantial and ready to roll around on your tongue. Somehow, the beer maintains a very light feel, however. I'm surprised there isn't more forest in the flavor, since the aroma certainly had its share, but this is really a showcase of a modern IPA. Although there's a vague hint of fruit and wildness, the taste is based on hoppy bitter and real drinkability. It's a wonderfully clean brew, it's only a shame that the weekend is going to be a winter throwback. Sure, most people would be happy to drink an IPA anytime, and a double hopped one at that. I understand, I'm like that with my stouts. But I find Powder Day to be more refreshing and cooling than a beer that bundles you up from the inside, no matter what you might think the can is telling you.
Price: €4.65
Well, well, looks like another repeat. I was told Sexy Sadie was a good bet when I first got it, and I guess La Quince thought it was impressive enough for a holiday treat. Yet another IPA, but a new variation for the calendar, DDH Oat IPA. Again, Naparbier is involved in production, so a number of people are in background supporting this beer.
It's a juicy looking IPA, unfiltered apparently, with a very NEIPA presentation. It has a muskier scent than a NEIPA would, though, more along the lines of its style. The taste is surprisingly sour, with a good amount of citrus, although much more lemon and grapefruit than orange. It has a smooth and rolly feel, probably an effect of the oats, which gives it a pleasant amount of body without being too overwhelming. Although a bitterness develops at the back of the tongue over time, the beer itself remains slick and downable. It doesn't get heavy or syrupy, and start pushing out surprising variations in flavor. I find it a pretty good balance, maybe a little more sour than I would like for the season, but in some cozy bar or living room a little brightness is never unwelcome.
While picking out my Sibeeria, I was told about another Slavic acquisition: Pinta of Poland. The chosen one was Planet Bru-1™, the Pinta of the Month for this past July. I had a dilemma choosing it, since I feel like I have a small obligation to support local business and Oso Brew had a really nice looking beer also on the shelf, but in the end I thought I might visit La Osita soon and who knows when I'll ever visit Poland. Pinta it is. A nice DDH Session IPA to wet your whistle on an unpleasantly warm day.
The appearance is a lot like an unfiltered witbier, with a pale straw color and cloudiness. Head is white, fizzy looking, just capping the beer in the glass. The scent is spicy and perky, with a good amount of hop bitter. The flavor follows closely on the aroma, with a touch of citrus for good measure. It feels a little dusty, like there is some extra substance floating around. It gets even lighter with time and warming, ending up like a watered down orange juice, or one of those orange "nectars" that come in a box. That might sound like a criticism, but it's a really nice beer for the weather, going down like a cloud without a hint of weightiness. Despite that, it's no lightweight in terms of alcohol, being a nearly 6% IPA. The session part must be relative.
Price: €4.75
I decided I would ask for guidance in my most representative of craft beers, and as expected I came away with an IPA. Not just any IPA, though, a DDH oat IPA! Sexy Sadie is the product of a collaboration between La Quince and Subterfuge Records, a new one on me. I have come across beers made in honor of bands or other art related things before, so it's not really a surprise. I was actually worried that sours were going to take over from IPAs in popularity, but it sounds like the available variety may be protecting its status as premier craft beer.
Very cloudy and orangey straw colored, good whiff of IPA citrus. Not overly abundant head, but clean and bright looking. Very much like a NEIPA, fruity and juicy. Despite the cloudiness, it's a very smooth beer, I kind of assume it's due to the oats. It's not an especially heavy mouthful although it does make itself noticed. The background of bitterness gets more upfront over time, although the primary flavor is still the citrus with a touch of sweet.
Price:€5.90
On the eleventh day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Eleven alarms peeping
Ten lords a-leering
Nine sinfully good black beers
Eight lizards leaking
Seven feathered friends a-fluttering
Six phoenixes rising
Five photographic plates
Four flying saucers
Three sunny toucans
Two dogs in costume
And a lone eagle flying free
Ah, the end comes so quickly sometimes. Yet another Beermas nearly past. I had some difficulty finding musical beers, as you might have noticed, but at least this one is amusing: The Greench Stole X-mas. This DDH Double IPA from Uiltje has one of their eye-catching labels and odd but somehow fitting names. What's so fitting about the Grinch, er Greench, and pipers you ask? Well, ever set off a burglar alarm? That's some set of pipes, albeit electronic ones.
On the fifth day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Five photographic plates
Four flying saucers
Three sunny toucans
Two dogs in costume
And a lone eagle flying free
Well, very nearly the end of the year of retrospective. Somehow, the same things happen over and over, although they always seem unexpected. Looking for fitting names and labels? You never know what you'll find. Instead of gold, silver, instead of rings, a cylinder. At least Basqueland is pretty predictable, always enjoyable and high quality. Silver Halide DDH IPA should follow the pattern, even in such a bizarre year as this.
It's on the lighter side of colors for an IPA, but cloudy, something like a lot of NEIPAs. The aroma is bright and hoppy, of the modern styles. It starts out fizzy and heady, but the head dies back pretty quickly, leaving only a light fuzz on top. It's an odd fruit salad blend, with citrus, pineapple and a little melon too. The flavors kind of ebb and flow, but there's a bitter base that they all sit on. The beer itself is not very reflective, not especially shiny. The foam is bright, but not light-giving. I guess this is just a picture perfect product, a representative of new old creations, a beer that would have been worth waiting for after the minutes of exposure for an old-timey photo.
On the third day of Beermas I went and bought for me
Three sunny toucans
Two dogs in costume
And a lone eagle flying free
Well, it's not as hazy as other IPAs I've known, but it is hops scented, spicy and piny, and with a good amount of head. It starts out on the sweet side, although there's a strong undercurrent of bitter. There's the hops snap, a few tropical notes, but overall it's a light-bodied beer to go with the color. Although it does have an outdoorsy aroma, and would probably be quite refreshing after a hot afternoon of lying around in the sun, it's not so thin or uninteresting that it can't come inside for a meal and a conversation.
