I was lucky enough to have another homebrew delivered to my desk this afternoon. Jonathan Edwards dropped off his latest concoction, Hit ‘n Run IPA. The story goes that on the way home from the brew shop he was actually involved in a hit and run. Something about two meth crazed old ladies who sides-swiped him. Man, the burbs ain’t as same as they used to be!

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!

April is my birthday month and I am lucky enough to have good friends and family who love me. Sometimes people show their love and/or friendship in different ways. Some give kisses, some hugs, some bring the hard rocking. I am here to say nothing says love like the gift of beer. Frosty delivered a surprise package of three Ninkasi point twos (thanks to Liddell I know what that means). I’ve enjoyed the three distinct brews over the last few days.

In part one I’ll cover my favorite of the three; the Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA. But first, a little background on Ninkasi and my introduction to it.

I first heard of Ninkasi at John Barleycorn’s tavern in Tigard. I sat at the local McMenaman’s with my friend Ken listening to him, a fellow beer connoisseur, rant about how mediocre McMenaman’s beer is. Personally, I’ve never had a problem with a nice Rubinator (Terminator and Ruby) but I have encountered some interesting flavors in the past. In the end, I respect Ken’s opinion and like him, will continue to drink the swill the McMenemin brothers are serving.

As we were talking, Ken motioned to a nearby table interested in the conversation taking place. Evidently, the table guests were made up of some McMeniman’s big-wigs and the brewmaster from Ninkasi. Ken wondered what they could be talking about and pondered who it would be better for, McMenemin’s or Ninkasi. After a few minutes Jamie Floyd, Ninkasi brewmaster and owner, came over and said hi to Ken. Being fellow Eugenians they had met before. I was struck by how Jamie talked about his brews. He described them the way an artist talks about a series of paintings. He described them with beauty and vision. I had to try his beer. Its taken a few months and an especially painful close call at the Ship (in Multnohmah Village) but Frosty delivered Ninkasi to my doorstep.

So how does it taste damn it! Tricerahops Double IPA doesn’t disappoint. The first thing that took me was the complexity of the flavor. Hops for sure, but not just hops. Many brewers think they can create a great IPA  just by doubling or tripling the hops. Lagunitas and Rogue have been able to do it successfully but most fail with thundering cheek-smash.

Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA is a work of art.

Frosty and I took our buddy visiting from Texas, B-rad, to our local McMeniniman’s. The Cornelius Pass Roadhouse is a great place to take visitors. The antique timbers, local artwork, and proximity to the Silicon Forest make it an easy way to give someone a taste of Portland.

We sat down for some good pub grub and conversation and ordered a pitcher of Starfire IPA. Frosty had the Summer Wheat or something because he is a hater. The IPA was distinctly different on the first sip. Both B-rad and I immediately blurted out  salmon. Puzzled, Frosty took a sip and came to the same conclusion. Smoked salmon to be specific. It was nice, kind of mellowed out the hops. It was almost like someone dropped a piece of charred cedar from a smoke house in to the hops.

Pleased with our choice in beer and our interpretation of the flavor we continued to dig on some cajun tots. After a while I took a deep swig from my now half empty glass and caught a distinct whiff of  B.O…. you know, body odor, man-stink. And not just any B.O. I’m talking a true ripeness. Ball-sweat. Taint-drip. Mary Catherine Gallagher neurotically shoving her hands in her pits and thrusting them in her face.

It was the unmistakable smell of your Grandpa’s BVD crotch after a strenuous game of Texas Holdem… and he didn’t come away ahead. You know what I mean? Yeah you do… he was clenchin’ those cheeks all the way to the River.

In the end, however, I learned something about myself. Turns out I can appreciate a good ball-sweat. I mean, I think I am going to refrain from getting it right from the source. That might have some unintended consequences and perhaps a slightly different aftertaste. No, definitely not but I guess what I am really saying is that it didn’t ruin the beer entirely. The unique smoked-salmon flavor really set it apart. I would simply request that those hippy brewmasters down at McMeniman’s refrain from throwing their sweat-soaked frisbee golf uniforms in with the hops.

Another day, another IPA, eh? At a certain point I am going to have to admit that IPA is my favorite kind of beer. Having had the pleasure of rubbing fresh hops between my hands and savoring the greeny aroma, I guess I like to have the same experience when I sample the product of this glorious feminine Cannabacea.

I was sent down to the store to get some Infant Tylenol for my son this evening. He had his circumcision today and truly deserved it. As I drove to Freddie’s I thought that on such an auspicious evening I should drink a toast of fine brewed beer to my son’s missing foreskin. I bypassed Fred’s and headed down the block to New Seasons, my favorite destination for beer.

I spent a few minutes too long in the First Aid isle looking for children’s Tylenol. It took me a while to figure out that the reason they don’t have infant Tylenol in anything but drops is because infants can’t swallow pills or chew tablets (something about not having teeth). Gimme a break, it has been a while.

My selection tonight was Lagunitas Maximus. Like I said, I love IPA and with me the more IPA the better. Rogue’s Imperial IPA is one of my top 1o. I just realized I haven’t reviewed it. I’ll have to get some and make that happen. Anywhoo, an IPA with the word MAXIMUS emblazoned in big letters across the label certainly caught my eye. Once again, I chose the pint-and-a-half size.

First sniff: The hoppy aroma (cascade hops if I had to guess) was what you’d accept.

First sip: A kind of drier hoppy taste with a turpentine-y finish.

At first I was a little surprised by the finish. I couldn’t place it. Oaky, dry, hmm… it wasn’t like licking fresh varnish or anything. Kind of like a woody flavor. Redwoods to be specific. Yummy! I wonder if I could get my 5-year old self to enjoy it?

Tonight I headed out a little early for my monthly hair cut at Chopperz in Beaverton. After our free chair-massages flaked on us a couple weeks ago I decided to treat my self to the d-lux package at Chopperz, the “Hot-Six.” Its a lot like what you get at the other “men’s salons” in town, haircut, hot towels, and a head and neck massage. Ever since my $5 haircut DEBACLE at Great Clips a couple years ago I never settle for the average supercuts fair.

Chopperz is a good compromise for the discerning gentleman who wants a good cut with a good price. I tried Hair-M for a while but the cost was prohibitive and their service, while good, took a little too long. Chopperz is located a couple minutes from work and they offer a bare-bones package that fits in to a lunch hour along with grabbing some food too.

The other thing that sets Chopperz apart is beer. Hair-M and most every place in town has beer, but Chopperz has their own brews. Their growing line of beers (only a buck with a cut) is not bad. It sounds like they’ve contracted a brewer to craft custom beers for them (I didn’t see a brewery on-site) but it does the trick. They’ve also got their own coffee blend. They’ve got Tribal IPA, Fire Pit Wheat, and a Chopperz Ale.

This afternoon I had the Tribal IPA. I’m a fan of most IPAs and this one didn’t fall in to the normal trap of trying to blow your brains out with hops. It had a nice finish with a hint of a green-olivey (technical term) taste. Combine that with the talented hands of my stylist (yes, I have a stylist) Rebecca, the pleasant sound of Family Guy playing on a nearby plasma and the great Chopperz staff and you’ve got a little slice of heaven.