Then one day a week or two ago, I tried the Gigabit IPA from Hopworks. The initial excitement was mostly out of novelty, but as I was drinking, I couldn’t help but think to myself “wow, this is really good”. I thought perhaps it was a fluke, but now having had a few in the interim, I can say something I never thought I would.

I like IPAs.

And I blame Todd Stadelhofer. A few days ago, as I was sitting on the fence about my newfound flavor appreciation, famed homebrewer Todd brought by his newest concoction: Mayday IPA. And I was worried. Todd values his beer recipes, and I value getting free beer. So I was really a little timid about drinking it, for fear that my virgin interest in IPA flavor would prove to be a passing fancy.

Then I sipped. And I sipped again. Then a hearty gulp. Hot damn. This is good. Real good. I don’t feel I’m nearly qualified in the hop arena to make any particular “toity” remarks, other than to say it was really tasty. Refreshing, and although tinged with hoppiness, not so much that my cheeks felt like I’d been on the shoe end of Chuck Norris. It was even so good that the wife stole the second half of the 22.

I’m new to the IPA world folks, so bear with me as I explore the limits of the fresh tastebuds. Nonetheless, I can effectively blame and thank Todd for solidifying a new era in Frosty Goodness lore. Liver be damned.

Mayday IPA

Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale (3/6)
Poor Claymore. This isn’t a bad beer per se, its just that there are so many better Scotch Ale’s out there. The flavor was vaguely malty, but other than that just kind of not present. Perhaps I’ve had one too many brain bashing Wee Heavys to truly appreciate this. But I still love them for trying. After all “If it’s not Scottish, its cr*p!”

Silver Moon Snake Bite Porter (3/6)
This is the first beer I’ve had from Silver Moon, and I hope to try more. Hopefully their other showings will be more impressive. I love porters. And this was a decent porter. Not awesome, not bad. But, it sort of falls into the camp of “identity crisis” porters that taste too much like stouts. Its got a strong hickory flavor as well if you are into that sort of thing.

Hopworks Gigabit IPA (4/6)
The great thing about this beer, is that even though I don’t even like IPAs, this stuff was great. Citrus-y, light, with a mellow hop aftertaste that appeals to those of us who avoid cheek smash. For those of you not in the know, this beer was brewed as part of a contest Google is putting on to give one city in America free fiber optic internet. So Google…we better win, or I’m switching back to Yahoo.

I’m a late comer to the IPA bandwagon, and while I can appreciate a good kick in the cheeks now and then, after two bottles of Stone IPA in a single sitting I’m done for awhile. Enter Alaskan IPA. This stuff is good. Simple, refreshing, not too bitter, no after taste, and with a nice cascade hop aroma that isn’t over powering. That probably makes it a failure to an IPA purest, but it’s a great entry level IPA for those of us that still aren’t worthy of “Arrogant Bastard”.

I don’t think I’d travel to Alaska to pick up another six pack but I’m anxious to find out where he got it. Hope it’s nearby.

I still prefer my beer in a bottle, but I guess I won’t turn my nose up at canned beer if it is from Caldera.

The view from our table at Harborside

Amy and I headed down to Harborside’s McKormick & Schmick’s. The city was unbelievable and the weather was spectacular. We each had the Dungeoness Crab Stuffed Alaskan Salmon with Brie. To drink, I had a Harborside exclusive Full Sail Grand Son of Spot Cask Conditioned IPA. Perfect with the salmon an amazing evening. Just the right amount of hoppiness , a complex first sip and a crisp finish.

I mixed it up with a Fish Tail Organic Cask Conditioned IPA (kind of a theme here). The waitress seemed to give me a “he’s not going to like this” look  when I ordered it. After the first sip I knew why. It was probably a good IPA, but not after the Full Sail. Somehow it just didn’t measure up. Maybe the lack of fertilizer or genetic engineering in the hops? Whatever it was, it just seemed to fall flat. The waitress must have read my mind, or seen the same thing before, because she asked me what I thought and immediately offered to take it back and exchange it for another Grand Son. I gratefully accepted the offer.

A little New York Cheesecake with raspberry and a nice stroll on the boardwalk finished things off… well, the night is still young.

Freddie's Beer Fridge

While I was there I took back some bottles that had been piling up. After waiting in line with 6 other people while the attendant tried to get more than 3 of 4 of the machines working I vowed to lobby the state legislature to change our bottle return system. But that’s another post.

After staring at the wall of beer with what must have been an expression of pure agony, I settled on a 4 pack of Dogfish 90 minute IPA. The box said, “Quite possibly the best IPA in America” or something like that so I figured it had to be good.

Next stop was dinner. We’ve been driving by a local Ochoa (Mexican cart) for weeks and remarking about how many people  were there at all hours of the night. I decided Tacos Lupitas would be my source for bachelor nourishment.

Tacos Lupitas

On the corner of 87th and Beaverton Hillsdale Highway the location is less than ideal. It’s nestled between a pawn shop, an eyeglass repair shop, and a place called “Private Rendezvous” that deals in erotic massage. I’m not sure what people thought when the Skylark rumbled in but a couple thumbs-up made me feel welcome.

Once home I queued up Richard Pryor Live from the Sunset Strip, opened the Dogfish 90 minute IPA, and dug in to my Carne Asada tacos. The meat was subpar but the salsas, grilled onions and peppers, and pico de gallo was amazing.

Psst… Story time is over, here’s the review!

As for the Dogfish 90 Min IPA, it was like nothing I had ever tasted. To call it an IPA merely hints at the experience. At it’s heart, the 90 min is an IPA. The taste is driven by the hoppy goodness I love about IPAs. However, that is just the beginning. The taste builds to resemble something more akin to a bourbon or whiskey. It kind of resembles  a barrel aged beer but the taste is more complex and goes well beyond a hint.

The final sip revealed only one inevitable flaw. That would be alcohol content (9%, probably more). After two I was pretty much done. Not trashed, but pretty darn close. Maybe I’m a lightweight but damn, this beer kicked my ass. Of course, that only means that my brain now has a pavlovian chemical association with the 90 that will only make me love it more.

A few weeks ago I had the 60 minute (almost blogged about it!) and although the two beers share a few syllables, they are much different. I still got the impression I was going to be trashed after a couple, but they really stood alone. I guess that is why they make two versions.

So, one beer in the Freddie’s fridge down and a couple hundred more to go. Tonight Deschutes Brewery’s Red Chair IPA is queued up. I think I might review it too, but don’t bet on it.

—Skylark

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!

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.

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.

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?