Ever since I moved to the West Coast, Thanksgiving tends to be kind of bittersweet. For me, Thanksgiving is the ultimate family holiday, as it brings everyone together without the stress and pressure that often bubbles up around Christmas.
Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas. L-O-V-E Christmas. And Christmas in Seattle? It's second to none - and largely because of a very wonderful thing called CHRISTMAS BOATS. Seriously. Christmas + boats = true holiday amazingness.
I digress.
For me, Thanksgiving is like that warm and cozy, no-frills sweater that you really miss whenever you can't find it, have lent to someone, and so on. Over the last five years, I've only gone back home for Thanksgiving once. It's just hard to go back and forth multiple times during the winter holidays, especially when home doesn't align with a major airport and/or airline hub. And then you always risk getting snowed in (a la Christmas 2012) - a huge bummer, for sure.
Ok, double-digression.
In sum, I love Thanksgiving and I miss being with my (growing!) family, but I'm really grateful for the various Thanksgiving adventures I've had out here (and I'm particularly thankful for the people who keep taking this Thanksgiving orphan in). This year, I have the huge pleasure of going over to S and M's for a Thanksgiving filled with health research nerds and their ridiculously cute children. Clearly, I'm bringing my Thanksgiving specialties (homemade cranberry sauce and my mom's famous apple crisp with a PNW twist (Braeburn apples!)) over, as well as the seemingly splendid Seattle Met's Seasonal Six. (And yes, I bought two six-packs: one for the Thanksgiving brood, and one for my own enjoyment - stay tuned for the completely biased review!)
On the subject of tasty brews, with the assistance of several fine friends, I've finally worked through most of my October Hop Head shipment. Some were consumed without any notes (aka me providing incredibly detailed and helpful information like "[Big Al's] Big Bertha = AWESOME" on my iPhone notepad), so I sadly can't say much to their credit. But for the ones I can...
[in no particular order]
(1) Hurricane Kitty, Keegan Ales
(5.7% ABV, 63 IBUs, more stats here)
Described as a "coppery and heavily hopped India Pale Ale" by Half Time's Hop Head cheat sheet, I'd probably agree more with the former than the latter. Ms. H. Kitty definitely has some coppery, red ale-ish taste to it, especially with its smooth flavor and minimal aftertaste. But heavily hopped? HA! This might be a case of an East Coast IPA (Keegan's based in NY) thinking it's hoptastic when it's well, really just an East Coast IPA. Welcome to the Wild West Kittycat - home of real hops, lumberjack hipsters, and 53-degree Thanksgivings (!??!?!). Nonetheless, it's not a bad beer at all (and it could be very much appreciated by people who want a mild(er) IPA). It just didn't quite live up to its "heavily hopped" hype.
(2) The Shed IPA, The Shed Brewery
(6% ABV, 35 IBUs, more stats here)
Oh Vermont. I love you. And your tasty beers. Although I'll generally always prefer an Otter Creek or Wolaver's brew, the Shed IPA delivered well. Crisp, lightly hoppy, delightful - it was a perfect way to celebrate a long week of work (and work accomplishments!) out on my deck this afternoon. And yes, mayyyyybe some guilty pleasures beyond that of tasty brewskis...
(3) Cisco Indie Pale Ale, Cisco Brewers
(5.8% ABV, IBUs unknown, more stats here)
Um, did someone order some beer with this...chocolate water? While Cisco's "Indie" (is this a typo or a case of trying really hard to be pseudo-edgy?) Pale Ale wasn't inherently bad, I was so overwhelmed by the chocolate-y taste that I definitely couldn't detect the "whirlpool" of "dry-hop additions [that] provide a deliciously quenching finish to this East meets West-coast ale." Nuh-huh. Don't be calling this beer West Coast, fool. It's glorified chocolate water with a dash of beer flavoring (and mayyyyybe a mound of hops or two). In the future, this'll be a pass.
(4) Kuka American IPA, Andean Brewing Co.
(6.2% ABV, IBUs unknown, more stats here)
Ok, so I was excited for this beer. One, its bottle was super awesome. Two (and perhaps more importantly), its Half Time cheat sheet description made it sound super awesome: "This IPA is the perfect balance between an American Pale Ale and Imperial Rye IPA. Simply put, just a clean, fresh, crisp, hoppy beer for your drinking enjoyment." I mean, who wouldn't want that? And yep, it was as described - well, yeah, it was. My only hang-up is that my dear friend K selected it as his beer to enjoy while we worked on my apartment puzzle, and thus I only got a few sips. I guess I'll have to order more of this one...(not pictured here because, well, K is a very expedient bottle recycler, and well, I'm not.)
Other beers from the October Hop Head shipment that I enjoyed (but don't feel right reviewing quite yet - time to order up!):
- Flipside Red IPA, Sierra Nevada (6.2% ABVs, 60 IBUs, more stats here)
- Wolavers IPA, Otter Creek Brewing/Wolavers (6.5% ABVs, IBUs unknown, more stats here)
- Rocky Mountain IPA, Fort Collins Brewery (6.2%, 78 IBUs, more stats here)
Ok, that's all for now. A very happy (and hoppy) Thanksgiving to all, and to all, have a spectacular night!
Cheers,
N
Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas. L-O-V-E Christmas. And Christmas in Seattle? It's second to none - and largely because of a very wonderful thing called CHRISTMAS BOATS. Seriously. Christmas + boats = true holiday amazingness.
For me, Thanksgiving is like that warm and cozy, no-frills sweater that you really miss whenever you can't find it, have lent to someone, and so on. Over the last five years, I've only gone back home for Thanksgiving once. It's just hard to go back and forth multiple times during the winter holidays, especially when home doesn't align with a major airport and/or airline hub. And then you always risk getting snowed in (a la Christmas 2012) - a huge bummer, for sure.
Ok, double-digression.
In sum, I love Thanksgiving and I miss being with my (growing!) family, but I'm really grateful for the various Thanksgiving adventures I've had out here (and I'm particularly thankful for the people who keep taking this Thanksgiving orphan in). This year, I have the huge pleasure of going over to S and M's for a Thanksgiving filled with health research nerds and their ridiculously cute children. Clearly, I'm bringing my Thanksgiving specialties (homemade cranberry sauce and my mom's famous apple crisp with a PNW twist (Braeburn apples!)) over, as well as the seemingly splendid Seattle Met's Seasonal Six. (And yes, I bought two six-packs: one for the Thanksgiving brood, and one for my own enjoyment - stay tuned for the completely biased review!)
[in no particular order]
(1) Hurricane Kitty, Keegan Ales
(5.7% ABV, 63 IBUs, more stats here)
Described as a "coppery and heavily hopped India Pale Ale" by Half Time's Hop Head cheat sheet, I'd probably agree more with the former than the latter. Ms. H. Kitty definitely has some coppery, red ale-ish taste to it, especially with its smooth flavor and minimal aftertaste. But heavily hopped? HA! This might be a case of an East Coast IPA (Keegan's based in NY) thinking it's hoptastic when it's well, really just an East Coast IPA. Welcome to the Wild West Kittycat - home of real hops, lumberjack hipsters, and 53-degree Thanksgivings (!??!?!). Nonetheless, it's not a bad beer at all (and it could be very much appreciated by people who want a mild(er) IPA). It just didn't quite live up to its "heavily hopped" hype.
(2) The Shed IPA, The Shed Brewery
(6% ABV, 35 IBUs, more stats here)
Oh Vermont. I love you. And your tasty beers. Although I'll generally always prefer an Otter Creek or Wolaver's brew, the Shed IPA delivered well. Crisp, lightly hoppy, delightful - it was a perfect way to celebrate a long week of work (and work accomplishments!) out on my deck this afternoon. And yes, mayyyyybe some guilty pleasures beyond that of tasty brewskis...
(3) Cisco Indie Pale Ale, Cisco Brewers
(5.8% ABV, IBUs unknown, more stats here)
Um, did someone order some beer with this...chocolate water? While Cisco's "Indie" (is this a typo or a case of trying really hard to be pseudo-edgy?) Pale Ale wasn't inherently bad, I was so overwhelmed by the chocolate-y taste that I definitely couldn't detect the "whirlpool" of "dry-hop additions [that] provide a deliciously quenching finish to this East meets West-coast ale." Nuh-huh. Don't be calling this beer West Coast, fool. It's glorified chocolate water with a dash of beer flavoring (and mayyyyybe a mound of hops or two). In the future, this'll be a pass.
(4) Kuka American IPA, Andean Brewing Co.(6.2% ABV, IBUs unknown, more stats here)
Ok, so I was excited for this beer. One, its bottle was super awesome. Two (and perhaps more importantly), its Half Time cheat sheet description made it sound super awesome: "This IPA is the perfect balance between an American Pale Ale and Imperial Rye IPA. Simply put, just a clean, fresh, crisp, hoppy beer for your drinking enjoyment." I mean, who wouldn't want that? And yep, it was as described - well, yeah, it was. My only hang-up is that my dear friend K selected it as his beer to enjoy while we worked on my apartment puzzle, and thus I only got a few sips. I guess I'll have to order more of this one...(not pictured here because, well, K is a very expedient bottle recycler, and well, I'm not.)
Other beers from the October Hop Head shipment that I enjoyed (but don't feel right reviewing quite yet - time to order up!):
- Flipside Red IPA, Sierra Nevada (6.2% ABVs, 60 IBUs, more stats here)
- Wolavers IPA, Otter Creek Brewing/Wolavers (6.5% ABVs, IBUs unknown, more stats here)
- Rocky Mountain IPA, Fort Collins Brewery (6.2%, 78 IBUs, more stats here)
Ok, that's all for now. A very happy (and hoppy) Thanksgiving to all, and to all, have a spectacular night!
Cheers,
N
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