Hoppy Thanksgiving!

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

Mmmhop: my first Halftime Hophead delivery!

As I moved to living solo in the not-so-big city of Seattle (ha, the small Seattle stories just get better and more ridiculous with each passing month), I considered a few options for celebrating such a milestone. Instantly unpacking and organizing everything? Meh. Studies show that some level of clutter helps bolster creativity and innovation - or something. I wouldn't want to mess with that. A cat? Nah - I'm just not that into them. Oh wait...

...Half Time's IPA Hophead Beer of the Month Club! 

Yes, this really exists - and yes, I totally expected it to be a hoax. Isn't it too good to be true? But then...

(There's a small chance I got so excited that I kind of ripped the beer rap sheet as I was tearing into the box...)

 ...and THIS!

Oh my, this is going to be very very fun. 

Already, I'm anticipating a nice little East Coast v. West Coast hop rivalry, which incidentally is somewhat symbolic of me and the occasional coastal inner conflict I experience. Which is better (or worse): the immensely annoying passive-aggressiveness that can run rampant in the likes of Seattle - or the often prevalent aggressiveness and intensity that can grip the likes of DC and NYC? Do I prefer the distinctly delicious PNW hop style, or the nostalgic wonderment of balanced IPAs from the likes of Otter Creek? 

At the end of the day, I suppose it's not really an either-or proposition - I could just find the best of both worlds, huh. Well, I guess we'll just have to see...

Cheers,

N

Favorite "go-to" hoppy beers: the six-pack

Whether it's for personal consumption or a fridge of another, a solid six-pack of tasty-but-not-too-fancy-or-expensive hoppy beer is clutch. Key. Sick. Whatever the kids are calling it these days.

Some people (shudder) think all hoppy beers are the same. That they're just all bitter hopbombs without diversity or complexity. That they can only be enjoyed during certain seasons - that, alas, a hoppy beer is just too heavy for the summer months. That only scary lumberjack men with small woodland animals hibernating in their beards and large axes slung over their shoulders could ever  truly love a gnarly IPA...

 ...except they don't, they aren't, and they're not. One of the best ways to garner respect in this town (and others, so I hear) is to bring a decently thought-out, great-yet-relatively-inexpensive sixer along to social gatherings. Well, at least the people I socialize with - they seem to like that. Maybe it's because I'm closer to 30 now than 20. Perhaps it's because my 10 year college reunion is closer than the time I graduated. It definitely took me a little bit to figure out that hey-o, pseudo-adults like myself enjoy things that taste more like beer than water seasoned with beer.

Well, anyway, my people - and especially myself - like to have a solidly good IPA at a social gathering (or, let's be honest here, just hanging solo at my cozy apartment). And because of that, here's a non-exhaustive list of my top six* of six-pack beers:

(1) Inversion IPA, Deschutes Brewery 
(6.8% ABV, 80 IBUs, more stats here)
For some reason, there's something deliciously homey about the Inversion - even though I've never lived in Oregon, I've only visited Portland three times, and I only had my inaugural visit to Deschutes Brewery this past summer. Maybe its the beer's nice blend of bitter and something chocolate-y/coffee-y mixed with some kind of subtle citrus wonderment. Maybe it's the great memories enjoyed with people over a good Inversion or three (summers in Seattle, KL's bachelorette in Leavenworth, an elk burger (!) in Portland). Whatever it is, it's my current #1 go-to sixer - and I'm happy (or hoppy? HA) to say that I'm presently enjoying a bottle right now.

(2) Interurban IPA, Fremont Brewing
(6.2% ABV, 80 IBUs, more stats here)
Yes, I'm slightly biased by the fact that the Fremont Brewery is basically a 5 minute walk away. And that I love the brewery's set-up, especially for a nice post-work beer out in its "urban beer garden" during Seattle's nicer months. And did I mention that I own a growler? The Interurban is decidedly tasty, with enough hops to moderately appease a hop-monster like myself but balanced enough to make the beer widely accessible to more hop-hesitant masses. The biggest bonus: they come in cans! Which is crazy clutch for bringing along on kayak trips and the other water-based sports that Seattle supports so well. Because who doesn't like enjoying a cold one after paddling to a pristine Cascadia Marine Trail campsite?

(3) Lagunitas IPA, Lagunitas Brewing Co.
(6.2% ABV, 46 IBUs, more stats here)
Because if you don't have an Oregon, Washington, and California IPA in your top six (or three) go-to hoppy sixers, your street cred might be on the decline. But seriously, this coast knows how to make a solid, agreeable IPA for all the peeps - and the Lagunitas IPA fills that ballot oh so well. At one of my favorite old work places/watering holes in San Francisco, the Bean Bag Cafe, you could get this drink on tap for $3. For real. Also, I remember buying multiple sixers for our 2012 election watching party - what a thrilling night. In sum, it's a super solid sixer choice, especially if you're looking to subtly impress with your Cali beer know-how in the PNW.

(4) Ranger IPA, New Belgium Brewing
(6.5% ABV, 70 IBUs, more stats here)
Ranger Ranger Ranger...if there's ever been a beer that makes me think of Seattle, oddly enough, it's an IPA from Colorado. The Ranger IPA has been a mainstay for me ever since I moved out west in 2008, whether it was my work's uncanny ability to always stock it for happy hours or my ex-boyfriend's penchant for always keeping it in the fridge. It's a bit lighter than my other six-pack go-tos, which makes for a delightfully refreshing beverage during Seattle's splendid summers. And maybe the rest of the world thinks of it as more of a summer IPA too, because it was definitely on sale at QFC this evening (which was definitely cold enough to make my circulation-challenged toes numb).

(5) Evolutionary IPA, Two Beers Brewing Co.
(6.2% ABV, 48 IBUs, more stats here)
So I have a confession: I didn't know about Two Beers - or at least linking the brewery to its stellar brews - until quite recently. For instance, I couldn't remember it was Two Beers that made the most phenomenal triple IPA at the 2012 Seattle International Beer festival, well, until this evening. But then an old roommate's dad brought a Two Beers six-pack over for a patio hang when he was in town - and oh my, that was good. It was light and refreshing without sacrificing a nice melody of hops - mmm, mmm good. Again, it's one of those spectacular Seattle things wherein you can get the sixer in bottles or cans, allowing you to be the easy champion of the house party or a camping trip.

(6) Torpedo Extra IPA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. 
 (7.2% ABV, 70 IBUs, more stats here)
Disclaimer: the only reason why the Torpedo ranks as #6 (and not higher) is because it's not as easily a "go-to" six-pack - not because it's not worthy of a higher taste ranking. Like most (all?) beers, it tastes better on tap, but like some beers, I think it tastes astronomically better on tap. I was introduced to the wonderment of Torpedo when I lived in San Francisco, specifically at the oh so spectacular Green Chile Kitchen in my old hood. After intense yoga sessions at night, I would frequent Green Chile for nachos and a freshly poured Torpedo - clearly, the recovery meal of champions. The Torpedo is intense and is only fully enjoyed, in my opinion, when you're really yearning for a wham-bam kind of hoppy beer. However, you're almost guaranteed to gain some props points if you bring this sixer to a gathering of hop fanatics.

* If, and most likely when, these rankings change, I'll try to remember to update. But it's really for my benefit as this blog is basically a virtual reminder system, blinking "heyyyyy, remember that awesome beer? You should totally bring that to M's gathering." If it helps you too - well, bully.

Cheers,
N