Running the Ivies marathon with Session IPAs

Tapped out: Maine’s take on India Pale Ale

Beer has become overwhelming. There are over 4,000 breweries in the U.S. alone, each with a long line of unique styles. From the NASCAR Keystone pounder to the snobbiest nanobrewery connoisseur, there is no all-encompassing definition of a beer drinker. With this ever-expanding spectrum, even the most casual of beer drinkers feels the pressure to know how to tell the difference between Heady Topper and a Natty Daddy. No longer are words like “nice,” “smooth” or “ew” sufficient; instead, “hoppy,” “dry” and “effervescent” have entered the sipping vernacular.
In an effort to expand our own horizons, this week we’ve decided to stray from our previously-trodden path of mass-produced lagers like Kingfisher, Budweiser and that Soviet swill from our last column and instead, venture into the world of craft brewing.
During the Raj’s rule in India, there wasn’t a whole lot for the Brits to do besides play cricket, increase taxes and get their buzz on. While we commonly credit them for the antimalarial quinine-containing concoction that we now call a Gin and Tonic, there is another beverage for which we can thank our friends across the pond. In order for beer to stay fresh on the ships from London to Bombay, English breweries produced the India Pale Ale, a beer that was chock-full of one of beer’s primary ingredients: hops.
If you take a whiff of an India Pale Ale, or IPA, your nose will likely be met with a floral, sometimes bitter scent, perhaps with hints of citrus or pine. Those are the hops, the flowers of the hop plant that are used to flavor and stabilize beer, and this addictive aroma has helped lead to the IPA taking off in the craft-brew scene across the U.S.
As it seems like every state prides itself in one brewery’s IPA or another, and since we do not have the time to review them all, we have chosen an IPA from Maine and one from California in an effort to explore a coast-to-coast comparison of this hoppy style. With Shan’s car having broken down in Portland, this week we made our lemons into a Leinenkugel and ventured into the Craft Beer Cellar in the Old Port. We sought out the help of the store owner who pointed us in the direction of the most obscure Maine craft beer in the place: Marsh Island Brewing’s Downrigger IPA.
When poured into our glasses, this Orono-brewed IPA presented itself with a warm, slightly cloudy amber color and a light head that lingered as we sipped. As we took a long sniff, we were struck by a wave of hops. The hoppy aroma is a byproduct of a step called dry hopping, during which hops are added to the beer after the initial boiling process. As we took our first sips with great ceremony, we were surprised by the subtlety of the hoppy flavor. The Downrigger held interesting floral notes with a caramelized-orange tang, and the inevitable bitterness only appeared as a subsequent aftertaste. The 6.8% ABV became harsher as the beer warmed, a feature that did not earn any plaudits from this week’s guest taster, Mr. Evan Bulman.
Representing the West Coast was the Enjoy By Black IPA from Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, Calif. Enjoy By is produced only a few times a year and, as the name suggests, is intended to be consumed quickly after brewing for optimal freshness. This particular batch was called “Enjoy By 02.14.16,” and while The Craft Beer Cellar’s owner assured us that these extra two weeks would not affect the beer’s flavor, we do concede that he may have wisely seized an opportunity to convince two novice beer drinkers to help clear his inventory.
The first word that sprung to our minds when we took our first sniff of Enjoy By was “dank.” As earthy as it was hoppy, this beer poured a deep, dark brown that barely allowed any light to pass through. Like the Downrigger, Enjoy By retained a thin foamy head; however, it clung to the sides of the glass in a way that the Downrigger did not. In spite of its heavy alcohol content (a whopping 9.4% ABV), Enjoy By was incredibly drinkable, likely a side effect of the malty flavor that hits as soon as it touches your tongue. Malts, which are sugars that aid in the fermentation process of beer brewing, help to sweeten beer to give it some of its yeasty, sometimes bread-like flavor. Enjoy By also was more hop-forward than Downrigger, with piney hops that played a starring role in the beer’s flavor as well as its smell.
These two IPAs were about as different on the taste buds as they are on the map. However, they did serve to represent two sides of the IPA spectrum. If we were to render a final verdict, we agreed that while Enjoy By offered a unique spin on what an IPA can be, we felt that the Downrigger was a through and through, approachable IPA for beer drinkers of all walks of life.

Tapped out: Beers from home and away: Long Trail and Oskar Blues beers

As we reach the final installment of our beer-reviewing saga, the time has come to pay homage both to the temporary home state that has treated us so well and to the states that made us each who we are today. This week we decided to celebrate our favorite Maine beer, sample brews from William’s Green Mountain State of Vermont and try and save face for Shan’s home state of North Carolina and show that it is known for good beer and not just bigotry and being an international civil rights embarrassment. #WeAreNotThis. Shan: For the beer sticklers out there who will try and call me on this, I will start with a disclaimer: I am aware that Oskar Blues was originally founded in Lyons, Colo. (and, fun fact, is the current employer of the esteemed Mr. Polar Bear Class of 2016 himself, Ben WooChing). However, in 2012, Oskar Blues opened a branch in Brevard, N.C. and quickly established themselves as a brewery that made itself at home in the fast-growing N.C. beer scene. Over the summer, while working part-time in a restaurant in my hometown in Durham, one of the highlights of the night was sitting down at the bar after a long shift and enjoying a freshly-poured glass of Oskar Blues’ Pinner Throwback IPA. The name “throwback” is somewhat misleading, as it’s more along the lines of a session American Pale Ale, but any downsides of the beer end there. It packs an incredible amount of hop flavor and aroma, but has an amazing citrusy tartness that more than makes up for its relatively-low 35 IBUs. Combining its incredible taste with its light mouthfeel, I may have to give it a leg-up on last column’s session ale favorite, the Founders All Day IPA. Pinner is truly a beer that makes me think of warm Bull Durham summer nights whenever I taste it. William: Brewed in the rural town of Bridgewater, Vt., Long Trail stands as one of the Green Mountain State’s most popular beers. This brewery is about as local as it gets for me, as I live in the bordering town of Woodstock, exactly 8.6 miles from Long Trail headquarters. Unsurprisingly, I am quite biased. Ever since I was a first year, I have bragged to friends about the enjoyable malts and hops of this beloved Vermont company, trying to convince them to give Long Trail a try. All to no avail. Long Trail’s Limbo IPA is one of their better beers, a double IPA that brings 80 IBUs and 7.6 percent ABV. Those of you who are true IPA gurus will know of the legendary Vermont double IPA, Heady Topper. Limbo is Long Trail’s response.When we cracked open the Limbo and poured into our special glasses, we were perplexed by its aroma. Shan and I discussed long and hard about what we thought the smell reminded us of, until we agreed upon caramelized peaches. With 80 IBUs, Limbo brings with it a quite bitter taste, especially at the end of the sip. Compared to the Pinner, the Limbo had little of the tart, grapefruit taste. Instead, we found that the caramelized peach smell also imbedded itself in the flavor. Although Shan and I have enjoyed Limbo in the past, it did not shine in comparison to the Pinner. It physically pains me to admit it, but Vermont didn’t hold its own in our tasting. Shan & William: It was with misty eyes and nostalgia in our hearts that we set about deciding on a beer that could signify the love we feel for the state that has treated us so well over the past four years. But when push came to shove, we knew that there was only one beer that captured both of our hearts: Lunch. Maine Beer Company opened up in Freeport in 2009 but has quickly become a common name in circles of beer aficionados across the country. Lunch, a 7.0 percent ABV IPA, was the first beer that put them in the big leagues. First brewed in 2011, the first two batches sold out so quickly that Lunch soon gained national recognition as one of the country’s most sought-after craft beers. Five years later, while Maine Beer Co. has increased their production of Lunch so that it is more frequently available, it still hasn’t lost its reputation as one of the best IPAs out there. We first became acquainted with Lunch in the Beer Tent over Homecoming Weekend. Once we had enjoyed our third or fourth glass of the free Lunch that was served on tap, it was clear that we had found a special place in our hearts for this delicious IPA. We opened our Lunch as the final beer in our tasting. After dipping our noses with great ceremony into our glasses, we came away smelling a quite piney and citrusy aroma. The full-bodied taste held the perfect blend of pine, bitterness and citrus, and has a substantial mouthfeel that lives up to the gravitas of Lunch’s street cred. Compared to our two hometown heroes, Lunch struck the perfect balance of the full-bodied bitterness of Limbo combined with the pleasant drinkability and refreshing citrus of Pinner.
In their unique and distinctive ways, each of these beers tasted like home, and we thank our lucky stars to able to feel a connection with each brew and its birthplace. And they were all better than wine.

Tapped out

Running the Ivies marathon with Session IPAs

This piece represents the opinion of the authors:

April 22, 2016

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” These are the pre-Ivies words passed down by time-weathered seniors to the dewy-eyed first years as they receive wads of crumpled-up bills in exchange for three oddly-shaped backpacks, bursting at the seams with “books.” These seniors speak from experience. Every Ivies veteran has seen at least one friend black out at Laddio, get tucked into bed at 8:45pm on Thursday or take an unplanned nap on Coe Quad on their way to Brunswick Quad. To pass the test of Ivies weekend (or Ivies week, we don’t judge), oftentimes the measured pounding of beers will set you in better stead than the frantic ripping of shots. But what can you do, you may ask, if Keystones or Natty Lites just don’t cut it for your refined taste in beer? Must you sacrifice quality for quantity?

Enter: the Session IPA. For those of you have not experienced this genre of IPA, let us elaborate. Despite our best efforts to find a smart sounding, technical explanation for the difference in the brewing process, the main distinction between a Session IPA and a standard issue IPA is the alcohol level. Designed for beer lovers to consume for lengthy periods of time (or a drinking session), an IPA is considered a Session if it runs in the 3 to 5% ABV range, as opposed to the 6+% of most standard IPAs. The true beauty of a Session IPA is that, when done properly, the alcohol content is the only aspect that gets diminished. The bright, hoppy aroma and the refreshing bitter taste that are integral to the IPA’s identity remain largely intact.

First up to the plate was the All Day IPA from Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The All Day has become a staple in the recent Session IPA surge, and we quickly learned why. It is sold most commonly in a 15-can pack, likely packaged for throwing in the back of a car for a weekend of outdoor adventures as evidenced by their logo–a canoe strapped to an old station wagon headed into the woods. Shan also had the chance to field-test the All Day at a certain island-music-themed ski festival last weekend, and can wholeheartedly attest to its “All Day” drinkability. The All Day packs an impressive amount of flavor into an impressively drinkable beer. It’s slightly bitter without being overpowering, and has a light mouth feel that leaves behind only a refreshing pine and citrus taste. At only 45 IBUs, it is minimally bitter compared to other IPAs, but still has enough pucker to stay true to the traditional hoppy taste.

The second Session we tried was the Lagunitas DayTime IPA. This light beer only has 4.65% ABV, making it a perfect IPA for a long day of drinking on the Brunswick Quad. Unlike the hoppy and citrusy aroma of the Founders All Day IPA, the Lagunitas Session had more of a floral smell. Once tasted, the DayTime IPA proved to be the lightest and least hoppy of the three. With an initial bright and floral taste, we thought it would prove to have a full IPA feel. We were amazed to find that this sweet sensation faded very quickly, leaving us wondering where the biting bitterness we expected had gone. For those of you who shy away from IPAs due to their strong bite, this is the Session for you. DayTime IPA is a beer that any beer drinker could crush all day while enjoying a respite from your football friends’ Keystone Light.

Last but not least, we tried Stone’s Go To IPA. Yes, this is technically a Session, but, due to its close likeness in terms of bitterness and heavier body to a standard IPA, it is not nearly as “crushable” as the other two. For those of you who would never want to sacrifice the full flavor of your favorite IPAs, this is the Session for you. With an ABV of 4.5%, it is much less alcoholic than Stone’s other beers, but it does not come with any less of a full bitter punch. This is the Session for the diehard IPA fans.

So, do with this information what you will. We have no doubt that some of you may opt in favor of your favorite 30-rack or boxes of Franzia’s finest, but for the true hop-heads out there (and the 8 of you who consistently read our column), we hope that you make a Session you spirit beverage this coming Ivies.

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