Hoppy Beer, Part III: That explosion in your mouth was a hop bomb

Delirium Tremens: Hoppy Beer, Part II: An official treatise on Humulus lupulus

By now you have hopefully had your first IPA (India Pale Ale) and know what hoppiness is all about. Citrusy, piney, herbal and spicy are some words commonly used to describe the flavors that hops contribute to beer. But what exactly are hops? Now that you know what they taste like after Part 1, here's an exposition on Humulus lupulus.

Delirium Tremens: On the great German beer tradition: Nebel says, ‘Das ist doch mein bier!’

When most people think of Germany and beer, they think of one thing: Oktoberfest. It's a great party, but there is typically only one type of beer served.

Delirium Tremens

Hoppy Beer, Part III: That explosion in your mouth was a hop bomb

November 6, 2009

The Bowdoin Orient is proud to announce a new promotion in partnership with Bootleggers Beverage Warehouse in Topsham, Maine. Each week, Bowdoin students will receive 10 percent off any purchase of the beers featured in this column upon presentation of their Bowdoin ID. This week only, students can receive a discount on Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA and Stone Ruination IPA.

Though I enjoy the smell of napalm in the morning, I do prefer waking up to the aroma of a fresh hop bomb. What's a hop bomb? Imagine a conventionally hopped beer, say an average India Pale Ale (IPA), taken to a whole new level of flavor, bitterness and potency, and you'd have the Double IPA, the beer world's equivalent of an air-to-ground missile. But this time, the target is your taste buds.

The exact origins of the hop bomb are unclear. Some claim Rogue Ales in Oregon brewed the first over-the-top hopped IPA in the early 1990s. Others are loyal to Russian River Brewing in California for its typical two-to-one ratio of hops to malt. In the end, one thing is for sure: the hop bomb is an American phenomenon. Though Double IPAs are big beers and bigger is always better in the good ol' U.S.A., what these beers showcase is the expressiveness of the American hop.

Double or Imperial IPA is a broad style distinction that encompasses extremely hoppy pale ales of varying strengths. If there is a Double IPA standard among American brewers, it's a bitter ale that ranges from seven to 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). However, some breweries make Double, Triple and Imperial IPAs that can reach 12 percent ABV or higher. Possessing strengths similar to wine, these high-gravity ales are the "sippers" of the beer world. Sweetness can vary considerably. This beer geek prefers the drier, straight-up hoppy interpretations of the style.

In the beer community, the hop bomb holds an elevated status. People who are really serious about beer tend to love hops. The number two beer in the world according to a user-based scale on BeerAdvocate.com is a Triple IPA: Pliny the Younger by Russian River Brewing. Hop bombs excite the senses and give hopheads the flavorful fix they've been craving. Despite occasionally excessive alcohol contents, what makes these beers extreme is the degree to which they favor hops over other ingredients.

After reading this third and final installment of my hoppy series, you just might be ready for your first Double IPA. It's not a beer one drinks all the time. Once in a while, I have a Double IPA to test my palate and make sure everything is working properly. The buzz is an added bonus. I'm all about the hop flavor in a hop bomb.

You see, I'm a hophead. Until hop-based warfare replaces conventional weaponry, world peace will never have a chance. Let's just all hold hands, make music and share a Double IPA. Humulus lupulus, the hop plant, is in the same botanical family as cannabis, after all.

Dogfish Head 90 and 120 Minute IPAs

Do I really need to introduce Dogfish Head? They craft big, flavorful brews with unconventional amounts of hops, malt and other exotic ingredients in the least exotic of places: Delaware. The x-minute IPA series is based upon the length of the boil, the brewing period during which hops are added in order to extract flavor and bitterness.

The 90 Minute IPA is a must-have beer. It's a unique East-coast take on the Double IPA, featuring a rich and sweet malt profile balanced by a woody and piney hop presence. The 120 Minute IPA, at 18 percent ABV and seven dollars a bottle, is a novelty beer. The aroma is incredibly hoppy, but the flavor is cloyingly sweet, bordering on undrinkable.

Stone Ruination IPA

Stone Brewing is synonymous with hops. Ruination IPA is a typical West-coast Double IPA. Though the alcohol content is relatively modest at 7.7 percent ABV, the hop presence tips the scales at 100+ IBU. This a very bitter IPA for hardcore hopheads. There is little sweetness to balance the strong grapefruit and herbal flavor from the hops. The mouthfeel is slippery and resinous.

Ruination IPA is delicious to drink, but good luck appreciating other flavors afterwards. Allow this Double IPA to ruin your palate for anything else that claims to be "beer."

Port Brewing Hop-15

If Dogfish Head 90 Minute and Stone Ruination represent two ends of the sweet-dry spectrum, then Hop-15 sits comfortably in between. This offering from Port Brewing in San Diego is a well-balanced hop bomb, if there is such a thing. Delivering its hoppy payload with military efficiency, this beer presumably alludes to the American B-15 bomber. The name also comes from the 15 hop varieties used in the brewing process.

Like the best Double IPAs, Hop-15's flavor is explosive, with a distinctively herbal, almost menthol quality. The malt backbone is more present than in Ruination IPA, and so is the alcohol at 10 percent ABV. Yep, this one satisfies my hop fix.

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