The Bowdoin Orient

While most people dread the winter, beer enthusiasts embrace the colder months with open arms, aware of the delicious elixirs breweries save for this special time of year. Hats, boots and multiple layers are superfluous once you understand that the best cold-weather protection comes in liquid form.

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.

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.

I remember my first IPA vividly. It was Celebration Ale, a seasonal brew crafted by Sierra Nevada. It poured a rich copper hue, with a creamy off-white head. The aroma was full of fresh hops—big, fruity and citrusy. It tasted, well, hoppy, and the bitterness and big piney flavors were overwhelming. This IPA made me pucker as my taste buds tried to comprehend what was going on. It was not until a few days later, after my second or third bottle, that I got over the bitterness and appreciated the symphony of flavors. Now I don't know what I'd do without the American IPA.

It pours like motor oil, coating the glass with a dark tan head and a sticky lace. Complex aromas of chocolate, espresso, dark fruit and anise waft your way and overwhelm the senses. Is this thick, brooding concoction meant to be drunk or poured into your engine after checking the dipstick? (Hint: your car probably won't be able to appreciate the flavor.)

Next time you sit down and enjoy an adult beverage, be it fermented or distilled, don't toast your friends, family or colleagues. Instead, direct your praise and goodwill toward the fungus to which man is most indebted: yeast. It is this microorganism that is responsible for your merriment and that newfound vigor in your dance step.