Kegs and Kitchen

I love IPA’s. I’ll admit that I resisted these feelings for a while because it seemed like you couldn’t be a beer geek without first professing your love for all things hoppy. I don’t like to conform to what everyone else is doing, so I pretended for as long as I could. Truth is, there’s something to the craze, and who am I to deny myself the enjoyment?

IPA, or India Pale Ale, as a style has a very interesting history. Interesting because it’s a style that grew out of trying to find a solution to a very real problem. Back in the 18th century, after Britain had started to develop a strong naval presence, they quickly learned that the beer that they loved to drink could not hold up to long trips at sea. Particularly long trips to hot places, like India. Rather than throw their hands up and just drink other booze, they set out to brew a beer that could withstand such conditions. I like the way they think.

Before the days of refrigeration, the brewer only had two real lines of defense against the spoilage of their precious beers. Alcohol and hops. The alcohol creates an environment that is not conducive to the growth of microbes, and the hops inhibit the growth of Lactobacillus, which is responsible for nearly every beer you’ve ever had that tasted “sour”. The answer came to George Hodgson, brewer at Bow Brewery in East London, sometime in the 1790’s. He figured out that if he could create a beer that had lots of alcohol, and dry hop the hell out of it, the beer might actually be drinkable by the time it made it to Calcutta. Look at the big brain on George!

Why the history lesson you ask? I think it was necessary for a number of reasons. Most importantly because the IPA has come to be known as an American style. Yes, we have taken it to a whole new level with the advent of the double IPA and Imperial IPA, and we’ve explored every combination of hop varieties to create many unique variations of the style. But it’s important to be aware of where things started in my opinion.

So as I poured the Meantime IPA from it’s fancy champagne bottle, complete with cork and cage, I couldn’t help but wonder how this example from the dudes on the other side of the pond would hold up. Honestly, I’ve never had a British IPA that was really worth talking about at any great length. I was skeptical indeed, but the presentation sure didn’t hurt.

In the glass this beers looks more like a hefeweisen than an IPA. It’s cloudy golden color gives way to a strong white head that you could float a quarter on, and would last until the final drop. It’s bottle conditioned, so the cloudiness comes from yeast left in on purpose. Don’t be scared.

On the nose this beer blasts you with fruit. Citrus mostly, some pineapple and even some peach. Wonderful hop aroma. I’m intrigued.

The first sip makes it clear that this wasn’t the IPA that I was used to tasting from the Brits. First you feel the bitter bite of lots of hops. This bite is quickly erased by a pleasant malty backbone. It’s clear that they went out of their way to balance the insane amount of hops with ton of grain. It reminds me of a teeter totter, back and forth from bitter to sweet. Very nice ride. Along the way I pick up more citrus, some bread and the flavor of earth. Just when all of those flavors subside, I notice the taste of pine that seems to linger forever. It makes me want another sip. Good thing this stuff comes in a champagne bottle and I was ready for some time on the couch.

The mouthfeel was another pleasant surprise. When I popped the cork on this sucker it was quite anemic to say the least. I was expecting low carbonation, but that wasn’t the case at all. This stuff feels like champagne in your mouth. After the tickle of carbonation is gone, there’s a nice warming effect from the alcohol.

To summarize, I think this beer kicks ass. To quote my wife, “it wasn’t offensive”. That means she liked it. It’s much more subtle than many of the most prized American IPA’s. I think it would be a great gateway beer for someone you know who thinks they don’t like this style. It would also be great for a special occasion. Even at $10 a pop, I’ll be drinking more of these. One of the best IPA’s I’ve ever had.

Cheerio mates!

Would go well with: To steal a quote right from the bottle “Enjoy with hot foods and spicy friends, or vice versa”. I would suggest a table full of various Indian dishes and good friends. Some Medeski Martin & Wood, seems to fit too, preferably from their album Shackman.