Blank Slate Brewing Company is yet just one more brewery that we have here tucked away in the Cincinnati area, and this is a look at their Fork In The Road India Amber Ale. The beer itself comes in at an ABV of 6.85% and a nice IBU of 65. So as you can imagine, the hoppiness is present with this one. Pouring a nice red amber color, this beer provides a nice appearance from the body to its foamy head. Aroma and taste both come together with this beer and the balance between the malts and hops play out nicely. Check out my review here to see my full thoughts on the beer, and what led me to provide a personal Untappd rating of 4 out of 5.
Brewer Notes:
India Amber Ale. The first beer in Blank Slate’s “Traveling IPA” series. This beer sits squarely at the fork in the road where darker malts and brighter hops meet. Munich and CaraRed malts give it an amber color and bigger malt presence than a standard IPA. Generous amounts of Citra and Centennial hops remind you that it’s still an “India” style beer nonetheless.
AVAILABILITY: Year-round: 6-pack and draft
IBU/ABV: 65/6.8%
HOPS: Citra, Centennial
MALTS: 2-Row, Munich and CaraRed
Recently, I had the chance to check out the Voodoo Ranger IPA from New Belgium Brewing Company. This offering is just one more of the offerings under their Voodoo series. The beer itself has an ABV of 7% along with an IBU of 50, making it pretty much what should be expected from this style. The beer itself was highlighted by a nice appearance, aroma, taste and overall quality about it. I was able to easily receive a nice bittering quality with the beer and did like the semi-dry feel on the finish. Comprised also of a nice medium body, this beer was pretty solid overall. Check out the video to see my full thoughts on why I rated this one as a 4 on Untappd, firmly making it very good in my opinion.
Brewer Notes:
Bursting with tropical aromas and juicy fruit flavors from Mosaic and Amarillo hops, this golden IPA is perfectly bitter with a refreshing, sublime finish.
TASTING NOTES
VISUAL: Light golden, bright with a little particulate, medium-thin white foam.
AROMA: Pine and citrus in the fore, the citrus comprised of orange and grapefruit. Tropical fruit with lesser grassy and floral geraniol. Faint toasted bread malt note.
FLAVOR: Lightly sweet at first with a stronger, building and perfect bitterness.
MOUTHFEEL: Coating and warming with a clean finish.
BODY: Medium body.
BEER FACTS
ABV: 7%
IBU: 50
YEAST: Ale
HOPS: Nugget, Cascade, Simcoe, Chinook, Mosaic, Amarillo
MALTS: Pale, Black
The Hopsecutioner is an American IPA offering from Terrapin Beer Company out of Athens, Georgia. This 7.3% ABV and 72 IBU American IPA pours a nice golden orange amber color with a decent foamy head. Highlighted by six hops, there is no missing of the aroma nor taste as this one is enjoyed. What I did like about this beer was that they did well with the balance between the hops and malts and were able to keep down any overkill of the taste that is plaguing some IPA s on the market. You will feel the bitterness on this one, but that is expected. I mean it is an IPA. As far as my full details on this one then check out my video below and see my overall conclusion to this one. For me, this one sat at 3.5 out of 5 on my Untappd scale which placed it between good and very good.
Brewer Notes:
About the Beer: Light copper in color, this IPA has an aroma. of fresh pine and citrus. A strong malt backbone provides balance to an assertive hop bitterness.
Pair with: Blue Cheese or Sharp Cheddar. Pair with a classic burger, or play up the citrus in the beer with a glazed orange duck dish.
Sometimes one just decides to take a risk on a beer and that is what happened here on a recent trip to our local Aldi which just started selling beer. Hop Lift IPA is one of their few offerings and is an IPA brewed by Third Street Brewhouse out of Minnesota, a brewery for which I have no familiarity. But being a 4-pack of 16 ounce cans for $6.99, I figured why not go ahead and give it a try. Appearance wise the beer definitely didn’t disappoint as it poured very well, however taste and aroma were more along the average line of what to be expected. It did carry a little bit of an aftertaste, but for the value it did prove to be decent enough that my Untappd rating on this one was 2.75 out of 5. But, check out my video here to see my full thoughts on this American India Pale Ale.
Brewer Notes:
You love big, bold hoppy IPA’s. We get it. We love them, too. That’s why we put 600 pounds of hops in every tank of our Hop Lift IPA. Getting that many hops 40 feet up in the air and into our fermenter is no easy task. But we’re up for it. And when you taste this bold, dry-hopped brew bursting with citrus and passion fruit notes, you’ll be glad we did. How we do it, we’ll never tell. Do you need a hop lift today?
ABV: 6.2 / IBU: 60
COLOR: Deep Golden
BEST PAIRED WITH: Fried, spicy and/or salty foods along with bold, sweet desserts – suggestions include curry, fajitas, burgers, blackened chicken, mango salsa, lemon tart
The HI-5 IPA from Terrapin Beer Company is an American IPA branded as a California style IPA, and the subject of this review. Coming in with an ABV of 5.9% and IBU of 80, this IPA does hit with bitterness. The hops used do well bringing out the citrus quality that is often expected from this style, and deliver in both aroma and flavor. And despite them now being partially acquired and not considered to be craft beer by the Brewers Association, they do deliver a nice product here which is why my Untappd rating on this one is 3.5 out of 5 placing it between good and very good. Check out my video to see my full thoughts on this beer.
Brewer Notes:
About the Beer: This IPA features 5 tropical, orange, & citrusy aromatic and flavorful hops, a medium body with biscuit and caramel malt notes that bring balance to the beer. This California Style IPA’s big citrusy aroma and huge hop presence will keep you in awe sip after sip.
Pair with: Gruyere or Asiago Cheese, or classic fish tacos with crispy, crunchy cod or grilled Mahi-Mahi. Either way, load it up with freshly diced onions, roasted jalapeno, avocado, lettuce, a little fresh lime, and some garlicky aioli or mango chutney.
The Pinwheel from Urban Artifact out of Cincinnati, Ohio, is the latest ale for my next beerventure. This ale is a Gose that has an ABV of 4.5%., and estimated IBU of 12. The thing that I like about the Gose style is that nice saltiness that follows after the refreshing taste of the beer. This one does well on following along in that regard. You really get a nice essence of the kumquats used, as both the aroma and taste do come through nicely. The appearance of the ale is very nice in color and definitely makes for a nice beer especially heading into the summer. Check out my video review here to see all of my overall thoughts on this one. As far as a rating, my Untappd score for this one is 3.75 out of 5.
Brewer Notes:
Just as the virtue of perseverance is taught in martial arts, a pinwheel symbolizes turning your luck around. Be prosperous. Enjoy a Pinwheel.
This Kumquat Gose has 250lbs Kumquats, 45g Vanilla Bean. 8lbs Sea Salt, and 1.25lbs Coriander per 30 BBL batch.
