A Brew Post
Last evening I went to a beer tasting put on the good, if over pricing, folks at a local Whole Foods store. The featured brewery was Dogfish Head which, if you're will to accept a stretch, is kinda sorta local. Well, they're in the region. Not really local. This is the third beer tasting event I've attended and I can say with confidence that I do like a hoppy beer - a good India Pale Ale with the full hoppy fruit is a wonderful thing to drink.
However, last night it wasn't the IPA that lead to my decision to actually buy some of the brew. It was their Aprihop beer that was the best of the night. As the site quotes Ale Street News: A "fruit beer for hop heads...." Yes indeedy. Another strange thing I found in their 60 Minute IPA (refers to the length of the kettle boil) was a serious grapefruit note. That might sound off-putting but it was great. Really. It couldn't have tasted more of grapefruit if they'd juiced one into a six pack. But there's no citrus in the brew - it's just the result of the hopping.
One thing I've found in going to these craft brewers events is that boutique beers are just sick expensive. The beers are also sick with alcohol. Dogfish has a couple of brews that clock in at 18% ABV (alcohol by volume). Yikes. That's wine territory.
Final result is that $10 worth of Aprihop is sitting in my fridge waiting for the proper moment to be enjoyed. $10 worth? Four bottles.