Blue Dot Double IPA, Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, Portland Oregon

7%, 22oz bottle, Double IPA...I'm in!
Firstly, notice the glassware - it's from the Spring Beer and Wine Fest I attended last Friday here in Portland. I had some delicious beers here including two great ones from Walking Man Brewery and a white ale from Fort George which was excellent (plus I had a chance to talk with one of the brewers there - thanks for the hat!). More about these two brewery's when I continue to visit them throughout this blog...For now let's go back to our beer d'jour.

It pours an unfiltered straw color with a big foamy head.

The aroma is BIG BIG earthy and floral hop with a slight straw flavor. Yeast tones also permeate.

Big hop jumps up right away. The yeast tones develop in the full body. It starts nice and crisp, but turns creamy towards the finish. There is a slight citrus flavor and some honey tones, as well.

The aftertaste is straight up hop with a slight straw flavor, as well.

Okay, I know Double IPA's aren't necessarily the most dynamic beers, but they can be enjoyed for their robust character and I that's exactly why I like them!

Cheers!

Beer #50! Double Daddy IPA, Speakeasy Ales and Lagers, San Francisco California

BEER #50 !!!!
So we are already to beer 50. It's amazing! I had to celebrate this momentous occasion with a beer from my favorite style - the Imperial IPA. It's one my wife brought home for me, one day and I was excited to try it - it will be my first Speakeasy beer....

It pours a brilliant amber hue.

The aroma is all hop with big citrus and floral smells.

The taste slakes my need for big hop. It is both earthy and citrus. The bitterness is quite apparent.

The aftertaste is flowery hop which lingers with the bitterness. A definite for hop heads like myself. There isn't much too blog about, in that the beer lives up to it's style - There is big hop all around - I think it's delicious!

I've had good luck finding these beers, but am not sure at all how limited their distribution is - mine was from here in Portland at the Food Front in NW. I've seen their beers at several finer grocery stores.

9.5%
Hops include 4 varieties (unspecified on website) of Pacific Northwest Hops and three additionals.
Pale Malted Barley and German Munich Malts are used along with Speakeasy Ale Yeast.

Cheers!

Bad Juju Double IPA, Fort George Brewery, Astoria Oregon

On a birthday visit to Astoria, Oregon, we discovered the Fort George Brewery and Public House. this is a wonderful place, a must to check out when in Astoria. The beers are plenty and interesting, the food was very good (I had Albacore Fish & Chips with homemade tartar sauce - Excellent!). So let's talk about one of their beers I had while visiting.... The Bad Juju Double IPA. If you've read my blog, you'll know my affinity for Double IPA's, so it's no surprise, I had to order this beer upon spotting it on the menu...

It pours a dark coppery amber with a medium head.

It smells heartily of hops. It smells tart instead of a flowery bouquet, it has a balanced hop aroma.

The taste is strong with hop all over the place. It is full body and malty and a little thick. The bitterness sets in on the back of the tongue.

The aftertaste is bitter and coppery. It lingers for awhile on the palate and destroys your taste buds for any subtle beer after it, which I love the girth!

Their beers are available from to go from the brewery, I don't think they bottle at all, unfortunately!

Cheers!

Double-Wide IPA, Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City MO

First of all, Happy Birthday to me. Second of all, what's with all these coastal breweries we've been trying? I've been saving this next beer for a special occasion, which takes care of point #1. And, since it is a beer I picked up half-way along move from Coast to Coast, it also takes care of point #2. The Double-Wide IPA is from Boulevard Brewing Company's Smokestack Series. Now, although we did stay in Kansas City for a night, I was only able to indulge in one brewery. I picked the closest to our hotel and it happened not to be Boulevard, but 75th Street Brewery (which we greatly enjoyed and I had one of my favorite Hef's there). I did, however, have the foresight to grab a 750 ml of the Double-Wide at a grocery store. Let's crack it open....

It pours a cloudy/hazy dark amber with a big head.

The smell is subtle and mild. It has a slight sweetness to it's hoppy character.

It is creamy tasting. It has a medium to full body. It is very much hoppy, but also there is a kind of malty thickness which rounds it out nicely. It is bitter, but not overly done. It is strong and very dry. This is definitely a sipper! There is slight sweetness to it along with a certain outdoorsy flavor to it. I can't put my finger on it, but almost mild mint or something akin to it in the undertones. It is strangely complex and I like that. It is a bold beer, but it also has it's sensitive side...

The aftertaste is bitter, but that falls off fairly quickly. The hop lingers a little longer. As I said, it has a dryness to it, so it is nice to enjoy for awhile.

I really can't tell you when this beer is available or how widely distributed Boulevard's beers are, but I can tell you that it is worth while to get your hands on one if you happen to see one. It is 8.5 % and available in the 750ml size. It also has some great artwork on the label, which never hurts.

This is a great Birthday beer to enjoy! And enjoy I can as the bottle says "Relax, it's twister proof!" With that, I will settle in for another great year!

Tricerahops Double IPA, Ninkasi Brewery

Our next beer is in my favorite category of beer; the double IPA. It is from Ninkasi Brewery in Eugene, Oregon and available in 22oz bottles. This is my first beer from Ninkasi, which I just discovered when I moved here.

It pours a milky amber with a good head.

The smell is subtle. I was expecting a big hop aroma, but it is mild but flowery hop.

The taste is initially big hop, but then balances quickly in the mouth. Bitterness, which I am a big fan of, doesn't really set in until the back of the jaw. It is one of the most well-balanced Double IPA's I've had, it offers up a smooth taste.

The aftertaste leaves a strong hop flavor which lingers nicely. It is slightly floral, but again, very balanced. Quite drinkable indeed!

It is 8.8% with 100+ IBU's ( a little surprising to me to find that out, showing how well-balanced the beer is...)

Cheers!