Friday, April 22, 2011

Alcohol in the news; Two India Pale Ales

From the buzz

Two India Pale Ales

This week I plan on focusing on two IPAs that I happened upon at our local watering hole: Seven Saints.

The first goes by the name 2X IPA by Southern Tier Brewing Company. This brew is a prime example of an IPA done right; it runs at a solid 8.2% ABV and is very smooth with subtle tones of bitterness. This beer has a clean finish and doesn't leave any filmy residue like most ultra bitter beers do. The 2X IPA is two times the fun of most beers coupled with a high alcohol content and flavor; it's a brew to be revered.

The second brew, Stone IPA, is another wonderful beer that stands at 6.9% ABV and is much better suited for the seasoned IPA drinker and favors the bitter-lover in all of us. This is a very bitter beer that leaves a dry, filmy residue that helps the overall flavors of the brew to linger on your palate and allow you to enjoy this IPA a while after your last sip.

By all means, I was satisfied by both beers quite reasonably, but I must give my final accolades to the 2X IPA by Southern Tier for finding a way to cram both high alcohol by volume and tons of flavor into one bottle. So cheers to good beer and amazing sliders (gotta love Seven Saints!)

Odd statement in the third graph, "much better suited for the seasoned IPA drinker and favors the bitter-lover in all of us". That really doesn't make much sense, is it for the seasoned IPA drinker, or all of us?

I find it hard to compare a double IPA to a single IPA. Doubles have more malt and usually are more balanced, singles have a tendency to have more hops forward profile. (Pales sometimes can be the most bitter, as there is much less malt used).





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