Bell’s Hopslam Ale is one of those beers I look forward to its release each year. After getting word a semi-local distributor received cases, I promptly drove 50 minutes one way to acquire one. Bottled on 1/9/2012, these are extremely fresh and hopefully tasting just like I remember last year: hoppy, bitter, citrusy and sweet.
Maximus and IPA are two words that belong together, their destiny is to be imprinted on a bottle of beer. That’s just what Lagunitas did, they took plenty of hops, malt, and yeast to make the Maximus IPA. Clocking in at 72.41 IBUs there should be some decent bitterness, but not so much that it is difficult to create a well rounded IPA.
Heady Topper, an Imperial IPA from The Alchemist Pub & Brewery in Vermont, is easily regarded as one of the top beers in the style around the world. After recently opening their cannery, Heady Topper became a year-round offering in their line-up. Available in 16 ounce cans and at 8% ABV, I’m interested to see how this compares to other “world class” Imperial IPAs.
According to 21st Amendment Brewery out of San Francisco, CA the idea for their Hop Crisis Imperial IPA came about a few years ago when hop prices shot through the roof. So, what did they do? “We made the biggest, hoppiest IPA we could imagine and aged it on oak for good measure.” At 9.7% ABV this oak aged Imperial IPA in a can could prove to be genius or clearly missing the mark.
The line of He’Brew beers is the product of Schmaltz Brewing Company and is cleverly marketed as “The Chosen Beer.” The beer that I chose is the Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A, a rye-based Imperial IPA brewed in honor of Lenny Bruce. At 10% ABV it’s going to take a lot of work to mask the alcohol notes and achieve a balance. Having sampled some other He’Brew beers, such as the Jewbelation 14, I can say that I’m very excited about this one.
