Beer Blotter

Crisis averted.

Enjoyed on 6/28/2011

Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery

Location: San Francisco, CA

Beer: Hop Crisis

Web: http://21st-amendment.com/

Presentation: 12oz. Can

Vintage: 2011

Style: American Style Double India Pale Ale

Barrel: Oak (technically spirals not barrel)

ABV: 9.7%

IBU: 94

Hops: Columbus, Centennial, Cascade (bittering); Simcoe, Ahtanum, Amarillo, Cascade (dry hop)

Malt: Pale, Munich, Dextrose (Cara-Pils)

Commercial Description:

Rate Beer: 99 (3.8)

Timperial’s Notes:

Background.

This is 21A’s newest release.  I love to see imperials in cans – just a damn good idea.  I can’t wait until the day that you can get a Trappist ale in a can.

Appearance.

It still feels a little weird for me to pour a beer into a glass from a can.  The chugging that occurs from the shape of the opening in the can causes a nice inch plus high crown to form.  It’s pure white and rocky and stands tall for some time.  As it recedes, the portion of the glass that once played host to a heavy cloud stands scared by what once ruled – the lacing is a heavy cake.  Cara-Pils did it’s job.

The beer itself is, not surprisingly, quite pale in color.  There is no crystal malts listed on the website.  I’d say it’s yellow drifting slightly toward orange.  The carbonation appears strong with a steady pace of bubble-rise.  21A must have filtered this after dry-hopping because it’s super clear.  All in all, a highly attractive brew

Odor.

Were I to keep this brew in the can that it was packaged in I would likely miss out on much of it’s odoriferous qualities.  When HC is colder it wafts a damp, musty scent steeped both in sopping with resin hops and deep woods oak.  As things warm a bit, a good swirl of the glass brings notes of pine and fruit.  If Pineapple was in fact equal parts pine needles and apples, it may stand a proper descriptor, though the suggestion alone seems to cause me thoughts of the actual tropical fruit as it naturally exists.

The nose is insanely perfumy.  Again, as thoughts lead to words lead back to common usage, consciousness propels me to fantasies of gowned women with essential hop oils delicately smeared below each ear.  An intoxicating delight for any potential suitor fortunate enough to be within range of her supple flesh.

Excuse me, this beer is doing strange things to me.  The scent has a piercing edge to it that can stun the soul.  When it strikes right, all of the nuances curl into a ball of fury and then quickly deconstruct, splashing over your head and down your skin as one entity to balance all forces of nature.  The flowers and fruits and wood and pine and sweet malts all coalesce into goosebumps and raised hairs.  This is more than beer.

Mouthfeel.

Once again, sight leads and touch verifies.  The rapid effervescence that was noted in the appearance is not a mirage.  The liquid really crackles with sharp carbonation on the back of the tongue, but the body is by no means conceding it’s power.  The two forces tangle with great results.  Properly viscous, smooth flowing, it glides across the flavor sensors and down to mingle with blood cells and fondle brain receptors.  A medium of transcendence that hides in plain site.

Flavor.

Somehow, the flavor of this beer bursts more maniacally than any other component.  It seems to mock the scent and appearance, as if to say, “Yes, it’s your job to to reel them in with outward beauty, but I’m the heart and soul that they fall in love with.”

The hops are not as decipherable here in the flavor as in the nose, but that’s not to be thought of as a detriment because the profound balance is what achieves this.  The malty sweetness and oaky, caramel and toffee notes really play to my sweet tooth.  The bitterness is there, and actually more and more pronounced, in tandem with the booziness, as the beer warms.  Piney hops seem to burn my mouth slightly, but it’s a good pain, like drinking an extra spicy ginger beer.

Aftertaste.

The aftertaste begins with a lot of bitterness and sharp piney hops.  It’s slightly dry due to this but then, as the mouth waters to compensate and warms back to body temperature, the malty sweetness peaks back through the hop shroud and brings notes of cinnamon and caramel.  The oak presence is likely most brightly spotlighted here.

Summary.

Hop Crisis is about as complex as an IPA can be.  There is not a single area of assessment above that found anything other than a highly stratified makeup.  I find it very educational actually, as a brewer, to experience how the 21A brewers allowed the oak to bring the balance that would more traditionally come from an element of darker specialty grains.  Without the oak I think this would be a vastly different story.  It would be a bitter monster with hops completely dominating your every thought.  For some, that may be ideal but for this writer, I couldn’t be happier with the results.

I should note that I was listening to Eternal Tapestry and Sun Araw’s recently recorded collaborative, live, improve set on loop whilst writing this review.  It surely played a role in my rantings.

Color/Head/Retention [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 1.00

Odor [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.98

Carbonation/Mouthfeel [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 1.00

Hop Flavor [maximum of 3.00 points possible]: 2.85

Malt Flavor/Balance [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.98

Finish/Aftertaste [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.96

Total [maximum of 10.00 points possible]: 9.77

The Punisher

Enjoyed on 5/30/2011

Brewery: Drakes Brewing Co.

Location: San Leandro, CA

Beer: Denogginizer

Web: http://www.drinkdrakes.com/

Presentation: 22oz. Brown Glass Bottle, Capped.

Vintage: 2011

Style: American Style Double India Pale Ale

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 9.75%

IBU: 90

Hops: Simcoe, Amarillo, Ahtanum, Chinook

Malt: N/A

Commercial Description:

Silver Medal winner for Imperial India Pale Ale, Great American Beer Festival 2009. Besides Jolly Roger, this is probably Drake’s most renowned beer. An Imperial (or Double) IPA, Denogginizer is a big bold beer hopped with an abundant amount of Simcoe and Amarillo with a touch of Ahtanum and Chinook. Mashed with Crystal malt and Caramalt for color and flavor to help balance out the hop assault. Denogginizer is also Drake’s most powerful regular offering, at a whopping 10% alcohol by volume!

Beer Advocate: B+ (3.97)

Rate Beer: 99 (3.81)

Timperial’s Notes:

Background.

A very thoughtful friend of mine picked this up for me while driving through CA on her way back from Coachella.  When it was presented to me, on my 31st birthday, I was unaware of it’s existence.  Now that I am, I’m quite surprised that I hadn’t heard about it earlier.  It seems to be very well though of, so I’m super excited to try it.

Appearance.

Denogginizer pours a super clear caramel color with a very impressive, thick head.  The crown is rocky and displays large bubbles in the area that it makes contact with the glass and fine bubbles pretty much everywhere else.  The clarity allows the brew to show off its effervescence, which appears high.

The rising bubbles continue to build upon the foamy foundation and thus long stands the creamy head atop my IPA.  The lacing is as thick as a white sheet, blinding all light from entering the glass.  Self-defense mechanism.  This one is highly evolved.

Odor.

The nose of this one is highly balanced.  There is almost equal parts hop aroma and biscuity, caramelized malts.  A quick swirl of the glass best allows for the pine and citrus notes of the hops to be detected.  The hop lineup for this brew is what my lupulin dreams are made of.  Amarillo, Simcoe and Chinook are all in my top 5.

There is a sharpness and intensity to the odor that inspires thoughts of hot ethanol, and at nearly 10%, that isn’t unlikely, but I get a sense that it’s the hops at fault.  She seems too cold at the moment for booze to find my nose.  Pine is definitely much more forward than fruit here.  Like a walk beneath the canopy of a northern forest in early fall.  Each step upon the fallen needles brings out the oily, sappy scents of evergreen, like they were crushed by mortar and pestle.  Any fruitiness is subtle and of the Earth, like cold pith of rind and discarded seed.

The maltier side of the story is strong in presence but not as defined.  It’s clearly balanced here but the malts lack the sweetness that so often propel me down roads full of confectionery adjectives.  If caramel was a plant, or of a plant like chocolate, I’d say this had a low sugar content (or high cocoa content if you follow).  It has a near wet paint perception as well, which I have detected in several other beers and honestly have had counterparts agree with me once I planted the seed in their mind.

Mouthfeel.

The body is fantastically executed with this one.  It’s thicker than molasses (not really) and coats the mouth like chugging melted wax (not really).  It’s thick (yes).  The carbonation can’t penetrate but it by no means feels deadly flat.  High marks – spot on for the style in my mind.

Flavor.

The flavor actually comes across with the sweetness that I expected but didn’t get in the maltier side of the nose.  For this, I am ecstatic!  This, of course, is bearing in mind the style before me.  The bitterness is indeed approaching the century mark.

Pine cone biscuits have found a way to be liquefied without appearing like a Saltine riddled soup.  Yes, the odor of this one is pretty much spot on to the flavor.  Again, it’s well balanced, but mind you… with imperial volume.  A lot of hop sap, a lot of caramel kiss.  The bitterness stings, as does the alcohol content.  This beer is punk fucking rock and can and will kick your scrawny ass to the curb with angular assaults to the tongue buds.  If I made this beer I’d be pretty proud.   I think I’d call it No Pussies Allowed.

I feel as though Mom is punishing me for cursing by plunging a bar of pine scented soap into my dirty word hole.  I’m literally chewing on essence-de-tree.  I tell ya, it makes me feel closer to nature… through hopvine crucifixion.  I can imagine the brewers at Drakes saying, “Oh they like hops do they?  Let’s see how they take to a hop hand-grenade in their mouth.  Fuckers.”  Perfect score for hop flavor because it’s so god damn unrelenting.

Aftertaste.

The aftertaste seems to be a bit of a chameleon.  At times I find it to be righteously bitter and (in turn) utterly dry.  Other times, the coating sugars allow for a long term mingling of pine cone biscuits.  Also, there’s booze, and it’s plentiful.

Summary.

This beer is one for the hardcore hop heads.  By hardcore I mean they wear leather jackets with hop leafs emblazoned on the back of them.  By hardcore I mean they have tattoos on their massive manceps of a heart with the word “lupulin” inscribed within it – Mom tats are for the weak.  Dudes that drink this beer can defeat Chuck Norris with one arm behind their back.  Long live the CA IPA!

Color/Head/Retention [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.98

Odor [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.80

Carbonation/Mouthfeel [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 1.00

Hop Flavor [maximum of 3.00 points possible]: 3.00

Malt Flavor/Balance [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.90

Finish/Aftertaste [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.88

Total [maximum of 10.00 points possible]: 9.56

Perfection.

Enjoyed on 4/2/2011

Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Location: Paso Robles, CA

Beer: Double Jack Double IPA

Web: http://www.firestonebeer.com/

Presentation: 22 oz. Brown Glass Bottle, Capped.

Vintage: 2011

Style: American Style Double India Pale Ale

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 9.5%

IBU: N/A

Hops: 4+lbs/BBL: Bittering—Warrior, Columbus; Late Kettle—Cascade, Centennial; Dry Hops—Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe

Malt: Premium Two-Row (Metcalf & Kendall varieties), Munich, Simpson’s Light Crystal

Commercial Description:

Double Jack IPA is our first ever Imperial IPA. It features a big malty middle to cloak the high alcohol and mouth puckering hop bitterness. Huge tangerine, grapefruit and juicy fruit aroma blossom over the herbal blue basil and malt earthiness of this aggressive beer. Best enjoyed in moderation.

Beer Advocate: A- (4.22)

Rate Beer: 100 (3.98)

Timperial’s Notes:

Background.

The Firestone Walker Proprietors Reserve Series was for a long time the stuff of legend for Washington beer geeks like myself.  Now, we are amongst the lucky ones.  It’s surprisingly easy, if you know where to look, to find Double Jack in bottles and on tap in Seattle.  I vow to never forget the days when this beer was rare and to always cherish my time with it.

Appearance.

DJ pours an attractive tangerine like color with a calm, slowly rising head of white bubbles.  The fluid is hazy but there are no visible floaters.  The carbonation, as judged strictly by the rising bubbles from the base of the glass, appears above average.  The head quickly recedes, contradicting the breathy bubbling, but is still a sight to see post recession.  The slimy trails on the inner wall of the glass are thick and heavily slathered.

The only thing that I can complain about here is the lack of head on the pour.  But, all of the things that I know of that create a nice head seem to be present.  The carbonation is rising, it’s cold, it clearly has plenty of sugar to bind together (based on the lacing)… Maybe my glass is at fault – not impossible.

Odor.

A swift pass by of the nose about the top of the glass reveals all the glory of the world famous California IPA.  It gives me the chills.  Glorious, glorious hops in their purest form.

This beer is dry hopped with Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, and Simcoe.  That’s a dream team line-up of aroma hops.  Most notably, it’s a copious swathing of various different lupulin characteristics, each quite heavy-handed in alpha percentage.  This makes it difficult to pinpoint any one resounding odor.

The suggestion of pine and citrus will pose nods, but the unmistakable sweetness lends thoughts of mandarins and satsumas.   Just as I type that though, the earth pushed through and I’m back to damp forest.  It’s a journey and we’re going deep.

That sweetness truly is profound… and it’s from the malt, obviously.  I’d like to call it “slightly leaning toward balanced”, but I think that sugar in my nose is posing delusions.  It feels more as though they actually added sweet citrus juice to the brew.  I know that’s not the case but…  As it warms, much more biscuity malt scents arise and balance becomes a bit more than a pipe dream.

Mouthfeel.

This is simply unbeatable.  The entire mouth is shiny with glaze and the flavors linger.  It’s a pleasure to whip about, across the tongue and along the cheeks.  The terminal gravity of this beer must be high.  I think I’d float in it.  It’s the Great Salt Lake of beers.  Perfect score of coarse.

Flavor.

The bitterness and sweetness of this beer creates the perfect yin and yang.  If there was ever a beer that could exist as complete, perfect circle – this is it.  The first few moments that the beer in on my tongue, I taste nothing but sugar and bitterness.  As I allow the beer to fill my cheeks and strike the sides of my palate, it opens up.  The hops sizzle and surge their mighty prowess upon me.

Again, the hop profile has much depth.  Bitter citrus and an herbal, almost minty dynamic play the forefront.  Earthy pine and flowers mix as well.  It’s just so much god damn flavor and the complexity, for a highly hopped beer is devastating.  I’m on my knees.

The malt characters of the beer come as a deep set backbone.  Clearly, as I’ve already said, the sweetness is huge, but the malts do partake with slightly more definition.  I find most of this in the aftertaste, so I’ll concede to the next section.

It’s worth noting that the intensity of flavor masks the booze for a good while.  Only in near room temperature situations does the 9.5% show itself.

Aftertaste.

Much would be lost here if there was a dryness found after the swallow, but there will be no usage of “dry” at any point in this review.  The aftertaste is nearly as profound as the actual taste.  This is mainly due to the viscosity.  The malts really shine here, but they do not dominate.

Biscuit and caramel and fruitcake all could describe this.  A bitterness lingers as well, but is forced out by sugar and baked foodstuffs.  Even the satsumas join the fray.  This beer is a celebration to the very end.

Summary.

I’m just going to go ahead and say it – in my opinion, this is the best Double IPA in the world.  I have had this beer many times before today and I had made that stance…probably around the first or second time I ever tried it.  This beer has everything that I look for in a big IPA.  It’s has a beautiful color, amazing retention, a flabbergasting scent, world-class body, intense sweetness, respectable balance, enough hops to cause them to go endangered as a species, and a long-lasting, not dry, pristine aftertaste.  If I didn’t rank this with a perfect score, my rating system would be flawed.  Get this beer at all costs!

Color/Head/Retention [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 1.00

Odor [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 2.00

Carbonation/Mouthfeel [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 1.00

Hop Flavor [maximum of 3.00 points possible]: 3.00

Malt Flavor/Balance [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 2.00

Finish/Aftertaste [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 1.00

Total [maximum of 10.00 points possible]: 10.00

Pure Brilliance

Enjoyed on 3/22/2011

Brewery: Alpine Beer Company

Location: Alpine, CA

Beer: Pure Hoppiness

Web: http://www.alpinebeerco.com/

Presentation: 22 oz. Brown Glass Bottle, Capped.

Vintage: 2010

Style: American Style Double India Pale Ale

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: “Classified”

Hops: N/A

Malt: N/A

Commercial Description:

A West Coast Double IPA
So mega-hopped it will take you to hop heaven. We’ve used hops in the boil, more hops in the giant hopback, and added to that, an incredible amount of dry-hopping for that cutting-edge “hop bite.” Once you’ve tasted this unique beer, all others pale in comparison. 1.072 OG Classified IBU 8%ABV

Beer Advocate: A (4.33)

Rate Beer: 100 (3.94)

Timperial’s Notes:

Background.

Jess & DSR got to go to San Diego Beer Week late last year. They wanted me to join them.  A bb.com trip.  I couldn’t swing it.  I may forever regret it.

Yes, there will come a day.  I will one day make it to America’s true hop haven.  In the mean time, tonight, I (finally) enjoy my Christmas gift from the better 2/3 of your blotter.  Can’t fucking wait!

Appearance.

Pure Hoppiness is pure gorgeousness in the glass.  The color is a bright, polished bronze topped with an impressive, rocky head of pure white.  The clarity is very strong but if you look closely you will see tiny little bits of hop, most likely from a generous dry-hopping after fermentation.

The crown begins proud and tall, then settles a bit around the edges.  This provokes the “rocky” moniker, creating a plateau like mound of foam that sits like a dollop of whipped cream on top.  After several minutes most of the bubbles have deflated and a very thin froth is all that remains on the surface.  The sides of the glass…riddled with sticky lace.  A constant reminder of what once was.

The carbonation appears strong to me, but considering that most PNW beers are horribly lacking in this area, maybe it’s average.

If I were to describe the appearance of my perfect IPA, this would be it to the t.  Perfect score.

Odor.

This beer definitely solicits a verbal “oh my god!” when brought to the nose.  If one could see odor, like cartoon characters can (picture a ravenously hungry wolf following the scent trails of a baking pie right up to the window of a warm, forest cottage), this would be absolutely steaming with perfume. It’s dense and sappy.  I feel like I’m wearing a hop flower as a mask.  My cilia is crowded with lupulin.  I could sneeze in a pilsner right now and it would instantly become an IPA.

The hops are well conceived and expertly blended.  Pine and flowers may be said to dominate, but pretty much every standard hop scent is present.  Admittedly, I’d be hard pressed to place tropical fruits amongst the cornucopia, but would you call that standard?  I don’t think that I would.  I digress.  Pine, flowers, citrus, bitter rind…fantastic!

The malts are able to make their presence known with only the slightest bit of warming.  They come across a bit nondescript, but they’re there.  It’s mostly a sweetness that can’t conceivably come from the other 3 ingredients in beer.  I must say that, after that initial inhale, I’m fully flabbergasted that there is any balance to this beer.  Absolutely a perfect score.

Mouthfeel.

This beer feels like it should feel across the tongue for a double IPA.  It has density.  The sugars are dissolved into solution and create a syrup without being too cloying or heavy.  Perfect in viscosity.

The carbonation calms with time, like almost every beer, and there’s not many bubbles that could penetrate the massive body anyway, but I’d still prefer there to be more of an effort.  I’d be happier with more prickle on my tongue when I swish it around a little in my mouth.  Carbonation always enhances the experience.

Flavor.

The thing here is that, after everything that has preceded this section, it almost seems unfathomable that the flavor could compete.  I can sadly say that it really doesn’t, but I feel ever so strongly about offering the disclaimer.  This IPA may just have the best nose in the world.  A well thought out usage of hopback and dry-hopping has the potential to do that.  The flavor simply can’t compare.

BUT…if I approach it with an open mind, all IPAs created equal, it’s remarkably drinkable.  The balance is sound and the bitterness is minimal.  The hops taste earthy and highly floral, the malts taste pale with a soft caramel undertone.

Sweetness and bitterness seem to converge together in a moonlit dance.  The mouthfeel, again, allows for it all to be experienced in upstanding class.  We are living in a world of hop usage nobility right now and I feel under-dressed.

Aftertaste.

I feel that the lion’s share of the flavors burn brightest at the very end of the sip.  I struggle to pinpoint the specifics of the hop and malt components as the fluid dances about my taste buds, but just moments after the swallow, a hearty smack of grapefruit strikes me.  Then, just following, I get a mouthful of dry, grainy biscuit.  At no other point in the journey does the word “dry” seem appropriate, save for the very end.  Just in time for another quenching gulp.

Summary.

Have you noticed that the opening track of almost every album that has been released over the past 10 years, if not for much longer before that, is one of the best songs on the album?  It’s important from a marketing standpoint.  You need to entice the listener immediately or they will move along.  That’s the kind of world we live in.  There is just so much out there that artists have to wow you early and often to stand out.  far too often, what follows is a bunch of filler.  One or two good singles and then a bunch of crap.  Yet another digression.  My disdain for overproduced pop music could easily lead me astray.

Let me be clear, this beer is absolutely not a one hit wonder, but it kind of reminds me of a good album that has a flawless opener and then…a bevy of solid songs that never quite live up to the standard that was set at the beginning.  At first smell, this beer is hop heaven. The moment the beer enters the mouth, it pops with sappy hop burn.  Then, it plods along as a good double IPA with impressive balance.  Will I give this beer a bad score?  Fuck no!  It’s god damn excellent.  But…it does pain me a little that it failed to sustain the early high.  Ever so close to perfection.  Perhaps they had to leave room for Exponential Hoppiness.  Need!

Color/Head/Retention [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 1.00

Odor [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 2.00

Carbonation/Mouthfeel [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.92

Hop Flavor [maximum of 3.00 points possible]: 2.61

Malt Flavor/Balance [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.86

Finish/Aftertaste [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.96

Total [maximum of 10.00 points possible]: 9.35

Spicy

Enjoyed on 3/7/2011

Brewery: Hair of the Dog Brewing Co.

Location: Portland, OR

Beer: Blue Dot Double India Pale Ale (Winter)

Web: http://www.hairofthedog.com/

Presentation: 22 oz. Brown Glass Bottle, Capped.

Vintage: 2011

Style: American Style Double India Pale Ale

Barrel: N/A

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: 80

Hops: N/A

Malt: Organic Pilsner, Rye

Commercial Description:

Blue Dot is named after our planet: we are only a pale blue dot in this universe. A Double India Pale Ale made with Organic Pilsner, Rye malt and a combination of intense northwest hop varieties.

Beer Advocate: A- (4.12)

Rate Beer: 99 (3.81)

Timperial’s Notes:

Background.

Alan Sprints of HoD is a chef.  It’s not uncommon to see him in the kitchen when you visit their new (and amazing) tasting room.  He is also a master brewer – one of the best on this great blue dot we call Earth if you ask me.  When he creates a recipe, be it for a hearty meal or a complex brew, he puts years of experience and know-how (and heart) into it.  In the mighty Northwest, nothing moves us quite like an IPA.  Alan isn’t particularly known for profundity in alpha usage, but he is a legend with malt.  Let’s see what balance he can bring to the most hoppy of styles.

Appearance.

Blue Dot flows from its glass chamber and fills my tulip with a muddy straw-colored liquid.  When held to the light it glows a cloudy, translucent pale orange. If I didn’t know better I’d think this a Belgian Wit before me.

The head is very minimal and stark white.  Carbonation bubbles can be seen rising but, overall, the effervescence is minimal.  The crown completely dissipates and the lacing is very minimal.

Odor.

My initial reflections on the scent are of an Earthiness and a graininess. I sometimes think that I’m hyper-sensitive to pilsner malt.  It’s always obvious to me when it is used.  There is a slight spiciness in the nose but I wouldn’t have assumed that it came from rye had I not known it was a part of the grain bill.

A second waft brings thoughts of a tropical forest.  Bitter citrus and pineapple are most prevalent, but a sappy, resinous, pine-like greenness cannot be overlooked.  It’s somewhat floral as well.  “Orange blossoms” seems to be most appropriate, killing two birds with one stone.

Mouthfeel.

Blue Dot slips gracefully across my tongue and goes down silky smooth.  The carbonation, though pretty minimal here, plays in tune with the alcohol to bring a mild sting to the tongue and rear corners of the mouth.  The bitterness is so intense that it’s almost corrosive, which is more impressive than detrimental.

Maybe it’s the spicy rye.  Who knows what it is exactly, but it really stings, though mostly after the swallow.  Still, I kind of like it.  It’s similar to the effect that ginger has on the mouth, which I love.

Flavor.

First and foremost, this beer is a bitter bomb.  At 7% abv and with such subtle grains employed, the 80 IBUs are mightily magnified.  Once you’re able to reanimate your imploded face, the strongest palates amongst us may be able to detect the citrus and graininess that was prefaced in the nose.

Grapefruit juice and bitter orange peel are all over this one.  What mild pilsen character climbs through can claim a doughy, biscuity essence.   The rye is somewhat challenging to segregate due to the huge hop profile.  One must ask whom imparts the huge spice element.  I guess it’s huge enough to award to both parties.

[I feel I must offer a disproportionately high mark for the malt flavor, mostly due to its uniqueness.  Is this beer balanced in the traditional way?  Hell no! But...how could I not respect innovation and against-the-grain...ed...ness...  Puntastic!]

Aftertaste.

The aftertaste is very dry with bitterness but by no means one-dimensional.  An exhale stirs up pleasant thoughts of freshly baked rolls.  A peppery heat can most likely be attributed to the rye malt and the alcohol.  Spicy hop bitterness only further asserts the notion.

It’s quite clear that this brew was formulated deliberately to excite the spiciest amongst us.  If I were in the business of pairing beer with food I would never miss an opportunity to place this beside a warm plate of spicy something-or-other with peppercorns.  Sorry, I’m no chef.

Summary.

I think Frank Herbert would be proud of what Alan has created with Blue Dot.  In his utterly epic sci-fi series Dune, lives, cultures, planets…everything revolves (figuratively) around “the spice”.  The Spice Melange.  It’s oddly ironic that this beer is named after the planet Earth when such a comparison about a fictional work steeped in interstellar politics can be made.  Perhaps this would be the defining beverage of choice on the desert planet Arrakis, of course, where it not so (seemingly…?) bereft of water.

As you see, my nerdiness is vast and covers many more planes than just craft beer.  I’ll attempt to stick with just the one in this particular forum.  The point to it all is that this beer is spicy as shit.  The malts and hops coincide to form a perfect storm and it all whips around so fast that it’s nearly impossible to distinguish the origins on what the tongue perceives.  It’s sci-fi beer and it’s delicious.

Color/Head/Retention [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.85

Odor [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.90

Carbonation/Mouthfeel [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.92

Hop Flavor [maximum of 3.00 points possible]: 2.46

Malt Flavor/Balance [maximum of 2.00 points possible]: 1.98

Finish/Aftertaste [maximum of 1.00 point possible]: 0.90

Total [maximum of 10.00 points possible]: 9.01