Nighttime ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: NightTime Ale

• Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company (California)

• Style: Black IPA

• ABV: 8.6%

• IBU: 73.4

• Pour Color: Black as night!

      NightTime Ale poured black as night. Light had no business even trying to pass thru this one. The head even had a dark shade to it showing how much dark malt was in it. The lacing lasted most of the glass as it fought valiantly against my follicles. The scent of the hops had a nice pine citrus mix. The bouquet was rounded out with roasted caramel scent. First sip was a explosion of flavors. The hops and the malts were way over the top but only got better as the face swallowed. The malts come thru as a slightly sweet flavor but the roasted malt bitterness really just added to the hops. Citrus and pine tried to over whelm but the malts held there own. Great great beer!
      Lagunitas.... Ohhh how do I love thee... Let me count the ways! Very few beer companies knock it out of the park nearly every beer you have. That's what Lagunitas does. There hop heavy beers are amazing and the back bone of there business. It's beers like night time that make you realize that Lagunitas knows it's niche but can also cross over into dark stuff. Yeah it's still hop heavy but it also makes you think of chocolate and coffee more then most straight up malty beers. Kudos again to one of the breweries that makes me love drinking beers!

Rating: *****

Hopportunity Knocks

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Hopportunity Knocks

• Brewery: Caldera Brewing Company

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.8%

• IBU: 100

• Pour Color: red and light travels thru.

      The pour brought about a redish colored pour. The head was a good size and laced the glass most of the way down. The scent off the top was kind of unsettling. Smelled like sweet resinous smell but the malt blend had a funk to it. The flavor had a hop presence like a IPA should. Those hops came through as a artificial alcoholic flavor more then a real bitter kick. The malts were over bearing and seemed to have a slight smoked flavor that was way out of place. Really a weird IPA. 
      This beer may be one of the worst IPAs I've ever had. It's a IPA cause of the 100 IBUs yeah.... they chose to bury the IBUS with a absurd blend of malts that didn't just try and balance the beer but tried to take it over. On top of that the scent off the top was just about stomach turning before I took a swig. The date on the can said canned 4/15/15 so I would expect 120 day window would still be good for freshness. Really really disappointed by this beer and wouldn't get it again ever. 

Rating: 

Even Keel

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Even Keel

• Brewery: Ballest Point (California)

• Style: Session IPA

• ABV: 3.8%

• IBU: 40

• Pour Color: Dark golden color maybe even a bronze that allowed light thru.

      The face poured this one and the smell hit me quick. A nice citrus grassy scent off the top. The head was two fingers high to begin with and disappeared rapidly. The color in the glass was a bronze shade that allowed light thru. I imagine some kind of caramel malt is used to get that shade in a session ipa. It also had a nice little bit of hop haze to it. The flavor gives you a slight sweet taste of malts that coincides with a bitter almost tangerine, orange, grapefruit flavor. This beer is able to pack a punch that most session ales can't. A good beer to have a few when you can't get smashed. 
      I went to a tap take over from Ballest Point at the basin pub in my area of New York. They had alot of big beers but I had to drive home and I live a half hour away at the very least. This was the beer that got me through. Full of flavor and a real low ABV. Up till that night i didn't give many sessions a chance cause they were just so laid back. This one actually packs the flavor IPA drinkers are looking for. 

Rating: ****1/2

Total Domination

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Total Domination

• Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company (Oregon)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.7%

• IBU: 65

• Pour Color: A nearly see thru dark golden color. 

      The scent as it poured was a piney slightly sweet scent. The golden darker color had a good haze to it showing it was hoppy and unfiltered. The head on the top of the beer was fluffy and faded down quick. It did leave lacing down about half the glass before totally dissipating. The flavor was a little off to me. The bitterness of the hops came across as more of a peel bitter. It also had a slightly sweet and sour backing that was weird. As you swallow this on though you get a strong alcohol taste for a few seconds and it echos for awhile. Very strange beer that I probably wouldn't go out of my way to find. 
      This really wasn't my favorite beer. The bottle didn't have a best by date or born on date. So the sour flavor I got off it could have been it sitting to long. That sour flavor really was off. This experience alone would make me personally shy away from taking a swim in Ninkasi beer from now on. Luckily this isn't my only experience with ninkasi and I know they have other beers that are good. Maybe soon I'll get a fresh IPA from them and it'll change my mind but for now Total Domination isn't a accurate description of what was in this bottle.    

Rating: **1/2

Hop Ottin' IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Hop Ottin' IPA

• Brewery: Anderson Valley Brewing Company (California)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 7%

• IBU: 78

• Pour Color: A slightly hazy bronze that light makes it thru.

      The head came up fluffy and capped the bronze glass of beer well. It laced the glass as I sipped but didn't last very long. The scent off the top is mostly hops with a slight yeast and malt scent. The pine and citrus mix are a nice bouquet with the rose scent they get. Many beers claim scents they don't have, Anderson Valley nails the mix of scents off the glass. While sipping a strong lemon citrus is the first up front flavor. It also has a nice sweetness that balances a quite bitter beer. The echos of flavor come in that sweet flavor almost taking over up front and ballencing that bitter even more. It's not quite a peel bitterness that echos time and again on the back of the pallet. Very good and very refreshing for a mustache bath!
      Anderson Valley just makes good beer. Everything I've had is a experience unto itself and most of the time a great one. I may be bias against this IPA cause i've had Heelch O Hops but this beer is still good. A IPA that I would most likely grab before most on a shelf. I would be down right giddy to see it at a local grocery store near me.

Rating: ****

!Pliny The Elder!

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Pliny the Elder

• Brewery: Russian River Brewing Company (California)

• Style: Double IPA

• ABV: 8%

• IBU: 100

• Pour Color: A hazy bronze to copper color.

      This pint poured out with a good head and a real hop haze. About two fingers of head that fought the good fight. Eventually i bested it and but each sip left residue of where it had been. The scent off the top was a bouquet of fruit and pine. Pineapple, grapefruit and pine needles all hit you to make a amazing mix! The mix comes through on flavor too. A slight sweetness of the malts try to even it out but the hops are on display. The most amazing part of this beer is the after tones. The echos of citrus peel stay with every follicles in-between sips. Long, Long, Long after each sip! Prost!, Russian River!
      That's right, me, the hop headed mustache, got to swim in a very special bottle of the Pliny elder... I don't know what else to say but AMAZING! This is my unicorn. It took me for a ride and a half. It was just everything I expected and more. Then I hit the bottom of the bottle and now I'll be chasing this beast again. By far the best double IPA I've ever had!

Rating: *****

IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: IPA

• Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company (Oregon)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6%

• IBU: 60

• Pour Color: A golden color that is nearly see thru.

      The pour brought a good head that was fluffy and full. Competed with for about half the glass but my follicles beat it down. The color of the beer was a golden shade and seemed pretty well filtered. The scent off the top is very full of citrus. The taste was full of lemon and grapefruit. It's almost a citrus fruit peel bitterness. It still has a great balance that works. A really interesting and as the say tasty IPA. 
      This is a great IPA. Hoppy and full of flavor in the right way. It's completely citrus flavored though. No hop spectrum but that citrus flavor. That comes across this mustache as a nice refreshing beverage. Not really every hop heads dream though. I'd grab this on hot days any day. Not really a cold weather beer for me though!

Rating: ****1/2

Racer 5 IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Racer 5 IPA

• Brewery: Bear Republic (California)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 7%

• IBU: 75

• Pour Color: A golden slightly amber color with a haze. Light travels thru easily!

      I've got my follicles all in this one. The head was fairly high and lasted as a lacing for most the glass. The color was a very hazy gold. The haze and scent off the top screamed dry hop! A nice bouquet of citrus and alchol off the top. A fairly sweet back ground for a IPA. The hops come through as a mix of citrus and pine. Noticeable alcohol taste in mouth too. A nice original tasting IPA.
      An IPA that tastes different then most I have tasted before are hard to find. Racer 5 really is one of those kind of IPAs. The really sweet backing is usually found in a slightly overly bitter pale ale. Dale's uses it nicely. Deviant Dale's does too. This one isn't on par with those for me but this mustache enjoyed this beer. The alcoholic bite is just a little to much for every day of the week..

Rating: ****

Lunch

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Lunch

• Brewery: Maine Beer Company (Maine)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 7%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A extremely hop hazed golden/amber color

      You open this bottle and find out quick you in a hop haze! The scent comming out the bottle gave a preview of the glass. It was strong pine, citrus, and passion fruit. A bouquet that made the face's wife look at me and say "I can smell it from here!" The color of the pour is gold and quite hazy showing the hop residue in this IPA. The head was fluffy and big and didn't just go away. I was afraid it was going to be over whelmed. The flavor is where it just gets real so much better! You got a buffet of hop goodness just dancing on the follicles! Passion fruit, orange, pine, and a slight grassy flavor. All and all it's the most flavor packed IPA I've ever had. This beer is incredible!
      As far as a IPA goes this is it. As far as a great beer with complexity and verity in flavor this is it! Recently i've had Heady Topper and Ghandi-Bot also top rated beers but still I compare them to my favorite beer. Dale's is my favorite beer period. Deviant Dale's used to be my special occasion must have beer. There is no question that this is now my must have for,or just after, any celebration that's really special!

Rating: *****

Red IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Red IPA

• Brewery: Saranac Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.0%

• IBU: 63

• Color: A dark amber that can easily be seen thru

      The head of this beer was real fluffy from the get go. Easily distinguishable as a IPA as soon as you smelt the top. A nice citrus grassy smell. The color was obviously a red ale with a dark amber tone to it. Lacing began at the top and started tracing down as I bathed splash after splash. The bitterness is there for a IPA but it has a nice back bone to the sips. Hops are of course the star though. Citrus, grassy, and pine flavors are all easy to find. These flavors also echo long after the bathe and sip are over. Really one of the better spring seasonals I've had.

      Wow. Let me start by saying if you want a great 12 pack, you should get the 12 beers a springing from saranac. It's basically a IPA love triangle in that thing, plus a few more hop heavy favorites. This is the one I think is the best of the bunch though. The yeast flavor that most of the Saranac beers have, maybe it's a house yeast, don't blend this well. The yeast just fills out the flavor profile as you get a strong dose of bitter hops and slightly sweet malts. A IPA loving mustache like me can't help but love this one! Maybe this one will go full time soon like the White IPA!

Rating: *****

All Day IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: All Day IPA

• Brewery: Founder's Brewing Company (Michigan) 

• Style: Session IPA

• ABV: 4.7%

• IBU: 42

• Pour Color: Golden straw color easily seen thru

      The Face poured it and we found it was a nice see thru gold color. The carbonation seemed rather high as bubbles are seen all over the glass. The head sat at about a inch and hung around for a good while. The lacing went down the whole glass. The scent off the top was a piney/earthy combination. Much stronger and bolder then most session IPAs. The taste came through as a piney grassy taste. The malts, unlike alot of founders beers, stayed very mellow. It comes across as almost a wheat beer flavor.
      Normally I expect a session ale to be rather light and boring. Although in the vein of most craft beer types they just are too mellow to really be a everyday pick up. I find this one to be different. The hops that a IPA lover is looking for is strong in this beer. Both scent and flavor you get a nice kick. Although since the ABV is lower you can drink two or three of these and still golf. You really might have a hard time doing the same with two or three breakfast stouts! It's definitely worth spending all day with this IPA!

Rating: ****1/2

Yellow Snow IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Yellow Snow IPA

• Brewery: Rogue Brewing Company (Oregon)

• Style: American IPA

• ABV: 6.2%

• IBU: 70

• Pour Color: Golden and hazy color to this one.

      It poured with a slight tinge of yellow in the head. A golden color on the pour. Very murky compared to a lot of IPAs. I imagine that it's the hop haze causing that cloudy murkiness. The head was big and fluffy for most of the beer. Spicy and grassy scents come off the top of the glass. The taste is a nice balance. The hops is a nice mix of flavors. It's spicy and citrus mix is really good. The bitter of the orange peel and grapefruit flavors lingers. The malts give it a nice mix of sweet and buttery flavor. A really savory IPA that some might not like. I found it to be delicious.
      This is a nicely done IPA. Not only bitter but long lasting taste.  You swallow and a few minutes later you're still tasting bitter peels. I could defiantly see me picking this up again and again cause you really can't get board of these flavors. Also you get the fun of telling your friends your going to drink yellow snow. All and all a great beer that this mustache loves!

Rating: *****

Union Jack IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Union Jack IPA

• Brewery: FireStone Walker Brewing Company (California)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 7.5%

• IBU: 70

• Pour Color: A golden yellow color and easily seen through

      The head didn't come up quick at all. It eventually sat about a a 1/4 inch above the glass. It would be a trace film across the top for the rest of the glass. Even just opening the bottle though you got a nice smell of hops. This golden colored beer just stunk of hoppyness. A strong citrus hops scent that you just know is gonna be in the flavor. Tasting it you just expect to taste hops. That's not at all how it is though! The malt backing is nice and makes the high amount of bitterness seem lightened. The citrus flavors, that I smelt earlier, again are the main hop flavor. The way that it finished super dry really makes it good! This is just a great beer for any night of the week!
      I had heard tales of the Union Jack IPA. The face would be talking to other faces about beers and this one would come up. The hype is hard to argue against! The scent is hops, the taste is hops! It's easy to tell you now that I too will tell tales of union jack. Delicious and crisp you can't find much better!

Rating: *****

Celebration Ale 2012

The Beer Stats: 

• Beer Name: Celebration Fresh Hop Ale 2012

• Brewery: Sierra Nevada Beer Company (California)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.8%

• IBU: 65

• Pour Color: A nice amber orange color, Easily see through.

      The pour looked great on this one. The head was nice and fluffy and stayed that way for awhile. The color was a shade of amber. The scent off the top was strong and full of hop aroma. The pine and citrus hit you hard like most sierra beers. You only get a slight notes of the malts in it. The taste is a explosion on every follicle. The hop flavor is strong up front and bitter. The malts are there the whole ride and balance out that bitter well. Slightly dark bread flavor to those but also a slight sweetness. All and all one of my favorites for the holiday season.
      Sierra has a few seasonals that just make the year. This is one of em. A nice fresh hop beer that has a lot of hop character without being over bitter. The fresh hop flavor is there to. Bright and crisp making this one of the most refreshing beers ever. Being a hop loving mustache, like I am, this is a special Christmas season treat for me!

Rating: *****

Encore

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Encore

• Brewery: Magic Hat Brewing Company (Vermont)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.4%

• IBU: 45

• Pour Color: A hazy amber color. Cloudy but light travels through easy.

      The head of the beer was fairly low. Hung around at the top for awhile as a thin film. The pour in the glass looked to have a strong hop haze from the dry hopping. The scent off the top of the glass didn't really offer that sense though. You get a little hop and a little wheat kick in the smell. Tasting this one gives you a mix of flavors. While in mouth your getting a nice kick of pine and citrus hops. It also has a orange peal bitter taste. Then as you swallow that kick of the wheat comes in strong and clean. Not a bad wheat IPA. 
      This is a good beer that does what it aims for. You get a nice hop presence and a nice wheat end. It has a nice crisp clean taste that puts a lot of pale wheat ales to shame. Being a hop loving mustache though it's not hoppy enough. It does have another factor on it's side though. At 6.4% ABV it's actually a higher ABV then most wheat ales. Remember when drinking this one, although very smooth, it ain't a session beer. I wouldn't shy away from this one if I found myself hovering above it again. 

Rating: ****

Sublimely Self-Righteous

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Sublimely Self-Righteous

• Brewery: Stone Brewing Company (California)

• Style: Black IPA

• ABV:8.7%

• IBU: 90

• Pour Color: Dark color that swallows most the light. Slightly brown head to it.

      The pour came out extremely dark. Held up to light, you get a slight red color through the glass. The head came up to be 3 fingers easy and was quite formidable. It took four or five fights with it to make it go down. The scent off the glass was all hops really. A nice mix of piney, grassy hops that most beers can't get. The taste was really where this one overwhelmed. Not just hops there. You get the fair share of hops in the opening. In the mouth you notice a thicker body then the average beer. The swallow was a nice mix of coffee, chocolate, and hops at the end. Quite delicious all and all.
      Late in the year it's hit and miss on seasonal offerings. This is an exception but what else would you expect from Stone! Sublimely Self-Righteous makes you excited for winter to come as this will be your reward. Even if instead of San Diego California you live in upstate New York or anywhere in between!  

 
Rating: *****

Bengali Tiger

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Bengali Tiger

• Brewery: Sixpoint Brewing Company (New York)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.4%

• IBU: 62

• Pour Color: A slightly murky orange color.

       The head came up on the pour, it was about a finger high out of the can. It sat at that level for about half the beer. A nice hazy orange color in the glass. The scent off the glass was a nice pine and lemon kick. Not much of the malts in the smell though. On taste it's more of a grapefruit flavor and pine mix in the taste. The malts are just sweet enough with the caramel flavor to balance this delicious beer. Amazing how good it is. 
       Another sixpoint beer and another amazing one. This had all that you could ask from a IPA. A lot of hop flavor kicks this one off and ends it well. Somewhere in the middle you get that nice taste of malts that makes it a real great experience. I know it's rough but it's another one that you gotta try! So... Go get it!  

Rating: *****

Lagunitas IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Lagunitas IPA

• Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company (California)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.2%

• IBU:

• Pour Color: A golden see through color slightly orange.

       The pour brought about a head that wouldn't quit. Even when I thought I had beat it down it sat at half a finger. The color was a light see thru copper. Smelling the top of this one is a real treat. Nothing but pine, grass and citrus hitting you in the face. The taste is a little different. The malts really do hold there own making this bitter treat quite ballenced. The hops on taste are much more the grassy earthy veriety then the scent would lead you to belive. It really has a very fresh hop taste and that flavor echos long after you have swallowed. With the malts having a slight sweetness everything in this one just works!
      WOW! This is a great IPA. Bitter but still ballenced with a sweet malt it works well. My other favorite Lagunitas brew is hop stoopid and it's hard to compare. The Imperial IPA is nothing but hops. This is alot more then just hops. Refreshing and delicious, you're really lucky if your gas station has this one in town! So GO GET IT!

Rating: *****

Southern Hemisphere Harvest

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Southern Hemesphere Harvest (2012)

• Brewery: Sierra Nevada (California)

• Style: American IPA

• ABV: 6.7%

• IBU: 66

• Pour Color:A nice bronze color that has a hoppy haze through out!

      This beer poured a hazy bronze color. The head came up fluffy and high at least two fingers. That would hang out as a film most the glass. The scent off the glass is a sweet biscuit malt and a real grassy scent to the hops. The taste has a mix of malt and hop that is hard to declare a winner. The malts come through as a slightly sweet bread taste and the hops come through as a grassy citrus mix that is hard to beat. This one has a nice familiarity since I've tasted there pale ale but the hops on this one near more of a torpedo in taste. Amazing beer that you really get a fresh taste of hops off of. 
     This beer I heard about and had to get some. My follicles have been lucky enough to be bathed in a fresh hop beer that the Face crafted. Never have I had a fresh hop beer from a big name. The fact it's a IPA from Sierra Nevada got me even more excited. What a great beer and a great concept. Hope to be talking it up for a year before getting it again next summer!

Rating: *****

Mission IPA

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Mission IPA

• Brewery: Mission Brewing Company (California)

• Style: IPA

• ABV: 6.8%

• IBU: 66

• Pour Color: A hazy golden color with a orange hue.

      The Face poured this one and BAM! IPA DAY reached it's pinnacle! The scent off the glass was fairly strong. The malts had a nice fresh sweet bread scent and the hops gave it fruity grassy scent. The color was a nice see through color with just a slight hop haze. The taste is where you find the IPA! Tastes slightly more bitter then the IBU would indicate. The hops bite hard on every splash. Luckily this mustache bites back! The initial taste in the mouth is the sweet malts. Then it's a variety of grassy and citrus hops. This is one of my favorite IPAs i've ever tasted. Lucky to have found this on IPADAY!
      I'm really glad I left the real thing for last. The mustache wanted to just scarf hops and this one delivered. Bitter and delicious I can't believe how good this was. The best of my five for IPA day by far! Hope you enjoyed the journey through the mustache's holiday! Cheers!

Rating: *****