Getting to try new beers that I've only heard about is really a central point of taking a vacation. Yes, staying in a lovely house in the woods of Western Virginia with nothing but the sounds of birds and insects and that one fight of a husband using the wife's Ford Focus without asking is truly the reason I'm here, but packing up as many mixed 6-packs of unique stuff I can get is an excellent fringe benefit. And while I'm saving up my post about the best Virginia based brewery I've had so far, Devil's Backbone, I'm gonna roll through two more beers, both IPAs, from the amazing New Belgium Brewing which I talked about
yesterday.
First was
Ranger, there strait forward IPA, racking in at a nice 70
IBUs from a west coast blend of Chinook, Simcoe and Cascade hops. It is definitely on the lighter side of Pale and is incredibly refreshing to sip, with a nice dry maltyness and some citrusy fruity hops in the finish, clean and without much bitterness, but just enough to keep it very well balanced. The 6.5% alcohol makes it supremely easy to go back for another but I've got a bigger fish to fry after this guy.
Rampant Imperial India Pale Ale ups the ante with 85 IBUs from 3 different types of hops, Mosiac, Calypso and Centennial and boasts a 8.5% alcohol tag. The darker colors come courtesy of some black malts mixed in with the pale malts and give it a roasty warmth with the sweetness balanced with a very earthy/grassy taste on the tongue, and finishes with a much more prevalent bitterness. It would be much tougher to drink more than a couple and I think I'll be headed back to the Ranger to finish the night. Both are excellent beers and uniquely different. I'm really glad New Belgium didn't just make an Imperial IPA by adding more of the same to their existing IPA, but rather created a totally unique beer to pair side by side with it. Understanding the various ways to use hops for bittering and for freshness, for citrus or pineyness is something I love to get when I try new beers, because you know it's the same water, the same yeast, and the same equipment, and getting to understand the subtleties is what makes tasting new beer so fucking awesome.
First was Ranger, there strait forward IPA, racking in at a nice 70 IBUs from a west coast blend of Chinook, Simcoe and Cascade hops. It is definitely on the lighter side of Pale and is incredibly refreshing to sip, with a nice dry maltyness and some citrusy fruity hops in the finish, clean and without much bitterness, but just enough to keep it very well balanced. The 6.5% alcohol makes it supremely easy to go back for another but I've got a bigger fish to fry after this guy.
Rampant Imperial India Pale Ale ups the ante with 85 IBUs from 3 different types of hops, Mosiac, Calypso and Centennial and boasts a 8.5% alcohol tag. The darker colors come courtesy of some black malts mixed in with the pale malts and give it a roasty warmth with the sweetness balanced with a very earthy/grassy taste on the tongue, and finishes with a much more prevalent bitterness. It would be much tougher to drink more than a couple and I think I'll be headed back to the Ranger to finish the night. Both are excellent beers and uniquely different. I'm really glad New Belgium didn't just make an Imperial IPA by adding more of the same to their existing IPA, but rather created a totally unique beer to pair side by side with it. Understanding the various ways to use hops for bittering and for freshness, for citrus or pineyness is something I love to get when I try new beers, because you know it's the same water, the same yeast, and the same equipment, and getting to understand the subtleties is what makes tasting new beer so fucking awesome.
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