For all of those that are starting off with "Ewww, beer in a can," you need to re-think what you know about beer. Just like most people know now that corked wine is really about show and screw caps have a much smaller failure rate, we now know that with can liners beer flavor is not affected by being put into a can. To the contrary, since cans do not let in light like even the darkest bottles, one of beer's primary enemies is thwarted. Now, on to one of the better IPAs I've ever had:
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| Hop Nectar |
You can see that it poured a clear, darker amber color. The head was light and very white with a fine foam. The aroma was pure hops, but not overly powerful and lightly sweet.
The first thing to hit you is hops when you take a sip. Very powerful, but not at all bitter. I'm not sure how they amped up the hops flavor and toned down the bitter that usually comes with that, but they did it and they did a good job of it.
As the beer warmed, the hops hit actually toned down and you could detect a bit of maltiness along with the great hops flavor. The only bitter was just a bit on the back and sides of the tongue. Not that bitter is a bad thing at all, but too much can just shut you down. This was overall a fantastic beer. However, I warn you that if you aren't an IPA drinker or familiar with strong hops, you may want to start a bit lighter than this one.
For those of you that are IPA nuts, run, don't walk to get this one.
Now, the price point is rather high. It comes in a 4 pack of cans and it will run you around $14.00. This isn't something you're going to be drinking a case of at the 4th of July party. It's something you want to sit down with and really enjoy (and at 10.0% ABV, I recommend going light on them). Speaking of that, I'm going to keep doing that.
Interesting... :-)
ReplyDeleteVery. And, more importantly, tasty. Hope your weekend is still going as awesome as it has been to this point.
ReplyDeleteMy son-in-law has taken up brewing - puts together a mighty fine IPA!
ReplyDeleteNow that's a talent to have. A couple of friends of mine are in the start up phase of home brewing. I'll be glad to lend my talents as a taste-tester.
DeleteThat's a really good beer. We get it in VA too. I have to be thinking "special times" though to pick up a four-pack at that price point. I did enjoy it at the brewery at Longmont last year too.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll be seeing more and more craft beers in cans. They protect the flavor of the beer much better than bottles and are cheaper to ship. Lots of breweries are making use of "traveling" canning operations that come in and will can a batch of beer. Just remember, it's still best to pour that beer into a glass to enjoy the full flavor!
Cheers!
It is good. You're on the money about the cans. A few of the craft brewers in Austin have been using cans a lot more lately. I'm thinking the type that would spend the money for the kind of beer they are putting out would want to drink it from a glass to get all of their money's worth. ;)
DeleteOskar Blues makes a good product. The Deviant Dale's version of Dales Pale Ale is pretty damn good as well. Try it.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Austin Beer Works up here is doing all cans as well. They make a damn good beer.
I'll have to pick that one up. I don't think I've tried the Deviant.
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