st. augustine's

at last week's beernesday at st. augustine's i was overwhelmed with amazing ipa choices on the menu
so i had to have two samplers!
(because they're like a beer buffet)
the first featured beers i hadn't tried before
the second was a bit of an "ipa off" between my faves
it was a whole lot of win!

sampler one:
skookum brewery's olde tom:  6%  an ipa style balanced with a belgian malt
lost coast big ass west coast ipa: 7%  full-bodied and fatty with tickling carbonation. the flavor provides heaps of malt and tons of juicy, citric, rindy hops - nods toward the bitter side of balance
green flash hop head red ale: 6%  resinous hop character and bitterness balance the rich carmel malt base
deschutes hop in the dark: 6.5%  can an ipa be black? semantics aside, this noir version has subtle coffee undertones born of a blend of oats with dark, munich and crystal malts. what emerges is something deeper, less orthodox, and all its own

okay, yes, i have had the hop in the dark many times before, but its my favourite and its a seasonal, so i have to have it while its still here!
i must have had the hop head red before too - its just too good for me not to have!
loved the olde tom - belgian malts are just fine by me, its only their yeast i don't like!  hoppy goodness, and i'll happily order it again!
the big ass was not so great - too much rind, not enough actual citrus for me

sampler two:
new belgium's ranger ipa: 6.5%  bring out the hops! this clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: cascade (citrus), chinook (floral/citrus) and simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor
green flash west coast ipa: 7%  this west coast-style india pale ale is extravagantly hopped, full flavoured, medium bodied and copper colored.
deschutes inversion ipa: 6.8%  trio of hops delivers an over-th-top nose with hints of orange and grapefruit.  it's then dry-hopped for seven days resulting in an added hoppy kick.
elysian men's room red: 5.6%  amber in color with a light hop aroma and toasty malt finish

okay, the men's room isn't an ipa, but you know what?  it stood up okay and it makes me very happy to drink!
the inversion is one of my faves, as is the west coast.  head to head i couldn't pick a favourite!  and the ranger held its own against the two powerhouses - add that to the faves list

really, the whole thing was just a wonderful way to jump back into beernesday and st. augustine's and friends and beers and good times!  yay!

p.s. kudos to debs for stopping in even though she had to go home and finish packing for her early morning departure to europe!!