beernesday

i attended the "evolution of the ipa" tasting at firefly last week i was so excited that they were having a whole night of ipas! and i wasn't disappointed there were only two ipas on the list that i hadn't yet tried (one because its limited release and the other because it was only just released) but that meant that i could focus more easily on comparing and contrasting the hops varieties, strengths and malt balances between the beers we got lots of great hand-outs a hops profile chart, a beer evaluation sheet, the history of ipas and a beer aroma wheel not to mention all the great information our fearless leaders had to impart i feel like i got a lot more than just a tasting we began the night with samuel smith's india ale (5%) from england this is one that i had tried just the night before and not liked i found it had a biscuity nose and felt kind of belgian but the further i got down my taster glass of this semi-traditional british ipa, the more ...

blech, do i ever not like samuel smith's india ale top fermented in stone yorkshire squares (must be that top fermenting yeast that's getting to me) couldn't get past the second sip thank dog bridget likes it and was willing to finish the other 500mls on the bottle:  "in the 19th century there was a considerable trade in ale from britain to india.  the land of spice was britain's major export market.  the heavy hop levels of these pale ales shipped on the long voyage to india naturally preserved the ale and complemented the flavourful and exotic cuisine of the east.  samuel smith's india ale is characterised by the colour of a golden sunset, a refined maltiness and an emphasis on the aroma and flavour from britain's best hop gardens." tried it again at firefly on tuesday still don't love it, but it did go down better than the other night... it really has a belgiany nose to it and i think i just can't get past that poor belgians, i...

i love my busy life! it does make it hard to make longer posts in a timely fashion though! craft beer tasting at firefly on july 20th was amazing! and not just because they let us sample the tactical nuclear penguin! (omg - i got to try the tnp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) we began the evening again with a kokanee - just to make sure that everyone knew the difference between the craft brews (aka good beer) and the mass market offerings (aka piss). so almost first up was r&b's red devil pale ale. english style pale ale - not a red or amber ale despite its red colour "hoppy floral aroma and malty sweetness, which are followed by a slightly dry and very refreshing finish." i especially love this one for its colour - beautifully coppery and clear; good head and carbonation; fabulous hop and malt balance, but maltier than other pale ales:  totally tasty stuff! and what a great label! moving along, next we sampled the wells bombardier ale an english style ale.  ...