Saranac India Pale Ale

This India pale ale came in the Saranac variety sampler that I picked up. Keeping with the promise this new year that I wouldn't buy an India pale ale or anything too acidic unless it was super light, I wasn't against trying one if it came in a set. Saranac is consistent with its brews, there seems to be a weight to most of its regular brews, where there is just enough carbonation in each one and no beer feels light but they're not overpowering, either. This India pale ale wasn't acidic nor had the taste of rust in the water, it was mild, almost like a regular pale ale but there were hints of citrus and very hints of bitterness. I thought this was a good one but not the type of beer I would normally buy since I've discovered the American style pale ale. This beer is very much drinkable and was a great addition to the sampler, it really shows that a brewing company can cater to all tastes.

Brooklyn East India Pale Ale

Being a huge fan of Brooklyn for its lager and pilsner, I'm always ready to try whatever they have. I can only think of Chocolate Stout being the bad brew, one I could not even stomach so much. Brooklyn dark brews are known for its bitter bite towards the end, but in a refreshing and enjoyable way. I don't know them for IPA styled brews and I had no idea what to expect of it. This one pours out in typical pale ale color, not too thick and certainly not too thin and smelled pretty hoppy. Brooklyn's attempt at this style of beer is mild, a lightweight easy to drink brew which may lack flavor to some folks. There is the bitter bite, since this isn't a pungent brew by any means and won't leave the drinker with cottonmouth, it is very forgettable in taste.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

I've read about it and read some pretty good reviews on this brewery and what they're good at. I've even seen the bottles around but never felt that much curiosity about it since I'm not a huge IPA fan to begin with. It must have occurred to me randomly that I should try at least a milder version of what they're good at. Nothing bad to say about this one, there's definitely the bite of the IPA, the smell and flavor all in place, a good entry for a lighter IPA. This is a good one to try, just to get a feel of what the brewery has to offer. Dogfish Head is known for their premium IPA's and they're well regarded as brews to try for the fans of pungent beers. At one point or another, I will throw down the $10 and buy myself the 120 Minute IPA.

Magic Hat HI.PA

I managed to get a single of these to try because I thought I wouldn't be able to tolerate a sixer of beers that may be too bitter and gritty. This one is a mild IPA and I'm feeling like I could have gotten six and would have been pretty satisfied to stash these in the fridge. Magic Hat calls this a Half IPA for the reason that it is milder than a full bodied IPA. There's definitely flavor in this, the taste of the hops are just strong enough to be flavorful but not overpowering. I prefer a milder brew like this one because I can actually drink the beer instead of taking sucker punched looking sips of a really strong IPA that leaves me incredibly thirsty. This one fits the bill pretty well as an easy beer to kick back with and not feel overwhelmed by the combination of flavors.

Butternuts Farmhouse Ale Snapperhead IPA

I forgot how crusty the placemats were when I took this picture and they're pretty grimey. I really liked the Butternuts IPA because it didn't have the "snapper" bite to it. I'm probably admitting to some sort of weakness but I dislike beers where the tart, zest, bitterness is so powerful at once, it has this battery acid aftertaste common in a lot of IPA's. This one is a mild sipper and actually tastes refreshing. I'm also liking the can design where the fish is jamming out to what looks like a cassette player. If I could find these cans outside of having to buy the Butternuts variety pack, I'd be overjoyed.

St. Peter's India Pale Ale

Whenever I see these, I have to get at least one since they're not very common. St. Peter's IPA is a good one to try, it's very crisp, super easy to drink since it's not bitter or tart. My feelings on most IPA's is they usually taste good, but it's hard for me to drink the whole thing or drink more than one of them in one sitting because of the gritty aftertaste and the cotton mouth feeling. I would not hesitate to buy a case of these if it were available since they're so easy to drink.

I'd have to categorize this as a really good mild summer beer since there is some sweetness to it. Between this and the English Ale, and even the bad experience with the Cream Stout, I'm pretty set to buy anything St. Peter's to try at least once.

Goose Island India Pale Ale

Being from the northeast and all, I don't know any breweries coming from Illinois but I read something about Goose Island and had to give it a shot. This one smells good, I mean I know it seems weird to smell the bottle once you open it, but if it's going to be bitter and rancid, you'll know right away before it hits your tongue. This one packs a lot of flavor into one beer, there is not a whole lot of carbonation but enough to keep it not tasting too flat, and it's certainly not a beer for folks who do not like the taste of hops. After just having one, this beer left my mouth incredibly dry, like I have eaten a bag of cottonballs. I thought I was losing my mind and continued to drink glasses upon glasses of water to try to get it evened out. I gave it a rest and days later tried it again, same result. As much as I want to like this beer, the aftereffects are not desirable and I can't imagine drinking more than one of these in one sitting because of it.

Southern Tier India Pale Ale

It may have been a bad idea to sample the beers at once in a sampler pack (tongue twister) but I did not love this beer. It left my mouth pretty dry and the aftertaste was a bit gritty and bitter. Most india pale ales are a hit or a miss for me depending on carbonation, the tart factor, and the aftertaste. So far, I'm going to say I liked Lagunitas India Pale Ale best out of the ones I tried last year.

For this year's spending related resolution, I'm going to resolve to buy more singles and not whole packs of beers I'm not quite sure would be any good.

Lagunitas India Pale Ale

This is a nice crisp IPA, a session styled beer without being too bitter or tart. The color is about right as well, not too dark and just light enough in weight to drink more than one in a sitting. Lagunitas is not heavily carbonated so it's pretty smooth on the way down, this is something I would definitely buy again.