Week 16: Listen Here Punk

1. Bells Two Hearted Ale

2. Ballast Point Big Eye IPA

3. Boxcar Brewing Co. Original Ale

4. Brew Dog Punk IPA

5. Allentown Brew Works Hop Explosion

6. Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA

7. 3 Floyds Brewing Co. Gumballhead

These bad boys were a pretty nice mix of hops and malts this week. After a couple of days I thought all the brewing companies that I drank were going to start with the letter B, but I regressed back to A and then numbers.

Well, out of this whole list the only beer that I have ever had was, of course, Bells Two Hearted. It's a top 5 favorite for me, and when I see it on draft it's a no brainer. And I don't know if it's top 5 worthy, but the Anderson Valley was pretty amazing as well. This California brew is exactly what you would expect from a delicious west coast IPA, a flowery/ grapefruit nose with a blast of fresh hops. It reminds me of a Green Flash West Coast, but a bit more balanced.

Brew Dog Brewing has been getting some press lately for their Tactical Nuclear Penguin (yes, the world's strongest beer with an ABV of 32%). Until hearing about that beer, I never knew too much about them. They are Scottish, which means something different than all american hops for once. The description on the bottle was reason enough to give it a whirl, "A Postmodern Classic Pale Ale." I had no idea what that can mean in terms of beer, and I think that I wanted to leave my Literary Theory class out of the tavern that night. It was simply to me a lighter IPA, more like an actual pale, with some interesting hops (Ahtanum, Nelson Sauvin and Chinook and Simcoe). It was shared and poured from a 22oz bottle at Olde Eagle Tavern in Manayunk. It was very drinkable with a nice medium body. It's something to drink if you are looking for an end of the night IPA, especially one to talk about to see if you can pick up all the subtle notes lingering throughout.

Lastly, I want to talk about 3 Floyds Gumballhead. I have been seeking out their Dreadnaught and my search has ended. A reliable source mentioned that it is not distributed in PA and whether it makes it out of Indiana is another story that I have to check on. My Gumballhead was a gift. Fortunately, it was around 90 degrees in Philadelphia that night. Appropriately, Lana drank a Boulder Sweaty Betty, and when we arrived back a home, a hoppy wheat was perfect to cure my sweats. It had a nose of an IPA with a mouth of subtle hops, but not the wheat that you thought you were going to have. It was pretty unique with its lemony/ grassy taste with just enough hop. All in all, refreshing.

Cheers for now. The countdown has begun for Beer Week. Six more days and counting.