Stone brewing co. - Thunderstruck double IPA 19thAnniversary

With fall and winter quickly approaching I'm running out of time to constantly talk about ipa's. Soon I'll be spouting off about browns and stouts and porters and oktoberfesters, but before I do all that I have to tell you to go buy Stone's new Anniversary ale. Of course it's a giant hop bomb, that's expected. What's new and awesome here is the use of 100% Australian hops. Malt too. 4 hops specifically: topaz and galaxie but also newcomers ella and vic secret. The use of these make this beer one intense tropical fruit tasting, super sticky and dank ipa. To no surprise either as Stone is known for being kings of the ipa in my opinion. Sort of a heavy hitter at 8.7% abv this one is sure to please you hop heads searching for the new what's next. Cheers!

My Score: 98

Rate Beer:  97

Beer Advocate: 90

Founders Brewing - Double Trouble Imperial IPA

A little bit sweet, a little bit bitter, a little juicy and dank, a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll. Oh, how I love me some seasonal releases. Especially from Founders. Also, ya know... IPAs forever. Weighing in at 86 IBU's and 9.4% abv so it's a big juicy bitch and I love her. This one never disappoints and honestly will hold it's own with any other highly touted DIPAs. Definitely some citrus hops in there but unfortunately I can't tell you what else is in there because they just don't tell ya! I'm just here to tell you that if you've been neglecting your local beer store, stop that right now. Go grab what's left of these majestic four packs and fire up a giant blunt. Prepare for your favorite summer day. Cheers!

My Score - 1oo

Rate Beer - 99

Beer Advocate - 94

Deschutes Brewery - Fresh Squeezed IPA

welcome to michigan deschutes! i'm very happy to finally be getting this Oregon brewery on the regular. having just tried this beer yesterday i can happily say i'm eager for more. this year round ipa offers such a juicy, citrusy flavor given to it by the citra and mosaic hops. two of my favs. great malt balance, this beer doesn't have too big of a mouth feel. very easy drinking at 6%abv. this is one of those ipas that has such a balance and just the right amount of sweetness that is going to make you want one after another. pair with seafoods, red sauce pastas and cold cuts. duh. cheers!

my score: 100

rate beer: 98

beer advocate: 95

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Great Lakes Brewing_Chillwave Double IPA

Yup. More IPA's. I can't help it and I just love when one of my favorite hops gets shown off. Chillwave is a blend of Mosaic and Nugget hops. There's a nice sweetness in there from the honey malt too. This is a great hop bomb. Upfront bitterness to a nice dry after taste. Citrusy and floral. Formerly called Alchemy Hour, paying homage to the icy cold lake Erie surfers who brave the freezing temps to shred the gnar. This seasonal IPA always comes around right as spring starts to push it's way out of winter's butthole and its timing is impeccable. Chillwave also clocks in at 9.4%abv so the buzz I currently have is telling me that I've done my work here. Cheers!

My Score: 1oo

Rate Beer: 1oo

Beer Advocate: 95

Sierra Nevada _ Hop Hunter IPA

If I may quote (be lazy) the Sierra website: "Hop Hunter IPA harnesses the complex flavors of just-picked hops through an all-new method of steam distilling wet hops before they even leave the fields. This revolutionary technique captures and intensifies the natural flavors, creating a unique and intensely aromatic beer. Our custom process gathers pure hop oil which, when combined with traditional whole-cone hops in the brew kettle and in our Hop Torpedo, makes for an incredible IPA experience." I have a source that says they hired the guy at Crest toothpaste who distills the mint leaves. Who knows!

That being said, not only does this beer push new boundaries for brewing, the owner of Lagunitas was trying to sue Sierra over label likeness. Claiming Hop Hunters label looked too similar to the flagship Lagunitas IPA. You be the judge. The lawsuit was dropped because of all the negative feedback from the beer community. Either way, this shit is amazing. It smells like weed. That's always good. Cheers!

My Score: 98

Beer Advocate: 91

Rate Beer: 97

Omnipollo _ Fatamorgana Imperial IPA

This is some low key, headbanging shit right here I'm letting you in on. Don't you fucking tell nobody. This "brewery" was started by two Swedish gents back in 2011. They think up these ridiculously wonderful brews in their native land, then travel all around the planet to make them with other brewers. It's what's referred to as a nomadic style of brewing. This specific beer is insane.

Drawing inspiration from saisons, this oat/wheat IPA is unlike most any others you've tried. Pours so murky and smells so sweet and citrusy. Hops include colombus, citra and centennial. 8%abv so on the lower side of a double IPA. This thing is in a league of it's own. Plus, the bottle is dope as fuck. Made right here in the US. Find this! Drink this! Cheers!

My Score: 97

Beer Advocate: 97

Rate Beer: 98

Lagunitas Brewing - Night Time Black IPA

I wish more breweries made them, or at least made them this good. Black IPA's are in a league of their own. With all the characteristics of an IPA, juicy and citrus flavors and bitter, sometimes dry, but with roasted malts. Taking your palate to a whole different place.

First came the Lagunitas Day Time, which is a great session IPA. Low abv and extreme drinkability was the idea behind that one. Well, every yin has it's yang. Night time is the dark, dinner beer. Bigger abv at 7.9% yet hardly noticeable. Last year it was available in 22oz bottles but this year it has been put into 6 packs. Cool. More for less. This beer is available in Jan/Feb. Cheers!

My Score: 100

Rate Beer: 99

Beer Advocate: 92

Wolverine Brewing - Gulo Gulo Imperial Pale Lager

Not only are lagers some of the hardest and most time consuming beers to brew, those are the only beers Wolverine Brewing makes. The insane part is how they manage to push the lager envelope making some serious use of their house yeast. Today I'm telling you to go out and experience their Gulo Gulo Lager. Especially if you're an IPA fan. It's made with Cascade, Chinook, Columbus, Warrior and Pilgrim hops and dry hopped twice with Cascade before it's done. This results in one damn smooth and heartily hopped lager. Smells and has the bite of an IPA but the crisp, yet light, mouth-feel of a lager. Oh, and it's 6.7% so again, just pushing that lager yeast higher and higher. As far as I know this beer is available year-round. Named Draft Magazine's top 25 beers of 2013! Pair this with your favorite brand of hotdogs. Cheers!

My Score: 90

Rate Beer: 88

Beer Advocate: 86

Sierra Nevada - Bigfoot Barley Wine Ale

It's not wine, ya dingus. It's beer. You haven't been paying attention. Nicely hopped, nicely malted and certainly a bold, boozy-sweetness. This multi-gold medal winner weighs in at a hefty 9.6% and you can taste it too. Shit warms the blood. Sick of shoveling already? Here's your reward. Don't live in areas that get snow? May you choke on this heavenly nectar. Centennial, Cascade & Chinook are pumped into this bitter beast matched with tons of 2 row barley and english caramel malts. It's just a big beer, okay? Hey, get drunk real fast thanks to my this thing here. Basically, you're welcome and go drink this beer already. Cheers!

BONUS!! Watch it ferment!

My Score: 93

Beer Advocate: 93

Rate Beer: 99

Bell's - Hopslam Double IPA

It's back again. That time of year I wait very impatiently for. The return of the ever-dank, Hopslam. I suppose I could chalk it up to my taste buds having the memory of a hamster, but this year it's just ever so delicious. Not that it isn't every time I have it, but I'm just glad it's around again. This 10% American Double IPA is brewed with honey and dry hopped with Simcoe. Not to mention the 6 other hop varieties it's actually brewed with. It's a very floral and fruity hopped brew. You only get Hopslam once a year so good luck fighting the hop hoarders for it. Though I hear there was an abundance of the stuff made this year and even grocery stores are carrying it. Hopefully you like in an area that gets Bell's, otherwise you should consider beer trading. Google that shit and get with the times. Your mouth wants you to put this in it and your genitals want to piss it out. Cheers!

My Score: 1oo

Rate Beer: 1oo

Beer Advocate: 99

Victory - Hop Ranch Imperial IPA

I think I said I was going to write about stouts all winter. Or maybe just toyed with the idea. Either way, I changed my mind. I opened and inserted into my face Victory's Hop Ranch just a bit ago and decided I wanted to tell you how much I'm enjoying this juicy bitch. It's an Imperial, so already I expected big. But what this beer looks like, and what this beer tastes like, are two different things. The lightest straw yellow I've ever seen in an IPA with this much flavor. In my light it almost looks like an unfiltered pilsner. Good carbonation, mid to light. Crisp on the tongue. Very citrus and bitey bitterness. Doesn't really dry the mouth out. I'm stoked on this beer. I don't know that I've had it before and I really enjoy it. Oh, it's also 9% and I don't think I realized it before I smashed through a glass. Certainly can't taste that. Bravo, Victory. Another one crushed. Cheers!

My Score: 97

Rate Beer: 99

Beer Advocate: 94

Founders - Breakfast Stout (double chocolate oatmeal stout)

If you're like me, you're trying to get breakfast food at any and all times of the day. Thanks to Founders you can at least drink it all day. Breakfast stout is an imperial oatmeal stout, so it's big at 8.3%abv, but it goes down ever so smooth. It's the lumberjack slam with a coffee on the side in a glass of beer. Brewed with sweetened imported chocolate and Kona and Sumatra coffee beans, I can tell you already want one now. Go for it. Run to your local beer store and make a mixie sixie of stouts for the cold ass nights you may or may not be experiencing. When you've had 4 of these because you couldn't resist the flavor paradise that was occurring in your face, think of me. Thank me later. Cheers!

My Score: 1oo

Rate Beer: 1oo

Beer Advocate: 1oo

Odd Side Ale's El Dankerino

A lot of people try to mimic the bold style of a west coast IPA, and few get it right. Odd Side kind of nails it. As far as I'm concerned, it's the mid-west equivalent of Pliny the Elder. Had that beer before? Think my claim is ridiculous? Suck it. I've done the taste test and they're not far from each other. Dankerino is a juicy double IPA with notes of citrus, pineapple and a nice pine bite. Just bitter enough but still smooth drinking. Packs a sly punch at 10% too. The name just seals the deal for me. It really is a "dank" beer and the artwork is great. OVER THE LINE!

My Score: 90

Beer Advocate: 89

Rate Beer: 92

New Belgium Lips of Faith - Le Terroir

I always want to talk about sour beers every chance I get. I love them. So if you're new to the craft game you've no doubt heard of Fat Tire. It is literally everywhere. Upon tasting your first Fat Tire, you may or may not guess that this brewery has an insane number of tricks up their sleeve. New Belgium's Lips of Faith series has an incredible roster of amazing brews, including some of the best sour, barrel-aged beers I've ever had. One of my favorite beers ever being Le Terroir. This wild ale has a light crisp, easy drinking body but is nicely dry hopped with Amarillo hops for a peachy finish and a touch of Citrus because it's an amazing hop. Having a champagne-like essence this beer is fine on it's own or paired with tons of meats and cheeses. Of course, it wouldn't be surprising that New Belgium's sour program was so good if you had known their head brewer was from a brewery called Rodenbach. If you're familiar with what they do, it all just makes sense. This beer is released once a year and it just came out so go wherever finer beers are sold and just buy up as much as you can. Cheers!

My Score: 100

Rate Beer: 100

Beer Advocate: 96

Founders Mosaic Promise

Mosaic Promise is a simple beer. But that's not to say that it is simple in flavor. From just one hop and one malt (golden promise), this beer delivers some great flavors. Light-medium body. Super easy drinking IPA. Mosaic hops are a hybrid style that blends the citrus hop with the simcoe hop. It's one of my favorite styles and flavors and the fact this beer isn't over slammed with different malts, it really does show off the hops profile. Everything keeps simple with a 5.5%abv and bitterness right down the middle at 50 IBU. This is a one off brew, which is pretty common for Founders and other micro breweries, so cram it down your face hole as much as possible. This beer though, should have come out two months ago. Would have made a great mowing the lawn beer. Cheers!

My Score: 95

Rate Beer: 97

Beer Advocate: 90

Bell's Mars (double IPA)

Based on Gustav Holst's orchestral interpretation of the Planets, named The Planets, Bell's has decided that if someone can make music to represent them, they can make beer that does just the same.

The first in the series, Mars, is a very bold but easy drinking double IPA. Big on the hops but also big on the malt, this beer finds the perfect balance of the two which imparts a huge mouth feel but also somehow manages to mask the 10.1% alcohol content. Notes of lime and pineapple and citrus, some pine maybe. This beer is, to me, like a bigger version of Two Hearted. Only brewed and released once so hopefully you found some. Get in with your local beer guy now as the rest of the series will be showing up from now until July of next year. Cheers!

Beer Advocate: 93

My score: 97