DIPA March Gladness Tourney – Champion Crowned!

Drumroll please…Congratulations to

Three Floyds’ Dreadnaught!  Champion of B&B’s 1^st Annual “March Gladness” DIPA Bomber Tourney!

DIPA March Gladness Tourney – Championship Round

The veteran Three Floyds’ Dreadnaught is matched up against the "Cinderella" Spiteful Brewing’s Bitter Biker in B&B’s 1^st Annual “March Gladness” DIPA Bomber Tourney!

Who will prevail?  Find out later today…

DIPA March Gladness Tourney – Final Four Revealed

Announcing the “FINAL FOUR” of B&B’s 1^st Annual “March Gladness” Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) Bomber Tourney!

A "Cinderella" brewery is still alive.  Are they this year's "Wichita State" of breweries? We'll see.  Thankfully no bottles were broken during the Tourney tasting.  Tune in Sunday morning April 7th for the Championship match-up and Monday afternoon April 8th for the crowning of "DIPA King". 

DIPA March Gladness Tourney – Elite 8 Revealed

DRUMROLL please…

 

Announcing the “Elite 8” of B&B’s 1^st Annual “March Gladness” Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) Bomber Tourney!  The B&B team and an elite group of tasters will embark on a tasting tournament of epic IBUs.   

  

Double the hop, double the pleasure…may the best DIPA win! 

These DIPAs are considered staples of each local brewer in the Chicagoland area, extending from the shores of Lake Michigan in beautiful Gary, Indiana to the hipster alleys of Chicago.  Matchups were determined based on a systematic random selection process involving small pieces of paper and a hat.

The B&B team will be blindly drinking through the first round this week to determine which DIPA's will make it to the Final 4.  Check back next week as the Final 4 Artisans will be proclaimed.      

DIPA March Gladness Tourney

Announcing B&B’s 1st Annual “March Gladness” Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) Bomber Tourney!  

 

Who will make the cut?   

Review: Great Divide 18th Anniversary Wood Aged DIPA

Brewery:  Great Divide Brewery

Locale:  Denver, CO

Craft Circa: 1994

Style:  American Double / Imperial IPA

ABV:  10%

Notables:  This is a limited but seasonal anniversary brew, brewed once a year released in late spring, early summer. 

Label:  It’s nice and definitive, however I think I like the 17^th anniversary label a little better.  The label gives it that bourbon distillery look that indicates some sort of aging, either in barrels, or in this case, wood chips.  The only thing that could enhance this appearance is to put it in a decorative cardboard like case for presentation.  Maybe this is the eco-friendly route.  In that case… kudos for saving a tree. 

Overall:   Great Divide’s 18^th Anniversary brew was opened, consumed, and it ironically was the anniversary of my marriage. We’re still new at this, only going on 4 years… although at times, it feels like it’s been 18 years!!! 

Bwoahahaha!   How Are Ya?!?!  

 It’s nice to know there is a reasonably priced, reasonably attainable anniversary beer to get your hands on each year.  If the 18^th Anniversary ale is any indication of the subsequent beers to follow, it’s definitely something to look forward to each year, and find yourself a bottle when released. 

Solid all around.  The pour is a dark amber, the head lays thick, and the lacing is quite impressive.  Taking a whiff of it, the caramel runs the show, but the oak hints are a noticeable sidekick.  Maybe not as flamboyant as Daffy Duck, but more like a Scottie Pippen of sorts… either way, it compliments it nicely.

The flavor is that of sturdy dark malt, along with a conspicuous but not overwhelming oak hint.  One of the unique characteristics of this brew is that the heavy presence of malt not only acts as the backbone or support for the brew, but it also hits you up front which is rare for a DIPA.  The malt and the oak are up front, and then the grapefruit and dash of pine come in fashionably late, joining in on the fun.

The majority of IPA drinkers, including myself may expect a bit more bitterness, especially in a DIPA.  There is not a lot of bitterness here, but it doesn’t steer you away by any means, it works nicely.  The overall balance of the concoction is pretty exciting.  Between the oak, the wood chips, the malt, and let’s not forget the double dosage of hops, this artisan undoubtedly answers the call. 

This beer popped my Great Divide Anniversary Brew cherry, and it was gripping.  Look forward to next year’s batch, and here’s to another 18 years!

Acquisition:  22 ouncer - $11

Windfall: Per wiki, The Great Divide, another term for the Continental Divide of the Americas, is the continental divide that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain into the Atlantic Ocean.  There are various other hydrological divides in the Americas; however the Great Divide is by far the most prominent of these because it tends to follow a line of high peaks along the Rocky Mountains. 

These plates are constantly drifting, at about 7cm a year,  Heightening the Rockies, and lowering the Appalachian Mountains each way with its continental drift.  More importantly, that means the Great Divide Brewery will be in the Chicagoland area in about 23 million years; give or take a couple hundred years. 

~gY

Review: Firestone Walker Double Jack DIPA

Brewery:  Firestone Walker Brewing Company

Locale:  Paso Robles, CA

Craft Circa:  1996

Style:  American Imperial IPA / Double IPA

ABV:  9.5%

IBUs:  75

Notables: 

2012 - - World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster, Mid-size Brewing Company

2011 - - Silver Medal in the Great American Beer Festival; 1^st Place in the Double IPA Fest and the Denver International Beer Competition.

2010 - - World Beer Cup Champion Brewery and Brewmaster, Mid-size Brewing Company

Label:  Great looking label and bottle.  As you are opening this gem, it has the feel of something vintage, and quite special. 

Overall:   First off, happy IPA Day.  I like to usually crack open a bottle or 6 of something I haven’t necessarily tried before for B&B purposes. However, because it’s a holiday and an important one at that, I wanted to write a little piece on one of my favorites, if not my favorite brew out there, and that is Firestone’s Double Jack.  There is usually one or two in the fridge on a consistent basis.  What better way to celebrate IPA day, than to drink a double dose of it.   

Start to finish it is an exceptional brew.  Initially, the aroma is that of a pine tree forest and intrigues you to jump in.  The color of amber lures you in even further.  Once you do it’s like jumping into Scrooge McDuck’s pile of money it tastes that good.    It’s amazing how smooth the brew is for the hops and bite that comes with it.  Double Jack is full of flavor and full of enjoyment.  It’s an aggressive, supernatural beer, but in no way shape or form does it abuse its powers.  It’s out there for the common good, and you should be thankful this beer exists. 

It being an Imperial, or Double IPA, keep in mind these are superior, bolder, and if you are lucky higher in flavor from the traditional IPAs.  Firestone delivers on all accounts, and then some. It’s a great combination of bittering, kettle and dry hops, a melting pot of sweetness.   

For beers, this is the Breaking Bad of TV dramas, the Exile on Main Street of music albums, the Steel Curtain of NFL defenses.  Very few compete with this style of beer from Firestone Walker.  Imperial IPAs are a genre of beer I love to find good ones of let alone phenomenal ones of.   

So happy holidays, get yourself a bottle, celebrate and take another drink from your soon to be Loving Cup. 

Acquisition:  22 oz. - $8

A reminder from Firestone Walker:  Remember to watch for bottled on dates located on the necks or bottom left corner of the label for each of our beers.  Our beer is not pasteurized, so it is best when stored at 44F or below, out of light and within 120 days of the bottled on date...this ensures freshness and ultimately a great Firestone Walker beer!

~gY