About the beer: Great Divide Brewing Co. has to be one of my favorite breweries. Based out of Denver, CO, it’s rare to find a beer that’s bad from them (only once have I really disliked one of their brews). Today we’re doing the little dance with their Rumble Oak Aged India Pale Ale. They claim the beer is a, “gently aged on French and American oak resulting in a wonderful balance of bitterness, caramel sweetness, vanilla, and undertones of pine and citrus.”

In a nutshell: All I can say is, it’s not bad.

Review: When you first take a sniff, you definitely get some really nice, hoppy smells that are balanced out by the woody undertone brought in by oak barrels. In my ever so humble opinion, I don’t think the smell really matches what you’d expect in taste. You definitely get the barrel flavor in there, but it almost overtakes the hops, to the point of not being able to taste them much at all. I know that barrel aging a beer like an IPA helps round out the flavor and mellow out the beer as a whole, but I feel like this isn’t the best attempt at producing a fantastic result. It doesn’t taste as great as some of their other beers (my favorite being the Titan IPA), but it’s way better than their Double Wit. I don’t get much of the vanilla, pine or citrus from the taste, though the caramel and bitterness come in just fine. And as I sit in my 80 degree apartment drinking this, I realize it’s not the most refreshing option to beat the summer heat. This would probably be really great in the fall time.

Rating: 3 out of 5

About The Beer: This brew from the famed Stone Brewery takes their classic IPA and mixes it up by brewing it with Belgian yeast rather than the typical American strain. The result is a hybrid IPA that draws in equal parts of old Belgian tradition and new American experimentation.

In a nutshell: While enjoyable, Stone Cali-Belgique IPA leaves me wanting for more.

Review: Belgian IPA is a new style that has emerged in just the last few years as old Belgian brewers have infused New World hops with centuries-old Belgian recipes. I’ve enjoyed others in the style like Houblon Chouffee; plus Stone IPA is one of my all time favorite India pale ales, so I was excited to try this new twist on an old standby. While perfectly enjoyable I found the beer to be a bit disappointing as it left me craving both more West Coast hops and more classic Belgian malts. The beer’s delicate aroma and flavor were nice enough, but in the end it was just a bit bland considering the two flavorful traditions this brew pulls from. Stone’s website recommends we “think of it as an otherwise identical twin to Stone IPA that was raised in a Belgian culture. Literally.” This quote gets right to the heart of the problem for me: instead of simply changing the yeast and leaving the rest of the recipe unchanged I think the brewers should have perhaps altered the grains used to better highlight the unique flavors Belgian yeast gives beer.

Rating: 2 out of 5

If you look at the label of Sea Hag from New England Brewing Co., you might question what on Earth this beer must taste like. With the name Sea Hag, you can’t help but tilt your head and wonder why anyone would name a beer something like that.

Sea Hag is a 6.2% IPA out of Woodbridge, CT. The name comes from a ghost that is said to haunt New Haven, CT. Spooky? A bit. Delicious? Oh, yes.

This is a pretty well balanced IPA, not depending on mostly hops or mostly malt for the flavor. You can taste the just-floral-enough hops side by side with the earthiness of the malt. Theirs is a slight bitterness in the after taste when drank out of a can, but when poured into a glass you don’t notice at all. In the glass, you get to see a really rich dark amber color along with a pretty great head on top.

I must say, I’m pretty excited to finish the rest of this six pack.

Rating: 3.6 out of 5 (Definitely worth a try and a recommended buy)

Cascade – This is by far the most popular variety of hops in America. It’s used in the majority of American made pale ales and IPAs, especially those from the West Coast. It’s noted for its strong aroma of citrus and grapefruit as well as subtle floral elements. One of the reasons for their popularity is the versatility, as it can be used as a bittering, flavoring or aroma hop. Lagunitas IPA,  Sierra Nevada and Hop Devil are some popular brews which use Cascade in their brews. 6% AA

Chinook – Another popular American variety. Primarily used as a bittering agent, due to its high alpha acid rating, usually around 12-14% AA. It is similar to Cascade, but not as citrusy. Redhook Copper Hook Spring Ale makes great use of this type.

Fuggles -  Originally British, but has since been grown by American brewers as well. It has a grassy and somewhat cheesy flavor to it. 5% AA.

Hallertau – A earthy, spicy hop from Germany. Mostly used as an aroma hop due to its relativity low AA rating of 4%. Used in a number of Pilsners and other German inspired lagers. Sam Adams Imperial Pilsners uses this extensively

Mt. Hood – This American hop is very floral in both flavor and aroma, and used accordingly as a flavor and aroma hop. 6% AA.

Spalt – German, fresh smelling and a bit grassy, used as a aroma and flavoring hop 5% AA.

Target – From the UK, strongly herbal and floral. Used as a bittering hop in many lagers and lighter ales. 11% AA.

Tettnang – German, floral and spicy. Used mostly as flavoring and aroma. Anderson Valley ESB, Red Hook ESB and Sam Adams Oktoberfest. 4.5% AA

Kent Goldings - Classic British hop. Mild, but very Earthy, or grassy, with notes of blue cheese. It’s used in many English ales including Fuller’s ESB, Samuel Smith Pale Ale and Young’s London Ale. 5% AA

Norther Brewer – From UK, but adapted grown elsewhere now. It has a clean, grassy flavor. Used as a bittering hop in Anchor Steam. 8% AA

Magnum – As the name might suggest, Magnum is extremely strong bittering hop. Like most bittering hops it’s not very well known for its taste, but it does have a lighter, piney quality. 12% AA

Saaz - Fom the Czech Republic. Like many European hops it tends to be clean and spicy rather than the floral and citrusy American hops. It’s primarily used as an aroma hop and can be found in Czech beers such as Pilsner Urquell. 3% AA

Amarillo – Popular flavoring hop from US. Similar to Cascade, but Earthier, and not as citrusy. Used primarily as a bittering and flavoring hop. 9% AA

Centennial – Moderately popular bittering hop. Similar to Cascade, but stronger. Sometimes known as “Super Cascade” . Used in Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine, and Sierra Nevada Celebration. 10% AA

Simcoe – Popular US bittering hop. Has a spicy, piney aroma. 13%AA.

Chocolate ales – A box of chocolates are the gift probably most closely associated with V Day. A great companion to chocolate candy is of course chocolate ale. There are lots of great chocolate flavored beers out there. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout is a personal favorite. It’s brewed to be velvety smooth and silky with a light but rich dose of chocolate taste. Another great one to try by an American brewer is Rogue’s Chocolate stout. While not nearly as smooth in taste as Young’s, it has the chocolate aromas and flavors to make this one a must try

Floral beers – Flowers are another great gift on February 14th. Roses and tulips look and smell terrific, especially in this cold time of year. Fortunately there are plenty of beers with distinctly floral aromas  courtesy of their hops that will go along great with any bunch of your favorite flowers. Most pale ales and IPAs will have floral notes to them, but for my money no ale captures that fresh floral hop aroma better than Brooklyn Brewery’s East India Pale Ale. The best part is that this beer tastes just as good as it smells. Lagunitas IPA and its stronger cousin Lagunitas Maximus Double IPA also have a distinctly floral aroma to them thanks to their massive amounts of Cascade hops.

AleSmith’s My Bloody Valentine – If the whole Valentine’s Day thing isn’t your thing, perhaps this beer is more your speed. It’s a delicious ale with a distinct blood red color and an alcohol percentage of 6.66% ABV. After a few of these you won’t care if it’s Valentine’s Day or Arbor Day. Be sure to drink with caution.

What do you get for the beer loving Valentine in your life? Hit us up in the comments or on twitter to let us know you thoughts.

The spicy flavor of hops isn’t the only benefit they provide beer. Hops are also a natural preservative, a quality which lead directly to the creation of the IPA style. During Great Britain’s occupation of India in the 19th century beer would be shipped from England all the way to India for British soldiers stationed there. To ensure the beer survived the long and perilous sea voyage brewers loaded the beers with extra hops, resulting in the hoppy taste that was a hit in India as much as it was at home in the UK and a style was born.

Hops are grown in many regions throughout the world and come in dozens of different varieties which fluctuate in their bitterness, flavor and aroma. Regardless of which hops an IPA features, it can be counted on to feature the spicy bitterness which are a hallmark of the style. Many hops grown in England such as Kent Goldings have a mellow, spicy quality to them, which is reflected in the pale ales of England such as Samuel Smith’s India Ale.

On the West Coast, where most American hops are grown, Cascade is by far the most dominant variety; it’s a style famous for its strong floral and citrus-like qualities. West Coast Brewers, such as Stone, Rogue and Sierra Nevada have experimented with the these hops creating a unique take on the IPA tradition that’s American through and through- the Double or Imperial India Pale Ale.

In craft beer the terms ‘double’ or ‘imperial’ generally refer to a extra strong version of a more traditional (and timid) style. ‘Double’ simply denotes twice as much of something (such as hops) as been used, while ‘imperial’ refers to the Imperial Russian Stout, a particularly strong stout brewed for Catherine the Great (but that’s for another style profile.)

As you might guess, the Double India Pale Ale is a much stronger version of the IPA, both in terms of hops and alcohol (typically ranging around 8-9% alc./volume while a standard IPA is just 5-6%) Rather than simply being a more intensified version of the IPA the DIPA takes on unique qualities all its own.

Serving Suggestions:

Glass: IPAs do well in your standard pint glass, while I would recommend a snifter for DIPAs to take advantage of the intense hop aromas.

Food Pairings: The spicy flavors of IPAs and DIPAs pair great with spicy cuisines such as Cajun, Mexican and Indian. Alternatively, a the sharp hop flavors can provide a nice counterpoint to more savory flavors such as barbecue chicken or pork.

Hops are a vine-like plant known as Humulus lupulus (technically a ‘bine’ which I’ve never heard of either.) Hops happen to be a close cousin to cannabis, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to smoke them. The female variety of the plant produces small, green pine cone kinda things.

These hop cones produce a powder called lupulin, which contain certain acids which provide much needed flavor and balance to beer. In beer’s 4000 year history hops are a relatively recent invention, having only been used significantly for maybe the last 500 years. Prior to hops people used all sorts of spices and fruits to balance beer’s flavor but nothing has the flavor versatility and variety as hops.They also act as a natural preservative, something important in the days before sanitation as we know it.

In fact the IPA (or India Pale Ale) was born out of this unique quality of hops. During the British occupation of India brewers in England would overload their beers with hops to preserve them for the long ship ride to India. The folks in England took a shinning to the style too and the IPA was born.

Much like wine grapes, the flavor and aroma of hops vary considerably based on where they are grown and frequently a country’s beer style is strongly related to the hops that are native to it. The strong, citrusy hops which grow on America’s West Coast gave rise to the area’s intensely hoppy IPAs and Double IPAs. Regardless of where a hop is from though it can be counted on to give beer some spice and balance out the sweetness of the malt.

Of course some places are too cold to grow hops, like Scotland, and this is reflected in their beer style as well. Scottish ales are famous for their sweet and malty qualities, a result of the lack of hops available for brewing in the area. Try a Belhaven next time you’re out to get a taste of Scottish flavor.

Measuring Hops
The hoppiness of a beer is measured in IBUs or International Bitterness Units.

This is of course just a brief overview of how IBU varies by style; there are plenty of exceptions to these guidelines, but it should give you a good idea of how relatively hoppy your favorite beer may or may not be.