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Message
Paste Magazine Blind-Taste Tests 116 IPAs
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:04 am
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:04 am
I apologize if this has been posted before, as this is an April article.
LINK
Some highlights:
Boulevard Single Wide, Westbrook, DFH 60 nor RR Blind Pig made it out of the bottom 66.
#49- Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle
#44- Racer 5
#43- Torpedo
#38- Abita Wrought Iron, so ranked better than the above mentioned
#35- Lagunitas
#33- Sierra Nevada Harvest
#32- Schlafly Tasmanian
#30- Sweetwater
#24- Good People
#22- Surly Overrated
#20- Sculpin
#15- Bell's Two Hearted
#10- Jai Alai
#9- Union Jack
#8- Founders Centennial
#6- Stone Delicious, WTF??
#3- Grapefruit Sculpin
And #1 was The Brew Kettle White Rajah. I've never had that.
No Yellow Rose. No LaCumbre Elevated (my personal favorite); however, those both seem to be very limited in distribution. Also, I found Stone Delicious to be ok to try, but I will not buy another 6-pack. Not sure how that made the Top 10 and was ahead of Union Jack and Jai.
LINK
Some highlights:
Boulevard Single Wide, Westbrook, DFH 60 nor RR Blind Pig made it out of the bottom 66.
#49- Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle
#44- Racer 5
#43- Torpedo
#38- Abita Wrought Iron, so ranked better than the above mentioned
#35- Lagunitas
#33- Sierra Nevada Harvest
#32- Schlafly Tasmanian
#30- Sweetwater
#24- Good People
#22- Surly Overrated
#20- Sculpin
#15- Bell's Two Hearted
#10- Jai Alai
#9- Union Jack
#8- Founders Centennial
#6- Stone Delicious, WTF??
#3- Grapefruit Sculpin
And #1 was The Brew Kettle White Rajah. I've never had that.
No Yellow Rose. No LaCumbre Elevated (my personal favorite); however, those both seem to be very limited in distribution. Also, I found Stone Delicious to be ok to try, but I will not buy another 6-pack. Not sure how that made the Top 10 and was ahead of Union Jack and Jai.
This post was edited on 5/6/15 at 10:06 am
9
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:24 am to ragincajun03
quote:
And #1 was The Brew Kettle White Rajah. I've never had that.
Had one this past weekend and I gave it 4 caps. My palate translator was most likely wreck at the time though. I remember the person who brought it to the party raving about its ranking. FWIW I had Union Jack during the same session and it was much better.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:26 am to ragincajun03
Had that White Rajah IPA Monday night. It was really good. Simple grain bill let the hops shine through.
It's possible/probable that Lone Pint and La Cumbre didn't send them beers, so they weren't included.
If people here tried Wrought Iron without knowing it was from Abita, they'd like it more. But so many of us (me included) let our perceptions of a brewery's past offerings cloud our judgement of their new ones.
It's possible/probable that Lone Pint and La Cumbre didn't send them beers, so they weren't included.
If people here tried Wrought Iron without knowing it was from Abita, they'd like it more. But so many of us (me included) let our perceptions of a brewery's past offerings cloud our judgement of their new ones.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:29 am to BMoney
quote:
But so many of us (me included) let our perceptions of a brewery's past offerings cloud our judgement of their new ones.
Guilty
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:30 am to ragincajun03
quote:
#6- Stone Delicious, WTF??
I was very underwhelmed by this beer. The dry hop presence was extremely lacking. I was disappointed because i really wanted to taste those hops, but barely got any flavor from them.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:31 am to BMoney
quote:
If people here tried Wrought Iron without knowing it was from Abita, they'd like it more.
Amen
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:33 am to BMoney
quote:
If people here tried Wrought Iron without knowing it was from Abita, they'd like it more
I don't get the hate for Abita. Familiarity there in LA?
I had a Strawberry Lager on draft at a bar in SAV this past weekend. I know you IPA guys don't like it but for people who like Lagers it was solid.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:34 am to ragincajun03
Should Envie be considered for this list?
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:38 am to ragincajun03
Fan of the good people and jai alai.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:50 am to ragincajun03
quote:
#32- Schlafly Tasmanian
That was a really good one. I don't know if it was a one off or if they plan to do more of it. They also just recently came out with the first of their Ibex series, which is their first foray into sours. Limited releases of about 2500 bottles only available at the brewery.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:54 am to ragincajun03
They left a lot of good ones off there.
I wish they would do this for DIPAs.
It has to be VERY difficult to blind taste test so many IPAs at one time. How do you keep your palate fresh? I don't care what you do, I just don't think you can completely reset your palate after more than a few rounds.
Also, how do you rank the different styles? For example:
#17 - Boneyard RPM:
Now compare to #4 - Breakside IPA:
I, for one, prefere #17 over #4...
I wish they would do this for DIPAs.
It has to be VERY difficult to blind taste test so many IPAs at one time. How do you keep your palate fresh? I don't care what you do, I just don't think you can completely reset your palate after more than a few rounds.
Also, how do you rank the different styles? For example:
#17 - Boneyard RPM:
quote:
How this thing is 7.5% ABV, we have no idea—at times, it almost seems like the perfect expression of a session IPA, a blank canvas upon which a carpet-bombing of hop flavors are thrust. It drinks so lightly and so easily that it’s almost frightening, because the hop flavors are massive, all citrus and tropical—think tangerine and pink grapefruit, to quote one judge’s score sheet. Completely and utterly unbalanced in favor of the hops—the malt backbone is like the straight man in some insane SNL sketch who stands there being flustered while the madness unfolds around him. And what delicious, intoxicating madness it is. This is on the super refreshing end of IPA, a beer that would be cherished on a hot climate.
Now compare to #4 - Breakside IPA:
quote:
You never truly know if a beer that has won major awards will live up to the hype in a blind tasting. We knew that Breakside’s IPA was one with a major star next to its name—that’s what a gold medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival will get for you. But really, was it going to stand out in a crowd of 116 American IPAs? Answer: Yep. Absolutely. And yet the odd thing is, Breakside’s IPA isn’t extremely aggressive or easily identifiable by a certain flavor profile—if anything, it’s right down the middle, West Coast classic. It scored so highly because it just does everything well. It’s complex in every facet of the game, from a beautiful nose that blends resinous pine, florals and citrus, right down to a restrained caramel backbone. It’s dry, perfectly balanced and sophisticated, a real joy to analyze. It’s easy to see how it earned its medal.
I, for one, prefere #17 over #4...
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:56 am to Jax-Tiger
quote:
I, for one, prefere #17 over #4
You may prefer Grey Goose to Smirnoff too, but in a blind taste test it's not the same thing.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 10:58 am to Tigertown in ATL
quote:
You may prefer Grey Goose to Smirnoff too, but in a blind taste test it's not the same thing.
I will admit I wouldn't be able to tell Grey Goose from Smirnoff. But I can tell the difference between Breakside's IPA and RPM.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 11:01 am to Jax-Tiger
I see where you are coming from. 
Posted on 5/6/15 at 11:02 am to Jax-Tiger
quote:
But I can tell the difference between Breakside's IPA and RPM.
Sure, but blind with a bunch of other ones too when you don't even know the beers included? I don't think any of us are good enough to do that.
That's the beauty of blind taste tests, particularly ones that you don't know what the beers are.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 11:06 am to Tigertown in ATL
quote:
I see where you are coming from.
I'm not saying it to be confrontational. Those are two of the most widely distributed and popular IPAs where I live. I drink them all the time. I love both of them. The Boneyard one is much hoppier and the Breakside one is much more balanced. I prefer the hoppier beers.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 11:16 am to ragincajun03
White Rajah is a fantastic ipa. Only Abita IPA I've had is the Jockimo or whatever. I hope this other one is better than it. That thing is foul.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 11:20 am to Jax-Tiger
quote:
I'm not saying it to be confrontational.
Did not take it that way at all. My original statement was not really on point.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 11:27 am to BMoney
quote:
Sure, but blind with a bunch of other ones too when you don't even know the beers included? I don't think any of us are good enough to do that.
True. That's why I mentioned that I think it would be very difficult to judge so many IPAs at one time.
If you gave them to me and told me that they were just randome IPAs, I would NOT be able to name them, I'm certain. But if you gave me two IPAs and told me that one of them is RPM and one of them is Breakside, I will be able to tell them apart.
Posted on 5/6/15 at 11:57 am to Jax-Tiger
quote:
It has to be VERY difficult to blind taste test so many IPAs at one time. How do you keep your palate fresh?
If I read the article correctly, they tried only 10 beers per day. Did them in "heats". Probably didn't have full pours.
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