Na Zdravi !: Dank & Sticky IPA (The Hop Freshener Series)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Dank & Sticky IPA (The Hop Freshener Series)

The Hop Concept Brewing (San Marcos, CA)

"Boasts aromas of citrus, and dank, resinous pine. As the flavor opens, huge notes of stonefruit and dank resin give way to a juicy malt backbone and drying hop bitterness on the finish."

Lots of resiny pine with background burnt fruit sweetness.
It is a lot more pine than I usually like, but it works ... it works very well.

ABV 8.5%
Hops: Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Exp. 05256, Simcoe, Mosaic, and Comet

Na Zdravi!

A 10-second take.
Not really reviews, just my way to keep track of the beers I've tried.

My mother's family is Czech. They emigrated from Bohemia and settled in Nebraska in the mid-1800s.
They were from the region that included the town Pilzen (Pilsen) where a brewery called Měšťanský pivovar Plzeň, now Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in Czech), started brewing a uniquely Bohemian-style beer we now know as pilsner.
So, as I raise a glass in honor of my Bohemian roots ...

Na Zdravi! (to your health).

Hops?

A "hop" is the cone shaped resinous flower of the female hop plant. It is used in brewing to add bitterness, flavor, aroma, and stability depending on when it is added.

Hops are one of the 4 basic ingredients of beer although they are not esential in the brewing process. The are used simply to add flavor and complexity to the brew.
Double and even triple IPA's feature an extreme amount of hops, and an ABV to match.
Noble Hops - The traditional varieties of hops that were used to make early European beers. Medieval brewers used Hallertau, Saaz, Spalt, and/or Tettnang hops. All are from Germany except Saaz from the Czech Republic (Žatec in Czech). All are still used today.