Feature Beer Friday: Melvin's 2X4 Double IPA

By Eric Ducote

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Feature Beer Friday!  This might be my last one for a few weeks due to upcoming knee surgery, but it certainly won't be my last post ever.  This week's feature is the 2X4 DIPA from Melvin Brewing out of Alpine, Wyoming.  I found a selection of their beers last weekend in Florida at a Total Wine store.  Apparently Total Wine in Florida contracted with Melvin a large enough order to make a one-time distribution to the state.  A pretty good idea if you ask me, if the demand is there for a certain brewery and that brewery can meet the supply, why not make a special order?  

Melvin Brewing started off as a nanobrewery in the back of a Thai restaurant and has grown into a powerhouse in the NW part of our country.  The 2X4 DIPA, which won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2012 to really put Melvin Brewing on the map nationally.  It's a 10% ABV, 100+ IBU beer loaded with American hops such as Columbus, Centennial, Citra, and Simcoe.

Melvin Brewing's 2X4 DIPA

The first thing I notice is the slight haze to the pour.  This is certainly not brewed in the NEIPA style, but it's not filtered clear either.  It's a little on the copper/orange side for color, with as you can see a prominent frothy head.  The aroma is pure hop joy, with pine notes coming through strong as well as citrus.  It's an excellent blend of hops, with multiple layers of flavor shining through, and that extends to the taste as well.  The malts are there, but they lay low and allow the hops to shine through, with even more pine and citrus flavors bursting through every sip.  This is a phenomenal DIPA, and I feel like it really serves as a bridge between the old school malty IBU heavy double IPAs and the trendy hazy NEIPAs.  This beer really allows the hops to shine through without making them the only performer in the show.

I know this one won't be easy to find around Baton Rouge, but if you do see some or get the chance to try it, don't pass it up.  Cheers! 

Feature Beer Friday: New Orleans Beer Tour Edition - Wayward Owl, Port Orleans, NOLA, Urban South

By Eric Ducote

Greeting beer lovers!  This past weekend I had the opportunity to join Jay Ducote, Matt Moscona, and Lee Feinswog on a Magical Brewery Beer Bus Tour of four New Orleans breweries.  The itinerary was set out as leaving from Tin Roof in Baton Rouge, then hitting up Wayward Owl, Port Orleans, NOLA Brewing, and Urban South prior to making out way back to Baton Rouge.  I have been to NOLA and Urban South a few times before, but I had never been to Wayward Owl or to Port Orleans, so when Jay gave me the invite I was happy to accept.  

The bus loaded up at Tin Roof, who was gracious enough to give us some low fills for the road, and the group (43 strong) made our way to I-10 East a few minutes ahead of schedule.  The tour package included two beers at each stop for everyone, but we were of course free to purchase additional beers and food along the way.  

Tin Roof for the ride.

Third Row representing!

Traffic was light for a late Saturday morning and we ended up rolling up to Wayward Owl a few minutes ahead of our anticipated arrival.  They were kind enough to open up early just for our tour and the drinking commenced!  Wayward Owl is a new stop for me, and my first impression was that they did a really excellent job with the space, an old theater that is now serving as both brewery and taproom.  I tried several beers here, including the You Drive Me Hazy DIPA, the Dance Between The Darkness Imperial Stout, and the Hopsurdity DIPA.  Probably not the best idea to start the tour with three beers over 7% abv, but these were the ones I really wanted to try!  

Wayward Owl's beer menu for the day.

Wayward Owl's space was originally the Gem Theater.

After a few rounds at Wayward Owl and a tour courtesy of Brewmaster Justin, it was off to Port Orleans, a relatively new brewery on Tchoupitoulas between Milan and Marengo.  This brewery is gorgeous, with a clean stylish taproom build out, an ample front porch with outdoor seating, and a large patio to one side with picnic tables and yard games.  It was too hot for anyone to really enjoy the outdoor spaces, but I know once Fall rolls around and the weather cools down, this place will be jumping indoors and out.  Being a bit of a hop lover I went for the Partly Cloudy With A Chance For Hops first, then moved on to a Blowout DDH IPA.  Of these two I preferred the Blowout, but the real hit was the third beer I tried, pour of their Barrel-Aged Offshore Chocolate Imperial Stout.  That one hit all the right notes with the richness of the stout, chocolate notes, and a boozy oaky vanilla flavor from the barrel aging.  

Port Orleans Brewing Company and Stokehold Restaurant.

Port Orleans' taproom.

The Port Orleans side patio, too hot for a crowd today.

Port Orleans is also home to the Stokehold restaurant, and some food was much needed.  After a quick browse I decided to get some mozzarella stuffed garlic bread to split with Jay, and it was amazing.  It was an excellent combination of buttery dough, garlic, mozzarella cheese, and a marinara for dipping.  This is without a doubt one of the best taproom food items I've ever tried, and I would probably order it again the next time I'm here.  

Mozzarella stuffed garlic bread from Stokehold and the Blowout DDH IPA.

After Port Orleans it was time for a quick jaunt just under a mile down Tchoupitoulas to NOLA Brewing, the elder statesman of the craft brewing renaissance in New Orleans.  I was especially excited to get to NOLA as I had heard great things about the No Strings Attached NEIPA that released last weekend.  It did not disappoint at all, hazy, juicy, hoppy and checking off every mark for a great NEIPA.  I also tried a Twins Basil, Twins! (that's an Austin Powers reference in case you missed it) which is a mixed fermentation sour with citrus and basil.  Although I did enjoy it, it was a little on the tart side for my tastes. 

NOLA Brewing Company

Like Port Orleans, NOLA also has a restaurant on premise, in this case McClure's BBQ, so Jay ordered up a BBQ sampler to split and we enjoyed some excellent ribs, brisket, chopped chicken, and pulled pork with some sides of macaroni and cheese and seasoned waffle fries.  Everything was delicious, but I think the baked mac & cheese stole the show a bit from the meats.  

The BBQ plate from McClure's and most of a No Strings Attached NEIPA.

After that bite and a crowler snag, it was time to continue another short distance down Tchoupitoulas to Urban South Brewery, a brewery making waves for itself with flavorful gose style ales and phenomenal NEIPA releases to go with their flagships.  Just like NOLA, Urban South released a hyped NEIPA the week before, so I was excited to get in and try some of the Soulstice, a collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab.  Just like the No Strings Attached, this did not disappoint.  I finished off the evening with a Suitcase Full Of Sparks and then decided it was time to switch to water for the ride home, but not before snagging another crowler for later!

Urban South Brewery

Urban South's taproom was jumping this Saturday afternoon.

After a ride home full of Matt Moscona give-aways, it was back to Tin Roof and then back home, heavy a few crowlers and a souvenir glass.  

A couple of beers for later.

Souvenir glassware, never a bad thing! 

This was a really great time, I enjoyed hanging out with Jay, Matt, and Lee, and of course it was fantastic to see some new breweries and try some new beers all while having transportation taken care of.  There are plans for a repeat event in early 2019, so be on the lookout, and grab your spot before they are gone!  

Feature Beer Friday: Parish's Ghost In The Machine Double IPA

By Eric Ducote

Hello everyone, and welcome to this year's Summer of Ghost!  Last year Parish Brewing out of Broussard, LA decided to treat everyone by pumping out new batches of their signature hazy New England-style Double IPA all summer long and it seems as though 2018 is going to be no different. The guys over at Parish were busy during the month of May brewing up batch after batch of the delicious brew and then spent the first week or so of June bottling it all up and sending it out throughout their distribution area.  On June 14th, all the Ghost was released at once and I had no trouble finding some at Martin Wine Cellar while my wife picked up a pack at Rouse's.  

The three 4-packs I ended up with (so far) were bottled on 6/4, 6/6, and 6/7, but I didn't notice anything different between the three bottlings.  Ghost in the Machine is brewed to 8% abv, and "brewed with obscene quantities of hand-selected Citra hops" according to Parish's website. Citra is known for (and this should be obvious) a distinct citrus flavor, and Ghost is one of the better examples of how strong the citrus notes can be.  The hop profile can vary slightly from year to year and between different hop yards but Citra is always going to give a strong orange/grapefruit profile.  

Summer 2018 Ghost in the Machine

On the pour, this batch of Ghost is the distinct bright reddish-orange color with all the haze in the world and a finger worth of bubbly head.  The aroma is that enticing combination of bitter hops and citrus, with the primary note in this batch being grapefruit, although hints of orange and lemon come through as well.  The joke online is to compare this beer to Sunny D, and although I totally understand where that comes from, the hop oils in Ghost and other IPAs give a much more bitter feel on the palate and then there's the alcohol content to deal with.  Although into the double or imperial range, the 8% abv on Ghost is very well masked by the obscene hoppiness and all the citrus notes, giving the beer a clean pleasant finish.  The finish really just makes me want another sip, and then another beer, and then another 4-pack.  I don't mean to make light of addiction, which is a serious issue, but this is so delicious and drinkable that it's hard to just slowly sip and stop after one.  

As usual, Parish keeps killing the NEIPA game, and I'm thrilled to have Ghost in the Machine as a regular addition to store shelves throughout the summer.  Cheers! 

Feature Beer Friday: Southern Prohibition's Crowd Control Imperial IPA

by Eric Ducote

Good morning everybody, I hope you are having a fantastic Friday so far, or whichever day you might be reading this, I hope it's awesome.  Today's Feature Beer Friday (Hashtag FeatureBeerFriday) comes from Southern Prohibition Brewing out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Southern Prohibition (or SoPro) established in 2013 actually makes it one of Mississippi's oldest craft breweries. It wasn't too long ago that Mississippi was a black hole for craft breweries thanks to restrictive laws, but starting with Lazy Magnolia in 2005 the state has started to join the craft beer movement.  The group Raise Your Pints has done a lot to help in the legislature as well as the breweries themselves continuing to fight for their business. In the end, Mississippi is starting to catch up to the rest of the country, or at least the rest of the South, and that's without a doubt a great thing for craft beer drinkers in the region.

Enough history though, how about the present, and this Crowd Control Imperial IPA?  The pour is hazy, but not quite the juicy look of some "New England" styled hoppy brews. The color is a deep, opaque gold with a frothy white head and the hop aroma reached my nose before I was even done pouring.  The first thing I noted from the aroma is that this has a much more dank, piney, resiny scent than all of the juice bombs I've been drinking recently. The beer is hopped to feature Mosaic hops, which have a real tendency to give off a green onion flavor, but I'm not getting that as much as the resinous, traditionally bitter hop bite.

The taste is more complex, with the resin notes coming through strong and coating the tongue and a minimal sweetness in support.  The finish is bitter, but in an awesome way and completely different from the velvet smoothness of a real "soft" juicy IPA.  Even a minute after a sip there is some lingering hop bitterness, which makes me want to go back for another sip (or another can) to satisfy that craving for MORE HOPS! It's only 8% abv, so the lower side for an Imperial IPA, and not so strong that I can't go back for another, right?

SoPro has a real winner on their hands here and it has been a favorite pick of mine ever since cracking the Baton Rouge market.  If you see some out there, don't hesitate to give it a try.  Cheers!

Feature Beer Friday: Tin Roof's Juju Imperial IPA

by Eric Ducote

Hey everyone, welcome back to another Feature Beer Friday!  Initially I had another beer in mind for this week's post, but that was before I swung by Tin Roof Brewing last weekend and tried their latest release, the Juju Imperial IPA.  This isn't Tin Roof's first attempt at an Imperial IPA, but it is the first one to be canned, and the improvements shown at Tin Roof over the last few years had me really excited to give it a try.

The crowd was already pretty solid when I got there about 30 minutes after opening, but it didn't take long at all to get a pour of the Juju from Greg behind the bar.  My initial thought was that the color was on point for the current overwhelming trend of hazy juice-bomb IPAs.  The recipe for this one is essentially a doubled up Voodoo, aiming for twice the abv (alcohol by volume) and using twice the amount of hops, which are limited to the simcoe and citra varieties.  I was also informed that even though the can labels list the abv at 9%, it actually fermented stronger than expected all the way to a 10.5% beer.  Personally I think this really helps the beer as the yeast chewed through even more of the fermentable sugars leaving less residual sweetness and a more minimalist canvas to showcase the hops.

The aroma on this one is pure hops, citra dominates with expected tropical citrus flavors that fill the nostrils.  The taste is more of the same with a silky smooth mouthfeel, an explosion of citrus hoppiness and a bit of a bitter piney backbone due to the simcoe hops as well. It was an exceptionally easy drinker considering the 10.5% abv.  After a few rounds at the brewery I bought a couple of 4-packs to take home, as this was definitely a beer I wanted to try again. 

Most of the Bite and Booze team was also at Tin Roof enjoying some Juju, so I figured I'd ask them what they thought as well.  Jay said, "Boozy, hoppy and juicy - a great combination of flavors that hold up to the Imperial IPA name while building on the strength of the Voodoo Pale Ale backbone. I couldn't stop drinking them at the release party, and that's rare for me and a double IPA like this." Blair agreed that she couldn't stop drinking them, and referred to it as "sneaky."  As John Turturro would say about this beer, "I fear you are underestimating the sneakiness."

The general consensus among everyone I spoke to is that Tin Roof really hit a home run with this release.  This is a welcome addition to the local beer scene and it's on par with the hops coming out of other breweries in the state.  I'm pretty sure it's all sold out by the time I'm even writing this, let alone posting it but there are plans to make some more (from what I'm told, a 30 barrel batch compared to this 10 barrel release) in the near future.  In the meantime if you have a friend that wants to share, take them up on the offer!  And if you are reading this in time, Tin Roof is planning on releasing a new Haze Hunt Triple IPA this Saturday (2/24/18) so go give it a try.  

Beers with Chuck: The Maharaja Imperial IPA from Avery Brewing Company

by Chuck P

The Avery Brewing Company based in Boulder, Colorado has finally made its way into Louisiana: rejoice craft beer enthusiasts! With a stellar selection of beers coming in like the Vanilla Bean Stout and Raspberry Sour from their Botanicals & Barrels series and year round selections like the El Gose German Style Sour Ale, Out Of Bounds Stout and White Rascal Belgian White Ale there’s enough variety to satisfy even the pickiest beer geek.

Out of their wide selection of beers now distributed here, my go-to is their Imperial IPA, The Maharaja.

According to Avery’s website the word Maharaja is taken from the sanskrit words Mahat, meaning “great”, and Rajan, meaning “king” making this Imperial IPA regal, intense and mighty; mighty it is indeed, coming in at a big 10% ABV.

Pouring into the glass the Maharaja has a very dark amber color with a mild haziness and a nice foamy head that quickly disappears. The aroma is a full on citrus blast with hints of grapefruit, orange and even a bit of papaya coming through as well as some piney notes. The sweetness of the malt comes through as well. The first sip greets you with true bitter hoppiness that hits the palate running.

The middle gives way to the sweet malts with a hint of caramel that breaks up the dankness a bit but returns with a nice dry finish. I didn’t find it to be too boozy given the high ABV at first, but after a few more sips it made it’s subtle presence felt.

This Imperial IPA from Avery Brewing will be a welcomed addition to my growing list of go to IPA’s. It’s strong and fruity with enough of a boozy feel to remind me not to drink these like a freshman at a high school kegger. 

Look for this delicious brew and much more from Avery Brewing Company on local store shelves and bottle shops throughout Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.

To hear more about The Maharaja Imperial IPA check out our On Tap segment sponsored by Mockler Beverage Company on the Bite & Booze Radio Show below.