Every once in a while, life gives you a nice little surprise to remind you that sometimes things aren’t so bad.
My wife and I were heading out to enjoy a nice day in the wine country, and she indulged me by stopping at Moylan’s for lunch. And what did I discover on the beer list but none other than the Hop Craic Quadruple IPA. On cask, no less.
This was gonna be a good day.
If you consider yourself a Hop Head, as I do, this is the kind of beer that will challenge you to put your hops where your head is. Would I be worthy, or would it send me into a bad hop trip? Could I withstand the onslaught, or would my palate descend into a resinous lupulin spiral from which it would never recover?
I’m happy to report I made it to the other side, and am better for the experience. The barely corbonated, tea-colored concoction gave me all the viscous, nearly oily hops I could handle, concentrated to the point of having a nearly candied sweetness. But even though it coated the palate, it was never puckering. Yes, it’s hop juice, but it’s structured hop juice. While you can’t have a ton of this at 10.4% ABV, a 10-oz. pour was more than sufficient.
And it left me in good enough shape to enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting. It was, indeed, a great day.
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Celebrating St. Paddy’s Day (or using it as an excuse) with a Rouge Double Chocolate Stout. Yes, it’s not a dry Irish stout. But I’m not a dry Irish, either. It’s the thought that counts.