Devil Dog

This stuff is hard core. It is to normal beer what Salma Hayek is to Roseanne Barr.
I don't now how to describe it, major hop flavor, there are 4 different kinds! It's only flaw might be that it needs to saved for special occasions, it's just too much ... everything. I love it, I give it a 9.

Then I got some Rocket Dog, also from Laughing Dog Brewery. It's made out of Rye. What the hell is Rye anyway? In old time westerns they say "give me a shot of Rye." I love Rye bread, but I am sorry to say I don't like Rye beer. I can only give this a 5, but I feel bad about it. Not for me, but give it a try. I want L.D. to stay in business for a long time.

 for a

Research

I got together a distinguished panel of judges so that we could rate several interesting beers all at once. Because one of the group didn't care for very hoppy beers, and one of us (me), only likes hoppy beers,we figured those 2 votes would cancel each other out. Also, since not everyone in the group thinks Nelson IPA is the best beer ever, for this test a 10 is whatever each person considered to be a 10. There were 6 judges and a dog. Here's what we decided:

Eel River Organic - 5.2, had a sort of lavender taste to it.
Diamond IPA - 5.8, really hoppy.
Total Domination - 6.3, forgot to write down notes.
Third Voyage - 6, unless you add in the dog's vote. She didn't finish her bowl, so we called that a 3.That brought the average down to 5.4. Really, Really Hoppy.
Loser - 5.4, this test was unfair because we had been drinking IPA's all this time and this was the only pale ale, a retest will be done.
Tricerahops - 6.7, forgot to write down my notes, and somebody forgot to vote, so this might be a hollow victory. Maybe this calls for a retest, also. In fact, perhaps the entire procedure may be an ineffective way to judge beer. But it was fun, so what the hell.

Real IPA

I bought this IPA from jolly old England the other day. For those of you don't know, India Pale Ale was an English invention. A way to keep beer from going bad on the long, hot voyage to India. In the back of my mind, I was thinking I wasn't gonna like it, but couldn't remember why.
Now I know. It's boring. It was modern craft brewers, particularly those here in the Northwest who cranked up the hops to the level I now expect from beer. God Bless America!

Oops, forgot to give it a rating. It's a perfectly good beer, just not when you're a hop fiend like me. I'll say 7.

Mongoose

Mongoose was my favorite beer a few years back, and I was always happy when I found a place that sold it.
I tried some a few weeks ago, and wasn't impressed. I figured I better drink some more and pay attention this time. So. I decided the problem is not with Mongoose, there is no problem at all. It's good news! There are so many other great IPA's out there, that Mongoose is now just run of the mill. What used to be a 10 is now a 7.

For Hippies Only

Fish Tale Organic IPA

Being part hippy myself, I was hoping this would be an exceptional beer. Sadly, it’s just….average.

It’s good, nothing to complain about, but, nothing to brag about either. I guess average would be a 5. But let’s give it a bonus point for being organic, and call it a 6. Don’t forget to recycle the bottle, or bad mojo will visit your teepee.

Book Signing Event

I'm having my first book signing event at Little Italy, the wine and beer place about a block from my house. Yeah, it's also a gas station. That's where I buy my race gas.
December 3rd, from 4 to 6. Why should you come? Because there will be free beer and wine tastings!

http://statelineplaza.com/littleItalys.html

Brown IPA

So here's an interesting beer. It's a brown ale with all the hops of an IPA. I really like it, I give it an 8. It's not a heavy beer like most dark beers, but it has it's own unique flavor.



Here's the brewers explanation.





Here's a keeper

Here's a great local beer from Sandpoint. the balance of all the flavors is very good, super hoppy, I give it a 9.

Hop Overload

I know I have been doing a half-assed job on my beer posts, but here's the deal. Most of the beers have no really remarkable or unique thing to talk about. Besides that, after those giant beers, I can't remember what I was going to say! I finally have something to report. I think I have met my match for hoppiness. The skull on the label of this beer is fair warning, this is so hoppy, it's crazy. 

Beer Reviews

It is going to be a tremendous hardship trying out every new IPA that comes along, but I am willing to take one for the team.
What I consider to be my favorite beer changes all the time, but right now, I have to say that this:

is the best beer ever made. It's not cheap, it comes 4 to a pack instead of 6, but it is fantastic. My only complaint is that it's almost 10% alcohol, so that makes it a little tough to come home, have a beer, and then do work out in the shop. After 1 of these you just want to sit on the couch!
So, my beer rating system will be this: Deadlift is a 10, Bud light is 1. I am not very good at describing the subtle nuances of beer, I just know what I like. I recently tried Alpha Dog IPA, and it is excellent, I would have to give it a 9. If you want to read a review from someone who is very talented at descriptions, go here: www.spocool.com/2011/02/17/alpha-dog-imperial-ipa