Beer O' Clock -- Camp edition

Been a while, so let's get one of these in while I still have the energy.

I received a cache of beer from a Hawkeye fan in Virginia, @vaHawkeye, and Mr. Champion of Hops, @rod_leviathan. I'll have a few of those featured in this massive post. Mostly, these will be from my last trip to East Dubuque and Madison.

BTW, I get a little offended at the drunk driving commercial with the dudes driving drenched in their selected alcohols when pulled over.

Why do they have to make the beer guy a mullet-wearing hillbilly driving a pickup? (OK, I drive a pickup, so I'm sensitive.) I guess they give beer drinkers a bone with the motorcycle leather guy, but still? They even made pickup guy burp.

Don't drink and drive. It's not worth it. You all have too much too lose.

(Check back. I'm going to add a few more selections. Tweetphoto is down right now. I think I have three more coming, so if you're interested, come back.)

Smuttynose Big "A" IPA

This is an American DIPA from Smuttynose, a New Hampshire brewery.

Fairly strong alcohol (9.6 ABV) comes through here. I thought it tasted drier than a lot of IPAs, which I enjoy. This is a hop kick in the face, something I require. Delicious blend of citrus and resin. I read a few reviews on Beer Advocate (A- on 643 reviews) that demanded more of a malt backbone. No. No, no, no. No. We want the hops.

The A is a solid A. Thanks, @vaHawkeye!

Beer Valley's Pigskin Pale Ale

Pigskin Pale Ale is from Beer Valley out of Ontario, Ore. It's an American pale ale with 6 percent ABV.

Incredibly drinkable, I think this beer was made for late fall tailgating experience. The hops are the feature here, with bitterness that rates lower than top IPAs but still smacks you. Sweet aftertaste. Just a wonderfully drinkable IPA. Serious recommend for tailgating. You can handle a few of these, as long as you're not driving (of course).

This is a solid A-, with a high recommend for "sessions," which is a fancy term for tailgating or, as we used to call it in Dubuque, a creek sit. Pigskin rates a B+ on 31 reviews on BA (Beer Advocate, just so you know).

This also was a gracious gift from @bvak. Thank you very much, sir!

Victory's Hop Wallop

I first found Hop Wallop, by Victory Brewing Company (Downington, Pa.), at Steve's Liquors in Madison, but @vaHawkeye dropped me a bottle of this delicious hop hooligan (American DIPA with 8.5 ABV) on his way through Iowa for AGBRAI (I don't recognize the "R," kidding, kidding).

Slight sweet malt before the beer turns to sharp piney bitterness. You can smell the citrus, but the pine has more muscle. Some alcohol at the end, but Hop Wallop lives up to its name through the end. It's a hammering bitterness, but it's wheelhouse for me.

I'll say A-, just short of the Ruination, Dreadnaught, Hop Slam class. (Well-loved on BA with an A- on 1,491.) Different than Big A, but I'm starting to sense some differences between east and west IPAs. I think east might be slightly drier and west gets oily. Either way, I like.

I find Boulevard brews to be steeped in European tradition, which isn't exactly my thing. But once I get into a Boulevard product, I always find it to be well worth it. In other words, I've got to get back on track with Euro beers. It's not you, it's me.

The Saison-Brett is a saison/farmhouse ale with a 8.5 ABV (is that high for a saison?) by Boulevard (KC, Mo.).

The Brett is a dry but hoppy saison, which drew me in. Some light sweetness with a touch of lemon and a grassiness to the hops. I've had Boulevard's first-go with the saison Smokestack Series. I liked the hoppy character and the emphasis off the fruit, which almost always loses in when they're so obvious. This one had a smidge of orange at the end, too, which was acceptable. It is a saison, after all, and not an IPA.

I'm going B+. Saisons aren't a regular for me, but I find them an enjoyable, especially as summer thrums along. Great summer beer.

Port Brewing Company's Wipeout IPA

Wipeout IPA is an American IPA (7.0 ABV) from Port Brewing Company (San Marcos. Calif.)

Port Brewing Company started as Pizza Port, but started brewing beer and is now Port Brewing. They also brew The Lost Abbey products (which I've never tried).

The Wipeout uses five hops -- Amarillo, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe and Summitt. This leaves it swimming in all kinds of aromas, including grapefruit, lychee, tangerine, lemon, pineapple. If you crave malty balance, turn away. It's a scalding IPA in that regard. The malt is there, taming it enough to keep it from unduly acidic. It's hop-first, but there is enough malt to make it work.

This gets an A from me. The Wipeout gets an A- on 452 reviews on BA. Beginning to think nothing beats a San Diego IPA (this includes the Stone products). I picked this up at Family Beer and Liquor in East Dubuque.

Hop Whore

The Hop Whore comes to you by the people at Tyranena Brewing Company, a fine brewery located in Lake Mills, Wis. It's an American DIPA with a 7.5 percent ABV.

I took tropical fruits away from HW, with lots of orange, grapefruit and cream. Piney resin balanced the fruit, keeping it off the wine cooler list. The malt kicked in at the end and leveled out the hops. Not what I'm looking for in a DIPA. I want the hops with subdued malt.

This was a B for me. Tyranena makes better beers. It rated better on BA, with an A- on 238 reviews.

Maximus by Lagunitas Brewing Company

The Maximus is from Lagunitas Brewing Company (Petaluma, Calif.). It's an American DIPA with an ABV of 7.5 percent. I've been resisting Lagunita product, but bent to the suggestions of one @Storminspank. Unfortunately after buying, he told me this was one of Lagunitas' lesser IPAs.

The bitterness is tamed, allowing a floral bouquet of hops on your tongue. I think I detected some bubblegum, which I'm all for. Caramel malts balance it out nicely. Alcohol is very, very quiet. Almost too quiet.

This was just a tad too sweet, but that's a quibble. This is a very good DIPA. I'll follow BA's B+ (on 872 reviews) and give it a B+. I found this at Steve's in Madison.

Smuttynose IPA "Finest Kind"

The Smuttynose "Finest Kind" IPA comes from the Portsmouth, N.H., brewery. It's an American IPA with a 6.9 percent ABV. I picked it up at Woodman's in Madison.

Flavor is immediately bitter. Mildly bitter at first. Then, it goes to full bitter before settling at a puckering kind of bitter at the end. I believe it's the yeast that gives it a dryness (the east coast thing) and a tartiness.  The malts are muted. Also, this isn't a citric IPA. It's success comes in sweet undertones and spiciness. I liked that. Different. A challenge.

The Finest Kind is an extremely popular beer on BA, rating an A- on 1,113 reviews. I think A- is fair. I'd definitely go back to this.

Stone's 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA

I found Stone's 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA at Steve's in Madison. It's an English IPA with 8.9 percent ABV.

I'll let Stone explain this one:

"In this case, our tastes called for highly intemperate quantities of Target, East Kent Goldings, and Boadicea hops, bestowing upon this dry-bodied ale a powerfully spicy, earthy aroma. On the palate, peppery hops assert themselves early and often, with malt sweetness making a brief appearance before being beaten back by a long, complex, and decisively bitter finish. What better way to contemplate the fate of empires past, present, and future?"

I get the dryness, big time. Still, it didn't stand out like usual Stone products. Maybe I've set the bar too high?

It gets a B+ over on BA with 368 reviews. I'd probably go B. That's way low for me on a Stone, but didn't feel this one, even if it tugged at my English ancestory.

Two Jokers

Two Jokers is a Witbier put put by Boulevard (KC, MO). It has an 8 percent ABV and is part of Boulevard's Smokestack Series.

I'm not keen on the Belgian style, so I'll let Boulevard explain it:

"They say there are two sides to every story, and that's certainly true of Two Jokers Double-Wit. On the one hand, it's a revival of the classic Belgian “wit,” or “white” ale, with lactic fermentation providing a refreshing tartness. On the other hand, it's a modern, uniquely American brew; big, flavorful, and spiced with cardamom, coriander, orange peel, lavender, and grains of paradise."

The spice notes make their appearance early. Loads of coriander and orange peel cover the ABV while adding to the overall strong malt backbone. I liked that the beer was sour, but not sour just to be sour. If that makes sense.

Two Jokers gets an A- on 102 reviews at BA. I give it a B+, strong representation of the style. From my beer friend, @rod_leviathan, aka "The Hatman."

Adam

This is Adam, from Hair of the Dog Brewing Company (Portland, Ore.). It's an Old Ale with 10 percent ABV. According to BA, it's also "A re-creation of an historic beer style originally made in Dortmund, Germany. Adam was the first beer produced by Hair of the Dog.

Here's what Hair of the Dog says about Adam: "is a recreation of a historic beerstyle. Originally made in Dortmunder, Germany, it was the first beer I produced when I opened Hair of the Dog. Rich in flavor, Adam is best served as a dessert beer. It is great with chocolate or cigars, or just a warm fire and good company. It has 10% alcohol by volume and 50 IBUs."

OK, so I shouldn't have tried it this summer.

But seriously, a delicious thick beer. Lots of flavors blended into smoke. Sort of chipotles. The cocoa mixes with the smoke amazing. Dark fruit, grapes, raisins and alcohol also work into the flavor. The hops are are mostly earthy. Caramel is there but not overbearing. Love the smoke.

Adam rates an A- on 561 reviews at BA. I think that's about right. I really enjoyed it. Picked it up in Munster, Ind., after Three Floyds Dark Lord Day.

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA is from Dark Horse Brewing Company in Marshall, Mich. We talked a little in the comments about what a wonderful beer place Oregon is. I think Michigan is right there with just about any, including Wisconsin.

The Double Crooked is an American DIPA with a muscular 13.6 ABV. After Dogfish Head's 120 IPA, that's the highest ABV for a IPA I know of.

Here's what Dark Horse says about this beer, which is a seasonal, I believe, for them: "Have you read the description for the regular Crooked Tree yet? Well this beer is almost the same just double the flavor and alcohol. We actually took the Crooked Tree recipe and doubled all of the ingredients except the water, just the way a DOUBLE should be made. Big hops balanced with tons of malt give this beer a huge body. Although this beer is as cool as "The Fonz" when first purchased, it gets really mellow and smooth with some age. After a year or two stored in a cool dark place you'll notice the heavy caramel and malt flavors are trying to sneak past the hops. This beer is hugely delicious so it will need your undivided attention (the chores can wait....trust us)."

I bought a four pack of this at Family Beer and Liquor. I've had one. I will now cellar the other three for at least a year.

The first thought is orange with astringent mild bitterness wrapped in intense notes of sweet orange, grapefruit. Caramel sits underneath filling in the gaps. Hints of toffee and an alcohol note linger with a mild astringency on the finish. Not your typical DIPA, but it's truly a DIPA with double everything.

Gets an A- on 495 reviews at BA. I'll go A.

Hamm's Special Light

This is Hamm's Special Light, from a little place called Hamm's Brewing Company in Milwaukee. ABV? Who knows, who cares.

Gets a D on 11 reviews at BA. This means "avoid," by the way.

Don't listen to the haters.

Here's all you need to know: I found a 30 pack of this for $10.79 at Woodman's in Madison. College kids -- those of you who are 21-plus, of course -- don't say I haven't done anything for you. Road trip. Take Flounder's uncle's car.

A++++++++++. Capricious with a hint of stateliness.