Hop Sisters

Happy IPA Day! Lot’s of types of IPA’s but my favorite is Kraemer & Kin Black IPA! Cheers!

Hooked on American Pale Ale

Do you ever have that time where you get hooked on a food or beverage – trying all variations of that food or beverage? Well, I am hooked on American Pale Ales. There are several great ones that are widely available – here is what I like and what I am exploring!

American Pale Ales are moderate alcohol ales, golden to amber in color, which are hop forward with a balance of malt. In my opinion, it is the hops that make this beer interesting – not overly bitter, but lots or aroma and flavor.

American pale ales were one of the first beers brewed by craft brewers in the 1980’s. The recipes were for British Pale Ale, but many craft brewers used what was available in the US, especially hops. So instead of earthy, herbal, tea like British hops, craft brewers used American hops with citrus, pine, and even tropical fruit aromas and flavors.

So, in my fascination with American Pale Ale, it is the difference in hop aroma and flavor that stand out. Here are three that are available widely across the US – Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sweetwater Extra Pale Ale 420, and Dale’s American Pale Ale.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the oldest from the 1980’s. This beer is big into cascade hops that bring citrus and grapefruit flavors to the beer. The aroma brings the citrus smelling like peeling an orange. The flavor is citrus, with moderate bitterness and a strong malt background. Very drinkable and refreshing.

Sweetwater Extra Pale Ale 420 brings in centennial hops along with cascade. Still some citrus aroma but a bit more herbal and floral – smells like flowers. The taste is a bit less citrus and more tea like herbal and earthy. Still moderately bitter and a stable malt background. Very nice!

Last but not least, is Dale’s American Pale Ale. Dale’s is from the Oskar Blues Brewery and it the flagship for this brewery. This American Pale Ale has three hops – cascade, centennial, and comet. The aroma is pine forest to the point of being resinous. The flavor is pine with citrus notes. This beer is almost amber in color and brings malt flavors of caramel. Still an American Pale Ale but the pine and caramel malt flavors are a welcome mix.

If you want to do a side-by-side tasting, make sure to gives these beers 15 minutes to warm up from the fridge. This allows for the hops aromas and flavors to come through. Who knows what my next beer obsession will be – it is almost summer so maybe something light and refreshing!

Maple DoppelSticke

On a recent trip to Vermont, I found a great beer Two Heroes Maple Doppelsticke. This beer was so good, I forgot to take a picture of the poured beer – I drank it! Being in Vermont – the maple theme was greatly appreciated!

This was certainly a fusion of a couple of German style beers – brewer’s prerogative – but it was a well-made beer. Two Heroes is a brewery and pub in South Hero, Vermont. A great location, good food, and a brand new building.

Let’s break it down. A Doppelbock is a strong German Lager and a Sticke is a special beer made in the style of a German Alt Beer. An Alt Beer is a hybrid type of beer; ale yeast is used at a lower fermentation temperature and the resulting beer is then lagered (stored cold to mellow and finish a slow fermentation). German brewers in Dusseldorf are known for their Alt Beers and in the past, made a special beer, Stricke at certain times of the year for celebrations. These beers were usually stronger in alcohol and other flavors and were highly anticipated!

So, this Maple Doppelsticke was a strong amber ale with 8.4% ABV. Dobbelbocks are usually 7 to 9% ABV. The maple gave the beer a strong aroma, but was very subtle in flavor, only showing up in the aftertaste – smooth! The beer was malty rich with a good balance of bitterness from the hops. Alt Beers are malty, smooth beers with balanced bitterness from traditional German hops like Halltertauer, Spalt and or Tettnanger.

After a big day of outside work, this beer hit the spot. Drank it all before getting a picture! If this seasonable beer is still available in Vermont, grab a four pack, you will not be disappointed.

World Beer Cup 2025

The World Beer Cup competition was held on May 1, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana and my two favorite states had winners entered in the beer competition – Florida and Vermont. Florida is my adopted new home, and Vermont is where I spent a majority of my life (so far)!

The World Beer Cup is hosted by the Brewers Association; there were 112 categories of beer with an average of 73 entries per category. Beers were entered from around the globe and the competition is stiff.

The Florida winners included:

BarrieHaus Beer Co. In Tampa achieved a Silver Medal for their Vienna Style Lager called Family Tradition. There were 88 entries in this category.

I have never visited this brewery so a road trip will occur in the future and I do like a Vienna Lager!

Sky Puppy Brewing in Tampa, FL achieved a Bronze Medal for their German-Style Schwarzbier called Shady Lady. There were 88 entries in this category.

This is another brewery that I have not visited so a trip to Tampa is becoming more likely! A German Schwarzbier is a black lager and is a delightful beer!

Ivanhoe Park Lager House in Orlando, FL achieved a Silver Medal for their German Style Bock or Maibock called Rosenbock. There were 77 entries in this category.

A Bock is a German style of beer that should be above 6.3% ABV and is very malt forward. Maibock indicated a Spring beer (Mai = March) but I would drink this beer any time. Another brewery to put on this list to visit!

As for the Vermont winner:

Lawson's Finest Liquid from Waitsfield, VT achieved a Bronze Medal for their British Style Imperial Stout called Fayston Maple Imperial Stout. There were 38 entries in this category.

A British Imperial Stout will be high in alcohol, moderate hop bitterness and the added maple syrup will add some interested aromas and flavors. I have visited with brewery many times while living in Vermont and during summer visits! I hope they have some of this beer left when I visit Vermont this summer!

Congratulations to all the winner and you should look to purchase these award-winning beers if not set up a trip to visit the brewery! Some Award Winning Beer to Try!

Happy National Beer Day!

National Beer Day is the day to celebrate the end of Prohibition in the United States on April 7, 1933, when the law was signed.

Prohibition in the US lasted from 1916 through 1933 through the 18th amendment of the constitution and outlawed the manufacture, sale, and transportation of any intoxicating beverage above 0.5% ABV.

These were some dark years with World War I, the great Depression, and the rise of Hi**er in Germany prior to World War II. Prohibition did curtail the legal sale of alcohol but fueled the illegal trade in alcohol leading to the rise of organized crime.

A real good reason to raise a glass on National Beer Day to toast the end of Prohibition so many years ago!

Doppelbock and Lent

Doppelbocks go back to the late 1700’s and the recipe and first brewing is credited to a Paulaner monk by the name of father Barnabas in 1774. The beer was named Salvator due to the monk’s consumption of this beer during lent – liquid bread was another name. A doppelbock is a strong beer being at least 6.3% ABV and is extremely malty with just enough hops to keep the beer from being cloying.

So, here’s to the monks and the great doppelbock beer.

The St Patrick’s Day holiday is almost here - a day known for beer drinking! There are two beer styles associated with Ireland - Stout and Irish Red Ale. No green beer here - the food coloring does not add anything to beer. Let’s discuss these styles.

Irish Red Ale is an amber to reddish ale with malty flavors of caramel and toffee like notes. There is very little bitterness or hop flavors - an easy drinking beer for a beer centered holiday. Two great examples are Smithwicks Irish Red and Killian’s Irish Red.

Now stouts have many more variations and some are more aligned with Ireland and some with England, as well as other countries. The flavors distinguish these stouts from one another. The Irish versions of stout are Irish Stout and Irish Extra Stout. Irish Stout has a black coffee bitterness from the dark roasted malts used in brewing. For a dark ale, Irish Stout is very light in body and low in alcohol! A great example is Guinness Irish Draught or Murphy’s Irish Stout.

Irish Extra Stout is the big brother to Irish Stout with more bitterness and more roasted malt flavor - more like espresso, but also having some notes of bittersweet chocolate. This ale is also higher in alcohol. Two great examples of this ale are Guinness Extra Stout or Porterhouse # # #.

Experiment with these ale styles this St. Patrick’s Day. Enjoy an Irish Red Ale or a Stout with your celebration and leave the green beer alone! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Let's Have a Beer!

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