CulturAle Press

Brewing All Stars #7: NOLA (New Orleans Lager and Ale Brewing) Hoppyright Infringement IIPA, New Orleans, La.

Date:  July 22 , 2019  —  This post is in progress.  Return soon for it.  In the meantime, click “more reviews” below to see our most recent “Beer of the Day” posts.

The Story—  Yesterday we featured one of master brewer John Maier’s last beers at Rogue, his triumphal Straight Outta Newport…Oregon IPA.  It’s worth keeping that beer in mind as we look at this almost (but not quite) as good beer from a very different part of the country.   There are some differences: this one is hazier.  John called his 8.7 an IPA while NOLA calls its 7.6 an Imperial IPA.  John packed a nicely balancing 73 IBUs in his slightly hazy beer; this one is lower.   What they both have in common, however, is a deep dankness.  NOLA get it’s dankness by a combination of Centennial, Citra, Ekuanot, and Mosaic.   None of these by themselves usually presents all that much dankness, but the combination– perhaps especially in the dry hopping– gives it a rich and lasting range of flavors that includes plenty of good old musty dank.

The Beer–  Wonderfully dank.  Rich ripe fruit and deep herbs on a slightly musty full malt.  Nice lasting bitter.    Slight hint of Dentyne gum cinnamon, but it’s more round and less hot.  Herbal, grassy and dank as it drinks.

Value —  Good to very good.  If the alcohol werejust a bit lower than its 7.6, I could drink it all night.  As it is, I could still drink it all evening.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s All-Star season.  MLB has finished theirs, but it seems like a new sport is showcasing exceptional talent almost every day.  So we’ll be presenting our own all-star brewing line up.  We don’t claim to present– or even know– what the best beers in America are, but out of the hundred or so that we taste every month, some are indeed special.   For the second couple of weeks in July, we’ll share some recent standouts in  a very crowded craft beer field. .

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”