Show 33: Bicoastal IPA Smackdown: Stone vs. Dogfish Head
Prebeer Preamble: At long last…..LET’S GET READY TO…uh…DRINK BEER! I’ll admit it, I’m not a fan of these “smackdown” things. I mean, when the beer is this good, everybody wins in my book. Still, I’m intrigued by the concept: take four IPAs from two of America’s most successful craft breweries, invite an Imperial crap-ton of people* to drink them in a blind tasting, and force them to pick which they like best. And it would have gone off perfectly, except it involved both a little math and an obscene amount of the Greek alphabet. Still, this is some good stuff: the wheels get a little wobbly, but never come off the wagon entirely…
Round 1: Stone IPA vs. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. The undercard in today’s bout are two “traditional” India Pale Ales. We have tasters in the room from both coasts (and Australia!), as well as folks who just plain don’t like hoppy beer. The discussion is suprisingly civil, but there can be only one winner…
Intermission: Microbrewed. “Old Dominion Brewery.” Phil Rossi and Tee Morris return to the Ashburn, VA brewpub that got the whole “Microbrewed” thing started. With their lovely wives along for the ride, and much to celebrate, Tee and Phil are in fine and festive moods. Tune in and see how much reminiscing occurs between pints! [part 1 of 2]
Round 2: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA vs. Stone Ruination IPA. The main event kicks off with squeals of glee and protruding yuck-tongues in just about equal quantities. These two beers have everything cranked up, and apparently that’s not for everyone. Still, you have to pick a winner, so even the more “sensitive” palates in the crowd ultimately choose a side. What brew emerges victorious?
Beer Geek Moment: “Beer Competitions.” Today’s little excercise is amatuer to say the least (presence of an actual beer judge notwithstanding). Find out about the history and basics of REAL beer contests in this breezy Moment.
Postbeer Postscript: Having picked winners for each round, it is time to do a little math and crown a “Best in Show” beer. Each taster rated each beer, and the scores for each are totaled. Which potent potable walks away with the Grand Prize? Surely one of the winners of Rounds 1 and 2, right? D’OH!!
*Thanks to tasters Mark A., CMAAAAAAAAAR!, Thomas from Flagstaff, Michael R. Mennenga, Yooper, Doug Kress, Enormous from Australia, Kris Mayo, Brian Brown, Tim Adamec, Alec/clichekiller, Rhettro, and Rhettro’s lovely air-guitar goddess of a wife, Theresa. And a double-plus-huge thanks to C.A. Sizemore for running the blind tasting. Remember: It ain’t a party ’til something gets broke!
And a quintuple-plus-über-huge thanks to Jarsto from the Netherlands for ressurecting this show from digital nowhere land. If you enjoy this one, thank Jarsto!
July 13th, 2007 at 5:57 am
Hey, Charlie- Enjoyed the show, and enjoyed the premise of the show. Dogfish Head’s 60-Minute IPA is currently my favorite beer, so I was a bit disappointed by its poor showing amongst your tasters, but it sounds like all the beers you guys tried were pretty good. I guess it’s like in sports, where it’s not so bad to lose to the team that goes on to win the championship.
I’d like to try the Stone IPA, to do my own comparison, but I haven’t been able to find it anywhere out here (in the Southeast). We have a major lack of good beer stores — and local craft breweries, for that matter - in my neck of the woods.
Keep up the good work, I’ve been enjoying it!
July 13th, 2007 at 6:47 am
Hey Wiz,
Thanks for the good words. Several tasters found all the beers to be good. I basically forced them to do a “Sophie’s Choice,” and say which one was best. DFH 60 is indeed an easy-drinking (for an IPA) and tasty brew! Apparently it’s the only beer head brewer Sam Calagione keeps on tap at his home.
Sorry to hear of your beer-finding woes. The Southeast seems to be rather slow in coming online with the craft beer thing. Be patient though…something tells me it’ll get there eventually (or, go to beeradvocate dot com and engage in a little beer barter!).
July 13th, 2007 at 6:54 am
Just to make it official…I owe Smar a beer at Dragon*Con.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Have now tasted all 4 of these beers, and though I have a lot of loyalty to Stone, I enjoy the 60-minute IPA better than Stone’s IPA. But I do like the Ruination better than DFH’s 90 minute.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Another great show Charlie - as an IPA fanatic I’d love to track down the Stone and Dogfish brews, tough to find them in the UK though. Keep up the good work…
July 17th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Charlie,
Love your show. I tried to send you an email about a micro you might be interested in, but it bounced back. How can I get the message to you?
EssBee (Kris in Colorado)
July 17th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Glad y’all are liking the show!
EssBee, charlie at speakingofbeer dot com should work just fine….try it again, or just post the info here!
July 19th, 2007 at 6:13 am
Charlie,
Thanks! Here is what I tried to send you:
I couldn’t delete this message without forwarding it to you. The 3rd from last paragraph is about Comet’s Tail Amber Ale, which is made from yeast that’s flown to space and back (this guy has NASA connections — my partner works for a NASA program at the University of Colorado, Boulder). If you have any interest, let me know and I’ll get you Rich’s contact info.
I tried to order you guys some of this beer for Wingin’ It, but it’s currently only available in kegs in Albuquerque. Ah well . . .
Keep up the great beercast!
***Original Message**********************
Hi Friends & Family,
I wanted to thank everybody for their support and technical advice as we prepared our space beverages for the market. It’s taken a lot of hard work and a little luck (or maybe vice versa) but we can finally announce that the World’s First Space Drinks are available now on the internet at:
http://www.antimatterdrink.com (Antimatter Energy Drink)
http://www.space2o.com (Space2O Purified Water)
Both Antimatter and Space2O are made from ingredients that have been flown to space and back. Very cool, plus they taste great.
We’ll be making a more formal announcement Monday morning via a press release and some targeted emails. Just wanted to give you guys advanced notice. Also mark your calendar for Aug 4, 2007 - Microgravity Enterprises, Inc will be hosting LaunchFest 07 at Kelly’s Brew Pub in Albuquerque. We’ll have the world’s first space beer (Comet’s Tail Amber Ale) as well as Antimatter and Space2O. Details are available on our web site http://www.microgravityenterprises.com (look under products/comet’s tail amber ale). This beer is made from a special yeast that has also been flown to space and back.
As we move forward we’ll be introducing the products at retail outlets but for now the only way to get them is via the internet. Please give them a try and let me know if you experience any problems. Also, please pass on any comments you might have regarding package design, taste, or suggestions for future products.
Thanks again and we’ll stay in touch with more updates and new product announcements.
Rich
May 19th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Being from cali, I am biased. Nonetheless, I have grown to love the brews from dogfish head. The wife and I motored up the coast to delaware to have dinner at the dogfish head pub and grill and immediately fell in love with the place. I agree that with this quality of beer, everyone wins. I would be remiss if I didn’t throw my support behind stone brewery. Ruination IPA for everyone!