Hop Juice

[BlackDuck]

This past weekend a few neighbors and I got together for a rib cook and of course beers!!! After we ate, we walked over to my place and into the basement for the 3 way tasting. There were 2 other guys and me. One of the other guys (Jared) loves IPA's. The other guy (Ryan) isn't a huge IPA fan, but will drink them. This was not a blind tasting.

AND THE WINNER IS........Paul!!! Jared and I ranked them in this order: 1st place, Paul. Second place, mine. Third place, Jeff. Ryan ranked them in this order: 1st place, mine. 2nd place, Paul. 3rd place, Jeff. Sorry Jeff!!!!

Here's the details.

The Pour:
Mine - A dark and cloudy brownish gold. A nice fluffy head.
Paul - A very nice orangish gold. And very clear. Good head and good carb.
Jeff - A dark orangish gold, slightly cloudy but no where near the cloud mine had. Also a nice head and good carb.
Overall - All three of us rated Paul's #1 here. Paul's had the best appearance of all of them by far, very nice IPA color and nice and clear.

The Aroma:
Mine - Good piney and citrus aroma, not quite as strong as an Imperial IPA should be though.
Paul - Great piney, dank, and citrus aroma all together. Really hit your nose right up front and was a great IIPA aroma.
Jeff - Dank! Actually it was an odd aroma. And we all thought it was odd. None of us could put our finger on it, yet it was a familiar aroma. Strong and in your face.
Overall - All three of us rated Paul's #1 here. Paul's fit the IIPA profile perfect. Mine was very close to his, just not as strong and in your face.

The Taste:
Mine - Very balanced, good hop flavor with some malt to back it up too. Maybe not enough hop presence to call it an IIPA
Paul - The hop flavor really came through and without being overbearing. Wonderful pine and citrus.
Jeff - Dank! The flavor was very close to the aroma. Again, a bit odd.
Overall - Ryan (being less of an IPA guy then Jared and I) rated mine #1 since it was more balanced. Jared and I rated Paul's #1 since it had more hop flavor and fit the profile better than mine.

This was an awesome taste test and we had a blast doing it. A great way to compare one recipe brewed by 3 different people. I know we each made small changes from each other. Jeff...did you use the hops that were in the original recipe or did you sub out something for the Apollo? Also, I talked to Paul last night and he thought that you might have pitched on a yeast cake? Yours was much different in aroma and flavor than ours, almost like it was a different recipe. Just trying to figure out why? All were well brewed beers that's for sure. Can't wait to here the other taste tests when you get them done!!!

[Beer-lord]

What a great set of details for these 3 beers. It is my hope to test all 3 this weekend with the evil twin and I won't let this info have any bearing on what I get out of each beer. I am going to use a bottle from the same group I sent out to keep things even. What's left in my keg has seen it's better days so I've kept the beers in the fridge to keep until we can taste all at the same time.

Sounds like you guys had some fun with this too! I love this recipe and will do this again but am not sure what, if anything I would change.
I'm glad these were enjoyed.

[Inkleg]

I have no problem placing behind the both of you, I've had your beers and they are top shelf.

Who knows with mine. I only dry hopped in the keg, no Centennial used Chinook instead, used BCY-97 yeast not 05. Those are the changes I made.

I was planning to do a blind taste test this weekend. I was going to have my wife pour and set them out for my friend and I.

[Beer-lord]

I'd love it if you sent me a beer that sucks so I can prove you are human.
Your Bela and Zoo House saison I had yesterday were amazingly good and I'm not a saison lover but may brew one later this summer.

I may have to have someone pour the beers out so that we don't know which us which as well. Does your wife charge you for doing that for you? If so, how much?

[Kealia]

That's a cool tasting and result summary. I'm looking forward to tasting yours as well Chris. Even if this is 'too big' for me, it's been fun to taste them!

[Beer-lord]

Gonna make this the longest thread in history.....
but I digest....
I have to finish this keg before I stop drinking and 4 glasses in I have to say, without any exxageration or lie, THIS IS THE HOPPIEST BEER I'VE EVER HAD!
Seriously!

[BlackDuck]

And after 4 glasses, you have to have a good buzz too.

It lives up to it's name!

[Beer-lord]

#5 and still alive.

[Kealia]

Anybody hear from Paul today?

[Beer-lord]

I've heard from me. I'm perfectly well, thank you and trying out something you don't want, my Dr. Hoptagon clone only 15 days in the bottle. Not the real deal and a tad green but it's very, very good.
I'd add even more roasted barley next time. Nice, dark and hoppy.
After I get back from an errand, I'm going to finish Hop Juice tonite so I can get this clone in the kegerator to carb.
In all honesty, those 5 glasses weren't filled to the top. But at 8.6%ABV, I did sleep very, very well last night. Gotta do the duty before I cut myself off.

[Kealia]

In the words of Rod Stewart, "Tonight's the night..."....

Today work sucked so a couple of big ass IPAs sounded good to take the edge off. I took Jeff and Chris' bottles out of the fridge and let them sit for 15 minutes to warm up just a bit (and to make room for the Enjoy By ). I poured both into tulip glasses and then proceeded to talk dirty to them to get them in the mood for a little sumpin' sumpin.

Appearance:
Jeff: Deep orange, clear, low carb, no head (wasn't an aggressive pour)
Chris: Brown, a bit murky, darker than expected and almost the color of a brown ale, low carb, no head (wasn't an aggressive pour)
Winner: Jeff


(Chris on the right)

Aroma:
Jeff: This bottle was less dank than the other and certainly less 'odd' than previously mentioned. I think what I'm picking up maybe the yeast? Pretty strong aroma overall.
Chris:A bit dank (Simcoe?) and a bit citrus/bright. Not as strong as Jeff's nor as strong as I expected given the massive dry hop. Nothing bad, I just wanted more of it!
Winner: Draw. I liked the strength of Jeff's but the actual aroma of Chris'.


(Wish you could scratch 'n' sniff....but this also gives a look at the clarity)


Mouthfeel:
Jeff: Resiny and a hint of alcohol on the tongue. Full bodied.
Chris: Less resiny, full bodied.
Winner: Chris.


Taste:
Jeff: Bitter upfront which dominated the entire taste. Kind of like a hop kick in the teeth
Chris: More balanced and smooth. Maybe the difference between the FWH and a standard full 60-minute addition? More of a malt presence and consistent taste/bitterness throughout the entire taste.
Winner: Chris. This is just a style preference for my pallette,


I'm sorry at this point that I didn't save Paul's to do the full 3-WAY (*COUGH* *COUGH*) because this was a lot of fun.
All of these were done extremely well, Chris's version just fit my taste the best.

And I continue to be impressed with the quality of the beers that these guys are putting out.
Wow.

Thanks for letting me play. I have a serious buzz going now.....*hic*

Hammer time!

[Beer-lord]

C'mon Sunday!

[BlackDuck]

Nice review Ron...thanks. I was surprised that mine came out that "brown" also. But I think I've figured out why. The inside of my boil kettle had quite a bit of residue in it from multiple boils, so I hit it with some BarKeepers friend before the last batch, we'll see if that makes a difference.

[Beer-lord]

I soak my pots with PBW at about a tablespoon per gallon with hot water for 4-5 hours. Then I have no problems removing everything from the pot.
Just ordered 8 lbs of PBW from Amazon with free 2 day shipping....$33.

[BlackDuck]

I soak my pots with PBW at about a tablespoon per gallon with hot water for 4-5 hours. Then I have no problems removing everything from the pot.
Just ordered 8 lbs of PBW from Amazon with free 2 day shipping....$33.

Thanks Paul....I think I'll give this a shot.