A Pint Half Full

Yes folks, I have achieved the impossible - I've become THIRTY years old last week.  I didn't think it'd affect me too much but in fact, when I woke up that fateful morning, it struck me.  I'm no longer "twenty-something"; I now have the privilege of saying I'm THIRTY.  That's a big number.  As odd as it may sound, the distance between a 29 year old and a 31 year old shrinks alot when it becomes the difference between a 30 year old and a 32 year old.

Anyways, I'm over it, as I had time to celebrate over the weekend with friends and revisiting some old haunts from when I first moved down to the Northern Virginia area.  Clarendon (a neighborhood of Arlington) pretty much typifies the NoVa nightlife experience - young professionals, in polos and jeans, gather to listen to 80s/90s cover bands, drink cocktails, and swig Miller Lite.  Not the preferred scene for everyone but fortunately, there are gems in a neighborhood that don't conform to this style and bring unique attitude and most importantly, awesome beers.  Galaxy Hut was the first stop on my birthday night and it was awesome.  The place is small, with a few booths and tables (including a pinball and 80's arcade machine tables).  The main attraction here for me was the beer selection.  They offer a large variety of craft brews on tap as well as bottles that rotate in and out (check their website for latest offerings).  Even with its hipster vibe, you feel welcome in the laid back atmosphere.  I had 4 beers here that I had never tried before and I will try to describe what I can remember here.

In this edition: Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale, Heavy Seas Big DIPA, Russian River/Avery Collaboration Ale, Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot Brown Ale

Purchased from:
Whole Foods, Fair lakes

ABV%:
11.5%

Type:
Imperial Pale Ale

Color:
Orange amber color with a burnt sugar colored head.

Aroma:
Sweet and bitter, bittersweet.  The aroma clears the sinuses and entices.  Grassy hops and a bit of toffee to balance it out.

Taste:
First some sugary followed with a woosh of flavor and bitterness from the hops finishing dry.  Decent balance considering the DOUBLE dose of hops and malt.  Again, the freshness and boldness of the hops clears the nose.

Overall:
I was walking around my local Whole Foods and guess what, Flying Dog Brewery had a rep there!  They were offering samples from something like 12 of their different beers.  I had to stop by and make my way through their free samples from light flavored to stout.  They had a great mix of flavors with the Belgian IPA and this Double Dog Double Pale Ale sticking out to me.  It was nice to contrast all the flavors from the beers and talk about it with the rep.  I walked away but then returned to purchase a 4 pack of the Double Dog Pale Ale.  Double means they added double the hops and double the malt.  The hops definitely come through with a one-two punch of bitters and hoppy flavor.  Delicious. These flavors are bold and fresh but didn't mask the maltiness that followed it up which was great.  Alcohol levels are high so go easy on this one.  Great to get that big hop fix you're missing.

4.25/5

I haven't delved too deep into dark beers so much on this blog as I think I generally favor hoppier styles.  When I think of Porter-style beers, I think of dark, rich flavors but since I'm a novice at this, I didn't know much beyond that.  I imagined they'd be bitter and syrupy or something, possibly "crunchy" tasting.  After reading about Porter, it looks like it is a close cousin to Stout beer, both using dark malts and emphasizing dark fruit (raisins, cherries), coffee, chocolate, and roasted flavors.  I like all those things so Porter is probably something I'd like.  I've tried two examples in recent days - one being a definitive version of the style, Fuller's London Porter, and a newcomer on the scene, Kona Brewing's Pipeline Porter. 

Purchased from:
Gift from my bestest buddy

ABV%:
7%

Type:
English Strong Ale

Color:
Orange hued, caramel color which a thick, creamy head

Aroma:
Nice hop aroma, flowery fragrance with apples balanced with some toffee sweetness

Taste:
Great mix of the bitterness and flavor of hops.  The bitters and balanced with some nice toffee malt, and shortbread.  Finishes dry and generates saliva in the mouth, giving the beer a 'juicy' texture.

Overall:
I first tried this beer New Year's Eve 2010.  I asked my friend to get me some beers from the New England area and this was one of the special ones.  It was ice cold out of the fridge and poured into my Sam Adams Perfect Pint.  It smelled great but at first sip, the hop presence was harsh and startled me and my friend who was having some with me.  Basically, there was not sweetness to counteract the hop flavor and aroma which Geary's Hampshire Special Ale has a ton of.  As it warmed, all the flavors came together and has since become one of my favorite beers.  Too bad I haven't seen too much of it in the Mid-Atlantic area!

What the HSA brings to the table is big malt profile with some molasses and cookie sweetness  PLUS hop bitterness and hop flavor.  These are all quite distinct in the beer and one can savor all the different flavors.  Some might argue that the beer is unbalanced due to its flavors being a little bit disjointed and on opposite ends of the spectrum but I didn't find this at all and the beer pronounces all the flavors with boldness and clarity.  Tasty beer!

4.25/5