IPAs: Do they have to be so darn bitter?
The short answer is: NO!
First, a confession. I am not a huge fan of IPAs. Stone, I can’t handle. Sierra Nevada, not my thing. Some people go nuts for those super-bitter, piney tongue-shredders like Ruination, but not I. For a while, I thought maybe it was a gender thing. Maltier is generally sweeter. Ladies like sweets. Or maybe IPAs just aren’t that into me. Then I discovered Victory’s HopDevil and fell in love.
Statistically speaking, HopDevil’s bitterness level is somewhere in the upper-middle of the pack, according to the amount of IBUs it has. (IBU = International Bitterness Unit, a unit of measurement that describes how bitter a beer is, based on the amount and quality of hops used.) Hopdevil has 68 IBUs. Compare this to Three Floyds’ Dreadnaught (100 IBUs), or your average American swill beer, which will have between 8 – 10 IBUs. I actually am a little surprised that HopDevil is this high in IBU counts considering my preferences, and I chalk that up to how incredibly well-balanced it is against its malt backbone.
At any rate, I love this beer. For years I didn’t think I’d find another IPA I could love quite as much. Then earlier this year, I discovered fresh hopped (or wet hopped) beers, which gave me some hope. These IPAs are full of super hop flavor, and yet not horribly bitter. See my post about my experience here.
Then, last night, I found a true contender for the HopDevil’s crown: Bell’s Hopslam, weighing in at 100 IBUs and 10 percent ABV. I’m actually shocked at the IBUs on this beer, considering how smoothly it went down last night. Great resiny, grapefruit hop aroma that’s echoed 100% in the taste, and yet… it wasn’t knock-your-teeth-out bitter (hence the answer to the question posed in the subject). Very clean, dangerously smooth-drinking beer that hides the bite of a 10% ABV very well.
Unfortunately what it won’t take out of your palate, it will claim from your wallet: It’s such a limited-release beer that a 6-pack will run you $25 here in the DC area. Extremely limited release. Bell’s will only distribute a set amount of cases per metro area (I heard last year St. Louis only got 6).
So far, Hopslam is expected to be carried at Whole Foods (P St & Clarendon), Rodman’s, Wine Specialist, DeVinos/D’Vines, Chevy Chase Wine and Pete’s New Haven.
HopDevil still holds my top IPA spot. But Hopslam gave it a run for its money.
(Update: Wine Specialist hasn’t gotten theirs yet, but hope to by Thursday.)