West Coast Showdown (Beer Review)

Do you remember when India Pale Ales (IPAs) weren’t confused for juice?   Do you remember when they actually had at least an ounce of bitterness?   What about when they were not all hazy and distorted as to be confused with dirty dishwasher. Do you remember those days?   Well, as much as I enjoy a fruity New England haze bomb of an IPA every now and then, it’s nice to be reminded of the classic American IPA.   I was recently fortunate enough to try both Go West! IPA and Liberty Ale from Anchor Brewing out of San Francisco.   This took me down memory lane to what IPAs tasted like when I first got into the world of craft beer years ago.   So with two IPAs from Anchor at hand, I decided to do a beer battle and see which brew came out on top.

We’ve all heard the cliche “never judge a book by its cover,” but in beer it is an acceptable category to judge.   Go West! poured a clear golden hue with respectable off-white head.   In contrast, Liberty was a bit darker, but only slightly.   Liberty poured somewhere between a deep gold and very light amber, but was still clear.   As with Go West!, Liberty also had a nice off-white, pillow-y head.   So far, the edge goes to Go West! with a score of 4/5 while Liberty receives a 3.5/5.

As far as aroma is concerned, I was more impressed by Go West! due to its more complex character.   Go West! was dry hopped with 4 hops: Citra, Equinox, Caypso, and Eureka!   I am a sucker for Eureka!, with its huge herbaceous character, also imparting subtle notes of mint and tropical fruits.   Liberty, however, is a single hop beer brewed exclusively with Cascade hops, which are an excellent tool for bittering and can add some citrus and floral notes.   In the aroma category, again, I give the edge to Go West! with 4.25/5 while Liberty again takes a 3.5/5.

Even with distinct hop profiles, both screamed West Coast IPA to me.   Go West! had a citrus profile and packed a punch loaded with pine, resin, and herbal goodness.   Liberty was much more straightforward.   Liberty had that classic grapefruit rind character, was dank, and was nice and bitter.   Both had the classic 2-row pale malt to add a little sweetness and a little balance to these bitter brews.   Although I enjoyed it, I felt like Go West! didn’t live up to its nose and so it receives a 3.5/5, whereas I felt Liberty gave everything it promised and thus earns a 3.75/5.

As far as body/mouthfeel goes, it’s a wash for me.   It’s not the most important category for me so I don’t have much to say other than both had fair carbonation and were medium light.   I’d put both at a 3.5/5.

Although Go West! started to dominate the early categories, this edition of Battle Beers went right down to the wire with Go West! barely overcoming Liberty with a ranking of 3.63 compared to 3.56.

Overall, it was a nice change of pace to try some classic West Coast IPAs oozing with hops, resin, and bitterness while the rest of the world is obsessing over and adding to the New England juice bomb trend.   Although Anchor Brewing out of San Francisco may not have any highly sought after whales, they are a brewery dedicated to history and tradition, which is evident in both Go West! IPA and Liberty Ale.   Cheers!

Ryan Moyer

Ryan Moyer is a graduate of Indiana University.

Go West! contains 6.7% alcohol by volume (ABV).   Liberty Ale is 5.9% ABV.

 

 

 

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Man on the Moon

Beer Review: Moon Man No Coast Pale Ale from New Glarus Brewing

While I was spending my summer in Bloomington, Indiana, a good friend of mine, Eric, visited for the Fourth of July weekend. He and I are what some may call beer snobs. We prefer the term beer geeks, however, because at the end of the day, we really don’t care what people are drinking so long as they are enjoying what they’re drinking. We both wish we could expose others to craft beers, help guide them through what they’re tasting, and see their reaction to major hop bombs or big roasty stouts. But that’s not what some people are into. Again, what separates us from the snobs out there is that we really don’t care what people are drinking so long as they are enjoying themselves.

Eric was visiting from Gurnee, Illinois, located near the border of Illinois and Wisconsin. He knows how much I enjoy New Glarus beer, and seeing as it has very limited distribution, he picked up some six packs and headed down. When he arrived, he showed me his mini haul; a six pack of Spotted Cow, a New Glarus classic, and a mixed six pack consisting of Moon Man and a few others.

Being an American Pale Ale (APA) lover, the first beer I wanted to try was Moon Man, and I was not disappointed in the least bit.

The appearance of this beer threw me off. It poured rich gold in color, which is a little light in color for the style and there wasn’t much head and the little there was dissipated rather quickly. What saved its appearance rating was the great lacing it left in the glass. Although it may not look exactly like what I think an APA should look like, its appearance is the least important quality of the beer. I rate its appearance as a 3.75/5.

As far as aroma is concerned, this one packs a very fruitful, floral aroma. Some citrus notes – grapefruit, I believe. Very bold. Not very piney, which is a characteristic common in APAs, but I was completely OK with that. This beer gets a 4.5/5 for its fresh floral and citrus aroma.

Regarding taste, balance is the name of the game with this brew. It has a very sweet malt profile that contradicts the hops. It’s definitely not the hoppiest pale ale out there by any stretch of the imagination. You get the sweetness up front that is finished off with an acute burst of hops on the way down. Not too sweet, not too bitter – BALANCED. This one easily earns a 4.5/5 for taste.

When drinking, this is a very smooth beer. It leaves a hint of dryness on the back half, but overall it’s very crisp and nicely carbonated. For the mouth feel I’d say it deserves a 4.25/5.

Overall: I was incredibly surprised by this brew. Moon Man is fully unassuming and a phenomenal representation of the style. APAs are my favorite, and this one is at the top of my list. Moon Man has a nice malty presence that works well with the hops providing perhaps one of the most balanced beers I’ve ever had. This is a great beer and one that I feel may be under-appreciated due to its limited distribution. If I lived in Wisconsin, I’d be drinking this every day. As an overall grade, I rate this beer a 4.5/5.

Update: Although I had this beer a couple of months ago, I went recently to Wisconsin and stocked up on it. It’s a beer I will buy whenever I can get my hands on it, and I highly recommend that you do the same. Although it may not be a total hop bomb, it’s a cool, relaxed beer that plays to the characteristics of its style. I am very grateful that Eric shared this beer with me, and I hope my recommendation will influence anyone reading this to give it a try.

Eric and I are in the process of creating a blog dedicated to our love of craft beer and we have an Instagram exclusively for our journey through the world of craft beer. If you want to check us out, you can find us on Instagram @maltedhopballs.

Ryan Moyer

Ryan is a graduate of the University of Indiana.