The New York Times online has an article today that discusses the American brewing trend to more and more powerful brews, in particular the Double IPA style. It's not too long and fairly interesting, particularly for any fan of the style. It begins with a discussion of the trend and ends with a review of 25 DIPAs by a panel of tasters. A handful of the top beers are given a quick blurb and you shouldn't be a bit surprised by their top selection.
I particularly liked one quote by Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery:
"The hoppiest beer?" Garrett asked. "It’s a fairly idiotic pursuit, like a chef saying, 'This is the saltiest dish.' Anyone can toss hops in a pot, but can you make it beautiful?"
Not surprising, coming from a guy that wrote "The Brewmaster's Table," a book about pairing beer with food. Double IPAs are probably the worst beers for pairing with food. They'll destroy the taste of just about anything you pair with them. Still, that doesn't mean I don't love them all by themselves!
Choice Downloads - May
15 years ago
3 comments:
Double IPA's aren't food? But then I haven't eaten in the last week =) I finally saw the prices go up from the supposed hop and barley shortage last night. All of the drafts at my local beer bar were up 25 to 50 cents. Oddly, I haven't seen the same increase in my ingredients for homebrew yet.
Just take a horse pill multivitamin with your DIPAs and you'll be all set!
I still haven't seen any price increase around here, but I know it's inevitable.
But let's be honest, craft beer is a luxury and we're paying a premium for it already. Another $.50-$1.00 on a six pack isn't going make a lick of difference to most people.
I think you can pair DIPA's with food, but the food has to be pretty damn kicked up as well. That said, I love DIPA's. And I love really salty food. For what its worth.
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