A response to the hatred for haze

If you thought pumpkin beers were polarizing, there’s a new king of love-or-hate on the market: the hazy, juicy, New England-style IPA (NEIPA). For more than a decade, this IPA variant was relatively unknown outside of beer-geek circles. A handful of breweries in the Northeast – Vermont and Massachusetts in particular [...]

A response to the hatred for haze2018-10-18T13:21:13-07:00

The ever-evolving IPA and its many variants

By far, the India Pale Ale is the most popular style of craft beer, and I don’t see its status changing anytime soon. Every so often, another critic claims this hop-craze “trend” will fade, and that it will be replaced by the rising popularity of light lagers or the surge of saisons, [...]

The ever-evolving IPA and its many variants2018-10-18T13:21:35-07:00

Beer Review #69 — Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee IPA

  Oxymorons. What are some that you know well? Cruel kindness, disgustingly delicious,  busy doing nothing. There are a few out there, but how about this one, coffee IPA. Two seemingly contradictory terms colliding in one unassuming can. Hotbox Coffee IPA comes to us courtesy of Longmont, Colorado's Oskar Blues Brewery. [...]

Beer Review #69 — Oskar Blues Hotbox Coffee IPA2018-10-18T13:21:35-07:00

Beer Review #68 — Anchorage Galaxy Batch No. 5

Let's do something a little different today and grab something a little vintage. It may be sacrilegious to willingly cellar and drink an IPA, but I assure you all that this beer is an IPA in very few ways. It is much more so a funky dry Brett beer, courtesy of the [...]

Beer Review #68 — Anchorage Galaxy Batch No. 52018-10-18T13:21:35-07:00

Beer Review #67 — Uinta Pit Stop Sour Apricot IPA

Happy Monday folks and welcome back for another Tap Trail Review. As it continues to warm, albeit slowly, I keep reaching for lighter and brighter offerings. Todays offering comes from Salt Lake City's Uinta Brewing. Back in Colorado I would find myself consistently reaching for their flagship Hop Nosh IPA, it [...]

Beer Review #67 — Uinta Pit Stop Sour Apricot IPA2018-10-18T13:21:36-07:00

Beer Review #66 — Hopworks Ferocious Citrus IPA

  Happy Spring folks! We're officially out of Winter, at least as far as the calendar is concerned. The rain and cold may continue, but I wanted to reach for something bright and vibrant in hops of encouraging the weather to do the same. Hopworks in Portland is going through a [...]

Beer Review #66 — Hopworks Ferocious Citrus IPA2018-10-18T13:21:36-07:00

Beer Review #65 — Fort George Suicide Squeeze Special Edition

Happy Monday! We've got a freshly released hoppy treat to sample today. Fort George has long been a staple in my fridge, their Three Way IPA is always a treat, Suicide Squeeze is one of their rotating IPA releases, along with Magnanimous, Overdub, and Fresh IPA. These beers are always heavily [...]

Beer Review #65 — Fort George Suicide Squeeze Special Edition2018-10-18T13:21:37-07:00

Tropical IPAs are hot

With this last round of snowstorms behind us, I think we could all use a tropical escape. But if that’s not possible, the next best thing just might be some tropical drinks, and I’m not talking sugary cocktails with tiny umbrellas. In recent times, I’ve noticed a surge of “tropical IPAs” [...]

Tropical IPAs are hot2018-10-18T13:21:41-07:00

Less Hype, More Hops: Washington Hop Mob Triple IPA Roadshow celebrates strong, aggressively hopped beers

The fourth annual Washington Hop Mob Triple IPA Roadshow kicks off tomorrow, Feb. 2, at Brouwer’s Café in Seattle, where you will find a whopping 32 Hop Mob beers on tap. Through Feb. 12, other Hop Mob events will follow in 8 western Washington cities, from Bellingham to Vancouver. This year, [...]

Less Hype, More Hops: Washington Hop Mob Triple IPA Roadshow celebrates strong, aggressively hopped beers2018-10-18T13:21:45-07:00

Beer Review #59 — Stone | Marble | Odell Megawheat IIPA

Hello again all craft drinkers and advocates. We've got a fun one today that I was pleasantly surprised to see and find. We did a collaboration beer last week of Evil Twin & Westbrook's Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break, which was quite good. Today we journey to the other side of [...]

Beer Review #59 — Stone | Marble | Odell Megawheat IIPA2018-10-18T13:21:45-07:00

A visit to Anacortes’ newest brewery, Bastion Brewing Co.

With all the new breweries opening in Bellingham and across the country, it’s easy to forget that this growth isn’t occurring in every city. Anacortes is one example, which, until recently, has had just one brewery for many years. The Anacortes Brewery (at The Rockfish Grill), which opened in 1994, is [...]

A visit to Anacortes’ newest brewery, Bastion Brewing Co.2018-10-18T13:21:53-07:00

Beer Review #53 — Fremont Field To Ferment Fresh Hop Pale Ale(s)

Fresh hop season is upon us and I could not be any happier. Fremont has been giving us delicious but limited fresh hop beers from their kick ass Cowiche Canyon hop program, where they partner with hop growers to grow small plots of organic delicious hops. For the first time this [...]

Beer Review #53 — Fremont Field To Ferment Fresh Hop Pale Ale(s)2018-10-18T13:21:57-07:00

Beer Review #50 — Two Beers Fresh Hop IPA (2016)

Welcome again to another Tap Trail review installment. It would appear imminent that Fresh Hop Season is upon us. The hops are being harvested and dumped into brews left and right. However, the first package on the scene this year comes from Two Beers. They are usually the first to the [...]

Beer Review #50 — Two Beers Fresh Hop IPA (2016)2016-08-31T10:26:26-07:00

The venerable IPA

Yesterday was “IPA Day,” a special day that was created in 2011 to celebrate the India pale ale through social media (#IPAday) and various events. With the popularity of IPA these days, some joke that every day is IPA Day. "Session" IPAs Even though I appreciate and enjoy drinking [...]

The venerable IPA2018-10-18T13:22:13-07:00

Beer Review #40 — Boundary Bay Imperial IPA 2016

Welcome back masters of malt, guzzlers of Gueuze, sippers of Stout, to another installment of Tap Trail reviews. As much fun as it's been getting down on some spectacular beers from all over the land, we wanted to take another look back at the wonderful homegrown scene we've got here in [...]

Beer Review #40 — Boundary Bay Imperial IPA 20162018-10-18T13:22:48-07:00

Beer Review #35 — Reuben’s Hat Trick Triple IPA

Welcome back craft beer fans, hop heads, barley wine braggadocios, and lager lovers. We've got a new entry from our friends at Reuben's tonight. Recent winners of Washington's Best Places for Beer > Brewer's Tap Room according to RateBeer. I've long been a fan of their beers, Crikey is a solid NW IPA, their [...]

Beer Review #35 — Reuben’s Hat Trick Triple IPA2018-10-18T13:22:59-07:00

Cloudburst Brewing lives up to the hype

Not long after Anheuser-Busch purchased Elysian Brewing early last year, I learned about an Elysian brewer named Steve Luke and his plan to open Cloudburst Brewing. At first I thought it was one of those ship-jumping scenarios we’ve seen before, but Luke’s plans had been in the works well before A-B’s [...]

Cloudburst Brewing lives up to the hype2018-10-18T13:23:03-07:00

Five ’92 Adventure Packs’ of Kulshan IPA to be raffled tonight

  If you bought a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of five 92 Adventure Packs of Bastard Kat IPA from Kulshan Brewing, the drawings will be held tonight (12/10/15) from 5 to 8 p.m. at K2 (1538 Kentucky St.). A few weeks ago, we told you about Kulshan’s [...]

Five ’92 Adventure Packs’ of Kulshan IPA to be raffled tonight2018-10-18T13:23:26-07:00

Regional differences among IPAs in America

When the craft beer movement was gaining momentum in the late 1990s, there seemed to be a clear distinction between your average West Coast IPA and your average East Coast IPA. In the West, IPAs tended to be more boldly hopped (with high-alpha, Northwest-grown hops), drier, lighter in color, and more [...]

Regional differences among IPAs in America2018-10-18T13:23:57-07:00

Beer Review #23 — Deschutes Chasin’ Freshies Fresh Hop IPA

Fresh hop season has been upon us for quite some time now, there have been many delicious renditions, and a few duds of suds so far. Everything from "Fresh Hop" to "Wet Hop" and everything in between, it is certainly harvest time for hops, and most definitely time to reap the [...]

Beer Review #23 — Deschutes Chasin’ Freshies Fresh Hop IPA2018-10-18T13:24:28-07:00

Beer Review #22 — 21st Amendment Toaster Pastry Red IPA

Welcome back beer mavens, slingers, drinkers, and connoisseurs, let's jump back on the hop train and dive into a delicious new beer. What we've got for us today comes to us from the fine folks at 21st Amendment Brewery, in San Francisco, "In 2000, Nico Freccia and Shaun O’Sullivan founded the 21st [...]

Beer Review #22 — 21st Amendment Toaster Pastry Red IPA2018-10-18T13:24:37-07:00

(IPA) Instantly Popular Ale – Your Local Selection

You don't have to leave Bellingham to get your IPA fix on this fine holiday (National IPA Day). We have 8 amazing local IPA's right in our own backyard. So,.. what is an IPA? Kulshan Brewery summarized it nicely. "India Pale Ale was originally an English style of beer, popularized in [...]

(IPA) Instantly Popular Ale – Your Local Selection2018-10-18T13:27:38-07:00

Beer Review #11 — Against The Grain Brewery: Citra Ass Down!

Greetings again all craft beer brothers and sisters, advocates and aficionados, I hope you all have been enjoying the bit of cooler weather we have received thus far this week. It's been a great, albeit a bit hot, summer thus far. Prime season for outdoor shenanigans: camping, fishing, sailing, hiking, golfing, [...]

Beer Review #11 — Against The Grain Brewery: Citra Ass Down!2018-10-18T13:27:51-07:00

Beer Review #10 — Black Raven Beaktweaker Citrus IPA

Welcome back all you beer snobs, it's official now, "we're number one!" Let us first take everything with a grain of salt, and take a moment to revel in the local beer scene. With all the options available in Bellingham and the Northwest in general, I would claim we are one [...]

Beer Review #10 — Black Raven Beaktweaker Citrus IPA2018-10-18T13:27:55-07:00

Beer Review #5 — Stone Enjoy By 07.04.15 IPA

Welcome back hop heads and beer lovers! This week we have a true hop bomb thanks to Stone. This series of beers, affectionately referred to as "Enjoy By" has been Stone's mission to get the freshest, most hoppy beer, into the hands of the consumer as quickly as possible. Simply put, this is [...]

Beer Review #5 — Stone Enjoy By 07.04.15 IPA2018-10-18T13:28:12-07:00

IPAs Account for 25% of Craft Beer Growth

We all know the Tap Trail loves IPAs. BUT our highly scientific poll recently denounced the IPA as the single most hated beer style. We like to think Tap Trailers are elevated craft beer drinkers are just see the next biggest trend coming! According to CNBC the craft beer industry has [...]

IPAs Account for 25% of Craft Beer Growth2018-10-18T13:29:58-07:00

The Winner of Bellingham’s LEAST Favorite Beer is IPA

We suspect some ballot stuffing by an avid group/cult of IPA haters, but here are your results. Bellingham, you hate IPAs. The wonderful people at Menace Brewing (aka The Local Pub) has agreed to brew the "winner" of this very important poll. Bellingham, we suspect you have a love/hate relationship with [...]

The Winner of Bellingham’s LEAST Favorite Beer is IPA2015-02-19T13:55:51-08:00

Sierra Nevada’s Hop Hunter IPA unlike any other fresh hop beer

After hops are harvested in the fall, typically from August through September, they generally take one of two paths. Most of them are immediately dried in a kiln, and then the whole cones are compressed into bales or processed into pellets or hop extract. The remaining small amount is immediately sent [...]

Sierra Nevada’s Hop Hunter IPA unlike any other fresh hop beer2018-10-18T13:30:22-07:00

Lagunitas sues Sierra Nevada over use of “IPA”

And right on cue with our previous post regarding naming issues in the craft brewing industry! So will the craft beer industry survive and not eat each other alive? From the article in the San Francisco Gate: According to the complaint (embedded below), in December 2014, Lagunitas founder Tony MaGee became aware [...]

Lagunitas sues Sierra Nevada over use of “IPA”2015-01-13T13:00:31-08:00
Go to Top