The full name of this brew is Symphonic Chronic Double Haze IPA, and it comes from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. It's still an independent brewery despite the trend of mega-corporations swallowing up their (relatively) small competitors.
Oregon's politics are shit, but their beer is good. Same for Washington and California. Correlation, or coincidence? You decide!
Anywhoodle, according to the can art, this is some kind of "pineapple express," and wizard hippies are involved. But it's Oregon, so this might be truth in advertising all around. 9% ABV is strong, and 40 IBU is nothing to sneeze at, but what does that mean?
Excerpts from the Deschutes website say:
Flavor: Tropical, Dank, Pine
Malt: Premium 2-Row & Wheat
Hops: HBC 1019, Nugget, Citra
Fire up the tunes and let the magic flow as your taste buds embark on this hazy journey. A spellbinding double IPA featuring mystical notes of pineapple and evergreen.
I quite like the flavor profile of Citra hops, a super-secret proprietary strain of this ancient herb. I'm unfamiliar with HBC 1019, but I think I can taste the claimed notes of "coconut... and carmalized bananas." Whatever it is, it's weird, but it works. What it isn't, though, is pineapple and evergreen.
I do recommend this, but with a few caveats. I don't drink a lot, and when I do, I prefer to buy from independent craft breweries, but this means more expense per drink. 9% ABV is STRONK. This isn't especially bitter for an IPA, but it sure isn't pisswater lager either. That means less beer for a buzz, if that's what you're chasing. You may have trouble finding this further from the left west coast, but if you see it, you might want to give it a try.
While drinking this beer and writing this post, I've been watching Mythbusters on YouTube. Remember when educational cable TV still tried to be, y'know, educational? Even if it meant gratuitous explosions?
Kari and Tory recently launched a podcast discussing the behind-the-scenes reality of their show, interview former co-hosts and guests, and discuss special effects or gossip and rumors. If you liked the show, you'll probably enjoy this podcast, too.
I know I don't have the requisite photo count for proper #beersaturday participation, but it's beena while since I joined in even slightly. I also updated my June post with re-uploaded images since something went wrong when I first tried that. I have no idea why it didn't work then. It seems to be fixed now. Better late than never?
