Here are my top IPAs picks of 2022 brewed right here in Houston and perfect to celebrate with on National IPA Day!

Heavy Hands Double IPA – Spindletap Brewery

Welcome back for the second year in a row! If you read my Valentines letter to this beer, you know my mad obsession with Heavy Hands DIPA from Spindletap Brewing. This beer pours milky bright yellow with vibrant hops qualities present on all corners. This IPA has a strong citrus kick making it the true definition of Texas juice bomb! It’s medium body and soft mouthfeel continues to delight my hop head senses with each sip. This beer packs a heavy punch at a hefty 8% and if you aren’t careful – this beer will knock yo ass out! Cans are generally available in the taproom year around and local distro markets like HEB. I recommend loading up on the case special at the brewery, because the 6 month shelf life is nice. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. You won’t want this hoppy adventure to end. Cheers to the heavy weight champ of Houston hazy beers!

Doc Hoppiday Hazy IPA – Saloon Door Brewing

This beer is my hoppy huckleberry. Coming in at 6.8%, this hazy New England style IPA from Saloon Door Brewing in Webster is an ultra smooth drinkable IPA with all the juicy characteristics hop heads crave. With all Citra hops and its bold tropical juice notes, this beer finishes dry with a slight hop bite on the end. You can always find Doc at the grocery stores (HEB and Total Wine for sure!). This week, I noticed a proper decision was made in the beer aisle.

Yellow Rose Smash IPA – Lone Pint Brewery

It wouldn’t be proper to leave out this Texas classic, Yellow Rose IPA from Magnolia’s Lone Pint Brewery. To be honest, I stepped away from this beer for a while due to some inconsistent quality concerns over the last two years but once I heard it was back in full swing and in environmentally safe 6 packs, I jumped back on the juicy train.

Named after a true Texas heroine, this SMaSH, Single Malt and Single Hop, IPA uses a butt ton of malt and hop released in 2012 called Mosaic (HBC 369). Whole cone mosaic hops are used for bittering, flavoring, and aroma in the kettle and is massively dry hopped for this beer’s mega citrus aroma. Believe it or not, this is still a fan favorite in the beer crowds with a dedicated following that I expect to see around for years to come.

Tanuki IPA – Back Pew Brewing

It’s easy to get lost in amazement by all the eye catching labels in craft beer but don’t skip over this core IPA from Back Pew Brewing in Porter Texas. Tanuki is brewed with a split grist of Pilsner/Maris Otter malt with cold-whirlpool Azacca/Sultana/Comet hops giving this beer 35 IBU of punchy citrus and tropical fruit flavors. It’s then fermented with a Kveik yeast for added pineapple pop before dry hopping near the saturation point of 2.2 lbs/bbl of the 3 hops above. It’s filtered crystal clear and is a super easy drinking citrus slightly piney packed IPA. Tanuki cuts you down to size on a mellow 6.4% ABV. You will be surprised how well the juice qualities and grassy notes balance out on this beauty.

Mini Boss IPA – Eureka Heights Brewing Co.

Launched in 2017, Mini Boss from Eureka Heights Brewing Co. has established itself as what I would call a classic Houston IPA. This double dry-hopped IPA is jammed full of citrus and tropical notes with Citra and Mosaic hops joining forces in this fruity IPA. This beer makes a great pair to gaming nights with buddies, a night out in Downtown with the friends or relaxing at your favorite camp site. You can normally find this beer widely available at most bars in download alongside equally great Eureka Heights offerings. Beer so good, you might even want to score a 19.2oz can to enjoy all by yourself. Do it, we won’t judge you.

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While you are at it, tell us what you are enjoying on this fine IPA day in Houston Texas! Hoppy IPA day, yall!

The post 5 Houston area IPAs you should be drinking on National IPA Day first appeared on Houston Beer Guide.

The post 5 Houston area IPAs you should be drinking on National IPA Day appeared first on Houston Beer Guide.

Featuring Galaxy & Strata hops

Cheers!

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Here are my top picks for best IPAs brewed right here in Houston and perfect to celebrate with on #NationalIPADay!

Heavy Hands Double IPA – Spindletap Brewery

If you read my Valentines letter to this beer, you know my mad obsession. This beer pours milky bright yellow with vibrant hops qualities present on all corners. This IPA has a strong citrus kick making it the true definition of Texas JUICE! At 8%, its medium body and soft mouthfeel continues to delight my hop head senses with each sip. Cans are generally available in the taproom and local distro markets like HEB. Load up on the case special at the brewery, because you won’t want this hoppy adventure to end. Cheers to the heavy weight champ of Houston hazy beers!

Mini Boss IPA – Eureka Heights Brewing Company

This double dry hopped IPA is the classic example of a tropical citrus IPA. Containing Citra and mosaic in the hop profile, this beer is one of the most balanced IPAs around. Modest amount of bitterness, aroma of bold citrus hops and drying alcohol finish makes this 6.8% IPA are perfect entry IPA for those new to the style. Coincidentally, it also makes a great shotgun beer with its approachable hoppy character. Crack open a cold one and down the hatch it goes!

Doc Hoppiday Hazy IPA – Saloon Door Brewing

This beer is my hoppy huckleberry. Coming in at 6.8%, this hazy New England style IPA from Saloon Door Brewing in Webster is an ultra smooth drinkable IPA with all the juicy characteristics hop heads crave. With all Citra hops and its bold tropical juice notes, this beer finishes dry with a slight hop bite on the end. If you are a fan of Heavy Hands, this one is definitely one to try! This brew is available to go from the taproom as well as local distribution markets including Total Wine’s all over the state of Texas.

The Haas West Coast IPA – Vallensons’ Brewing Co.

It wouldn’t be proper to include a list of awesome IPAs and leave off Valle’s Haas West Coast IPA. This resinous dank forward west coast style was named after Joe Haas, close friend of the brewery & lifetime mug club member who happens to be a huge fan of this beer and west coast IPAs. The Haas is a dedication beer to all the help and friendship over the years with the Haas family. They have assisted the brewery in many ways, including preparing the original cellar & fermentation system, making runs to Austin for brewery equipment and slinging pints behind the bar.

Weighing in a 7%, this American west coast IPA is brewed with Magnum and Centennial hops for bitterness and then triple dry hopped with Simcoe to reflect an amazing pine citrus aroma. This beer is as traditional as they come. By the way, are you free tonight? Vallensons’ is celebrating their first Thursday open to the public with the release of a new DIPA with Sabro, Cascade and Belma hops. Come check out the new taproom digs in Pearland and keep your eyes peeled for a Joe Haas sighting!

Art Car IPA – Saint Arnold Brewing Company

A classic favorite H-town treat! Art Car IPA is an American IPA featuring a blend of both new and old hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest. Visually, this beer pours golden yellow, nose full of tropical mango and apricot making it very inviting to enjoy. A generous dry hopping of Amarillo, Simcoe and Mosaic brings out the tropical mango and citrus aromatics. I highly recommend a fresh pour directly from the beer garden for the ultimate tasting experience. Best thing about this beer? It can be found nearly all around town including your local gas stations. Check the date if you want, we think its still enjoyable months in!

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Fellow writer Chris White and I both tried this beer last night. Here are our condensed thoughts:

Josh: It opened with a louder than expected hiss. The first glass I poured was very foamy, the second not as much. The foam collapsed pretty quickly. I had to hurry to take the photo before it became a whisp. It’s very clear and copper colored; a little darker than I would expect.

Chris: It smells sweet and a little fruity. There’s a little citrus hop aroma somewhere in there, but the aroma is dominated with honey and some yeast esters. Don’t smell much alcohol for the ABV.

Josh: I cheated and looked up the flavor descriptors for the Vic Secret dry hop. It’s an Australian variety that can impart tropical fruit, pine, and herb flavors and aromas. I definitely get the pine.

Chris: It is initially quite sweet, with some tingly heat (maybe from the alcohol?). Some banana and apple flavors follow, then another hit of sweetness and breadiness. A sharp bitterness hits, and then a pretty short caramel flavor and alcoholic heat, and then a little more hop flavor. Quite quaffable for the size.

Josh: I think that’s right on. I let mine warm up a little too much and that sweetness took over and the hop bitterness started to take on an herbal quality. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Chris: As it warms for me, the esters really take over. It’s sweet, almost Belgian, but with a pretty distracting bitterness.

Josh: Funny you should say Belgian. If I were handed this blind, I’d guess it was a Belgian Tripel blended with a Barleywine.

Chris: To me, it’s almost a hoppy Belgian Quad.

This is day-after Josh again. Overall, I think calling this a Quintuple IPA is gimmicky. There are several beers fighting for dominance, and none of them are an IPA. An IPA by any definition should be hop forward. If you’re going to call a beer “Quintuple IPA” it should reach out of the glass and smack you in the face with hops. If this beer were called “5th Anniversary Belgian Barleywine” I think I would be more enthusiastic. I do this think beer will get better with age as the hop bitterness it does have fades and the flavors have time to mellow and meld. But I’m personally not buying any to age.

Details:

Malt Varieties: 2 Row Pale, Vienna, Biscuit, Honey, and Acidulated Malts

Hop Varieties: Enigma, Amarillo, Brambling Cross, Cascade, Spalt, and Vic Secret as a dry hop addition

Sugars: Maltose (from the 5 malts), Dextrose (in the form of brown sugar), Maple Syrup, Belgian Candi Sugar, and Blue Agave Nectar

Yeast Strains: House Ale (the yeast used in beers like Hopadillo, Rodeo Clown, and Three Legged Lab), House Lager Yeast (the yeast used in beers like Sympathy for the Lager and Mother in Lager), House Hefe (the Weisse Versa yeast), Champagne Yeast, and Pasteur Champagne Yeast

IBU: 85
ABV: 13%

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