At the beginning of April, Stone Brewing Company expanded their distribution to the Minneapolis and St. Paul markets of Minnesota. Shawn was fortunate enough to get his hands on a bottle of the company’s Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. I still don’t know how to classify this beer — and even Stone doesn’t give it a label — but it is of the India Pale Ale variety, only black. The beer was first released as the 11th Anniversary Ale in January 2009 but the creators were so taken with it their only conclusion was to continue production. I am joined this week by special guest Luke. Thank you to Stone Brewing for providing us with this sample.

Here is the rundown on the beer with information from the brewer’s site.

Style: (Black) India Pale Ale ABV: 8.7% IBUs: 90 Hop Varieties: Chinook, Simcoe, and Amarillo First released: January 2009

Are you a big fan of bitter beers and Tyranena Brewing (@Tyranena) of Wisconsin? Then you might think that this episode was crafted especially for you. Shawn and I take some time to review two “out there” beers from our midwest sustenance provider. From their “Brewer’s Gone Wild” series, we have the Bitter Woman in the Rye, an India Pale Ale brewed with rye malt, and Hop Whore, an Imperial IPA.

Tyranena Brewing – Bitter Woman in the Rye Style: Rye Beer ABV (Alcohol by Volume): N/A IBU: N/A

Tyranena Brewing – Hop Whore Style: American Imperial IPA ABV (Alcohol by Volume): N/A IBU: N/A

The Beer Genome Project #26 Show Notes

0:00-0:59- Introduction 0:59-16:29 – Bitter Woman in the Rye by Tyranena Brewing 16:29-24:28 - Hop Whore by Tyranena Brewing 24:28 -53:20 – News and Events 53:20-56:53 – Conclusion

Peace Tree Brewing in Iowa Peace Tree Brewing’s blog, @peacetreebrew on Twitter

Blue Moon Brewing celebrates rare coincidence this Dec. 31st with new beer [http://news.draftmag.com]

You Know What Would Make For An Interesting Beer Festival… [http://www.beerscribe.com]

Schells Hopfenmalz arrives in bottles early 2010 [http://beernews.org]

Russian River Brewing Company – Pliny the Elder Style: Double/Imperial IPA ABV: 8.0%

The Beer Genome Project Happy Hour #6 Show Notes

0:00-3:21 - Introduction 3:21-10:56 – Review of Pliny the Elder 10:56-16:49 – Recap of St. Paul Summer Beer Fest 16:49-17:22 – Conclusion

In celebration of #ipamonday, Shawn and I were able to record a 4-way IPA blind taste test episode in St. Paul. Truly this showdown was inspired by the ability to review multiple beers in person with each other, and since the list grew long, we decided to review all the brews in a blind tasting. The beers we review, in no particular order, are the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (not available in Minnesota), Two Hearted Ale by Bell’s Brewery (not available in Iowa), Northwest Passage of Flat Earth Brewing in St. Paul, Minnesota, and an “IPA” from Barley John’s – a brewpub in New Brighton, Minnesota. Of course, leading the discussion is the history behind the IPA (India Pale Ale), it’s current status in the craft beer culture, and how these different styles stack up to the common notions of an IPA. If you’ve had any or all of these beers, we would love to hear your thoughts. Of course, we are still open for discussion on different brewery’s interpretations of the modern IPA. Thanks for listening this week everyone, cheers!

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery – 60 Minute IPA Style: India Pale Ale ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 6.0% IBU: 60

Bell’s Brewery – Two Hearted Ale Style: American IPA ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 7.1% IBU: Approximately 50

Flat Earth Brewing Company – Northwest Passage IPA Style: India Pale Ale ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 6.5% IBU: 115

Barley John’s Brew Pub – Stockyard IPA (?) Style: India Pale Ale ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 6.8% IBU: n/a

The Beer Genome Project #21 Show Notes

0:00-2:23 – Introduction 2:23-8:05 – Synopsis of IPAs 8:05-11:26 - Beer #1 11:26-14:23 – Beer #2 14:23-17:31 – Beer #3 17:31-19:48 – Beer #4 19:48-25:44 – The Reveal 25:44-33:10 – IPA Discussion 33:10-35:50 – Conclusion

One such hash modifer is #followfriday, where people inject the tag into a message, listing their favorite people. An example of a Follow Friday tweet would be “#followfriday beer podcasters: @twobeerqueers @hopcast @brewingnetwork.” This is often shortened by using #FF as a means to save characters.

Andy Murphy (@beeraday) of Beer A Day, created a spinoff of this trend, called IPA Monday. Users can insert the #IPAMonday hashtag, which helps those across the greater Twitter community find fellow beer lovers, with posts of beers they are enjoying. It’s fun, and I’ve learned which beers others recommend.

You can create a feed of this hashtag by using Twitter search on the web, or creating a search group in your favorite Twitter client (Tweet Deck, Seesmic, Tweetie, Twittelator Pro, et cetera).

I’ve participated for the past few weeks, and it’s a great way to get to know other people in your area, and across the country. Check out my #IPAMonday choice this week: Founders Brewing Company’s Devil Dancer Triple IPA.

My Twitter post about it, including picture (which is often included) is here.

I encourage you to get involved, and enjoy an IPA on the next #IPAMonday!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the past few Happy Hour episodes. I’m glad to say that we are getting back into normal rotation and starting it off with Episode 16 – One More Cup of Ale. Shawn and I host this week with reviews of three completely different beers: Sea Dog Brewing Company’s Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale, Millstream Brewing Company’s John’s Generations White Ale, and the Lagunitas IPA. To be honest, we are running low on common beers between ourselves. This gives us the opportunity to cover more beers in one show, but if you would like us to review a particular beer – let us know or feel free to send it our way. Of course, comments are always welcome – thanks for listening!

Sea Dog Brewing Company – Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale Style: American Pale Flavored Wheat Ale ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 4.7% IBU: n/a

Millstream Brewing Company – John’s Generation White Ale Style: Witbier ABV (Alcohol by Volume): n/a IBU: n/a

Lagunitas Brewing Company – IPA Style: American IPA ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.7% IBU: n/a

The Beer Genome Project #16 Show Notes

0:00-1:38 – Introduction 1:38-12:23 – Sea Dog Brewing Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale 12:23-16:17 - Millstream Brewing Company’s John’s Generation White Ale 16:17-19:29 – Lagunitas IPA 19:29-33:59 – Weekly Discussion 33:59-35:58 – Conclusion

The Journey Continues with the Goose Island Imperial IPA from Mike BGP on Vimeo.

Tom Horgen’s article regarding the beginning of the Hop Festival covers a decent amount of that evening, and I have to admit, I even shared stories about my birthday on Inauguration Day with the two guys pictured in the article. (Pat even gave me a few Jamaican Jerk chicken wings; you will see his shirt in a few of my iPhone pictures, below.) I took 4 pictures; one of each of the varieties, since the EPA and IPA appeared identical to the second of each variety.

The first beer of the six, five-ounce Summit cask ales that evening I tried was the first of two Extra Pale Ales, this one dry-hopped with Cascade. As Summit described it:

This is the regular finishing hop in EPA and should compliment the beer well. A classic US aroma hop, Cascade delivers a very smooth and balanced citrus flavor and aroma, most notably of grapefruit. (ABV) = 5.2%

The second Summit cask ale that I enjoyed that evening was the second of two Extra Pale Ales, this one dry-hopped with Glacier. As Summit described it:

Glacier is a relatively new US aroma hop. A relative of Fuggle, it tends to be slightly more British in character with some mild, woody herbal and spicy aroma notes. (ABV) = 5.2%

The third Summit cask ale I sampled was the first of two India Pale Ales, this one was dry-hopped with Amarillo. As Summit described it:

The most aggressive hop featured! Amarillo is a unique dual-purpose hop combining an aggressive flavor with a floral, citrusy and fruity aroma. Notes of apricot are often present. (ABV) = 6.2%

The fourth Summit cask ale I sampled was the second of two India Pale Ales, this one was dry-hopped with East Kent Goldings. As Summit described it:

Britain’s premier aroma hop. EKG gives a superb balance of flavor with a subtle floral aroma often containing notes of orange marmalade. The standard dry-hop variety used in beer. (ABV) = 6.2%

The fifth Summit cask ale I sampled was the only Winter Ale, this one dry-hopped with Crystal. As Summit described this brew:

Another Popular US finishing hop, Crystal has a spicy noble quality combined with some citrus notes. Should combine well with dark malts and slightly character present in this ale. (ABV) = 6.3%

The sixth and final Summit cask ale I sampled that evening was the Oatmeal Stout, dry-hopped with Target. Summit remarks:

Developed in the 1970′s, Target is the foremost bittering hop now grown in Britain. Underrated as a flavor and aroma hop, its slightly aggressive characteristics should work perfectly in a stout. (ABV) = 5.4%

I also sampled a Flat Earth Rode Haring Flanders Red Ale. It was rather unexpected; I merely asked the server if it was available, however upon the $16 asking price (after the server left) I decided I wasn’t going to order one. Yet without fail, my elderly server returned with a bottle, uncapped, and I obliged. It was after all, extremely constrained. I had bottle 404/500. This was my first sour ale, and it immediately reminded me of a lambic, but only more sour.