Okay friends, we like to have our fun here at 365brews.com but tonight it's time to get serious and test your beer knowledge with a short quiz. Good Luck, and no cheating!
1. True or False: India pale ales were first brewed by English Colonists in India
2. IPA's use excessive amounts of _______ to achieve their distinctive taste.
A. Barley
B. Hops
C. Yeast
D. Water
3. True or False: IPA's are typically Classed as "Light" ales because they are lighter in color than a traditional ale.
4. India pale ale was originally known as:
A. Bitter Brew
B. Cloudy Ale
C. October Beer
D. Sailor's Delight
If you answered false, b, true, c.....congratulations! You've scored 100% on the IPA quiz and need not read any further. If you missed a couple of those, now is a great time to get educated about IPA's with a short history lesson. Be sure to take notes because Mr. 365brews will give you a chance to retake this test at a later date and possibly raise your overall beer GPA.
India pale ales were first brewed in England with a unique bitter taste and light color, which set it apart from the other ales of the day. Its distinctive flavor comes from the massive amount of hops used in the brewing process and its light color from less roasting of the barley. Originally known as "October Beer", the distinct flavor and relatively cheap price of this brew made it a favorite with the sailors of the infamous East India Trading Co. Soon October Beer became a firm favorite of British expatriates and Indians alike, creating a large export demand for this type of beer. The long voyage to India help to ferment the beer to perfection, and it's popularity among the peoples of the Indian subcontinent earned it the moniker of "India Pale Ale".
Now that the history lesson is over, maybe some of you will appreciate my assessment of Mendocino Imperial IPA a bit more. This is another winter ale to come out of a relatively small microbrewery in Mendocino County, Ca. Right off the bat the taste of Mendocino Winter IPA came off as ultra-hoppy, but not offensively hoppy. Very smooth and drinkable, I kept finding myself making comparisons between Mendocino Winter IPA and its much larger competitor Sierra Nevada, which is considered by many to be the premier example of a West Coast style IPA. There are hints of citrus and pine in the aroma, but the taste doesn't quite match up with the smell and proved to be a bit underwhelming at times. Not a bad beer to enjoy by the fireside on a crisp winter night, but we don't have many of those in southern California so I probably won't be trying this one again. If you really like your IPA's however, give Mendocino Winter IPA a try.
Cheers,
Ian
http://www.mendobrew.com
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