Hoppy Gentleman - IPA with English Class

At the end of July, I was looking through my freezer and discovered I had accumulated a good amount of odds-and-ends hops - partially full hop bags that were left over from previous brews. Given that I brew a lot of English-based ales, it is not surprising that most of the extra hops are English in nature (herbal and floral hops, rather than the citrus or pine-like American varieties). I felt like making something hoppy, something with class and style, but something that still excited my palate. So, I thought, why not make an English IPA?

India Pale Ales generally fall into two categories, American and English. The IPA style originated in Britain, though it is not brewed much there anymore. The IPA style has been adopted by West Coast American craft brewers as the poster child of the good beer movement. While the American version is bold, higher in alcohol, aggressively bitter, and dripping with flavor, English IPAs are more subdued and balanced and have a more defined malt character. They seek to interest your palate through subtle complexity.

So, here are the stats on my Hoppy Genetleman, an IPA with English Class:

Brewed: 8/1/2009

Kegged: 8/15/2009

Original Gravity: 1.066

Final Gravity: 1.014

IBU: 51

Alcohol By Volume: 6.6%

Carbonation Volume: 2.8 (15 psi at 40 degrees F)

The beer pours a dark amber-red color, with a thick rocky head. The head stays with the beer through the pint, leaving a neat lacing on the sides of the glass. The beer has a floral nose, similar marigolds in the summer, with a hint of bitter herb in the back. The IPA has a lot of malt flavor in the early part of the taste. I get hit with an assertive fresh bread flavor that fades to dark caramel by the mid palate (hence the picture with the IPA and the homemade sourdough bread). The hops are there in the beginning of the taste, but definitely playing second fiddle. They become more prevalent in the back of the palate, and help end the beer dry, which prepares you for another taste.

I think I would like a bit more hop presence in the beginning of the taste, but I am very happy with the beer. It hides its 6.6% ABV well, so that you really don't realize its potency. I will definitely do this one again, perhaps with more late kettle hops to increase the hop flavor at first taste.

It is classy and interesting, it is a Hoppy Gentleman.