So today I had the pleasure of having a beer that has probably been referred to by the most puns in regards to its name among beer lovers than any beer ever created (hence the title of this post). A year ago I ignorantly passed up this beer on tap when I saw it at a local pub during a week long Lagunitas fest, instead opting for their Sirius Cream Ale and 12th Anniversary Undercover Shutdown Ale (two good brews though!). That was probably my best chance without driving really far to get super-fresh Hop Stoopid. Since then I have seen it at stores but just haven't had the motivation to buy it, until I started hearing rants and raves about it from my friend Brian, the Baltimore Beer Guy. So while out at a store the other day I picked up a bottle which was refrigerated and looked forward to trying it.
Popped it open today and the smell was fairly disappointing. Sure there was enough hoppiness to get the sense it was a double IPA, but it wasn't the sort of hop blasting I was expecting. There was quite a bit of sweetness observable as well. The taste followed suit. Did it taste really old? No. Did it just taste like a pretty good double IPA- yes. Floral hoppiness and a moderate bitterness were wiped away with a big caramely sweet ending. I finished the whole 22oz bottle, which goes to show that I liked it enough, but there wasn't the "wow" factor that I was looking for based on what I've read about this beer. When I see it on tap again I will definitely order it again to confirm I had a somewhat aged bottle.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Not Getting Too Stoopid
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4 comments:
I had one really fresh bottle and it was amazing, and one not so fresh and quite disappointing.
Sigh.
I've learned the hard way that IPAs and DIPAs need to be consumed fresh. I have several old Dorados and a Maharaja(?) that I know are drain pours. For a long time I was under the false impression that the higher alcohol levels would preserve the beer. All IPAs and DIPAs should have warning labels like Pliny the Elder.
Yeah it's hard for me to even purchase a hoppy beer these days if I don't know the date it wasn't bottled on (as indicated either on the bottle, or on the outside of a case). With the prices of these things, it's just not worth the risk of getting a stale drain pour.
The bottle I had was fantastic but I'm not to sure how old it was. I know it was the last one and it was hiding in the back of the shelf.
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