361 full weeks of #beersaturday blockchain beer parties! I spent the day brewing but will cap off the evening reviewing a couple of the craft beers I discovered this week.
Being The Blockchain Beerologist definitely has its perks, including but not limited to getting paid to tour breweries and sample new beers! When I am not globetrotting or brewing my own beer, my fridge looks like a colorful mosaic of regional craft beer I enjoy sharing with the #beersaturday alliance of #beer bloggers on #hive.
This week, I can't help myself when I see a mixer pack filled with different IPAs.
Muskoka IPA Mixer!
It feels almost like Christmas with all of the mixer packs on the shelves. As if that wasn't a license enough to take my money and earn a spotlight in my worldwide #beersaturday blog, they have been IPA mix packs like this one! 6 different IPAs in a box from one of the pioneers of this region's IPA game? IN!
Mad Tom is the inspiration behind Mad Tom's Icebox and this mainstay is included in this mix but I am excited by the other new beers.
Thiol Boosted Hazy IPA
I can't seem to find this one on the website it is so exclusive. Thiols are aromatic compounds and this one has been boosted with some that apparently enhance the citrus and fruity flavours! I have read their are also special yeast strains that extract more of those thiols from the hops but Muskoka is a little shy on the details of what they mean by Thiol Boosted.
The beer poured fresh and foamy. I could have easily stopped before the top of the glass but always like to challenge myself to get the whole pint in the glass. This one was too fresh or I was too excited. Delicious beer with a good amount of haze and pleasing level of fruit character to it. Almost a tropical IPA. I definitely have to try this beer again if it makes it to the shelf. Probably not seeing as I can't find a trace of it anywhere so I may have to grab this mix pack again if it is not sold out.
Single Hop IPA
I forget which #beersaturday veteran it was who explained that a SMaSH IPA isn't just a flashy marketing description, it stands for Single Malt and Single Hop! Why the hell didn't I think of that? Single Hop IPA with Galaxy is my kinda jam because I can study a simple hop character rather than the ones I usually have which are a powerbomb of 3 or more hops. Galaxy is a great place to start as most of my favourite IPAs contain this Australian citrussy beauty.
The label is plain on the front and equally so on the back and it reads more fiction than fact. Guava and Passionfruit aren't my thing but those flavours from hops in an IPA definitely are. I enjoyed this beer in the yard working on the garden during the day and it went down smoothly. So much so, I can't remember much that stood out about this beer. Slightly lighter than the multi hop varieties with a bit more ABV, 6% was perfect for a warm afternoon.
Now that I am thinking about the Hazy IPA and this Single Hop one needing another taste, I may indeed have to go pick another of these Tom's Icebox IPA mixers again. So great to taste new beer from a perennial favourite in is region.
Well Done Tom!
#BEERSaturday!
I follow the man rules! Join me, @detlev , and the other beerologists because there is always room for more beer bloggers at this week's Beer Saturday gathering... https://hive.blog/hive-187719/@detlev/beersaturday-361
This week for #BeerSaturday, I am inviting @louis88 who has just visited a fantastic brewery in Thuringia, Germany! Take a few pictures, tag #beersaturday and raise a glass with us on Hive!