Sam Adams Third Voyage double IPA

Continuing the tour of the Sam Adams IPA Hopology 12 pack. This is named for captain Cook's third voyage to trace a route from England to New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest (hmm, sounds like a stretch), it uses cascade hops from all 3 regions. Unlike the rest of the batch so far, this one has the true dry bitter flavor I love in a beer. A nice companion to the Latitude 48 beer. Dry, tart and spicy.

Sam Adams Grumpy Monk

A Belgian IPA that really tastes like a non-white Belgian white. Claims to be an IPA, and is a bit hoppy (sneeze-inducing, if you know what I mean), but not nearly bitter enough to really be an IPA.

Sam does hops

Sam Adams has a current 12-pack sampler called IPA Hopology. As a certified hophead I had to try it. First up: a Red IPA called Tasman Red. Big crystal malt beginning fairly covers up the hops. Euro-eastern hops flavoring in the bittering, even though its a New Zealand hop that is supposed to be citrusy (and was when I had it in a Community Beer). More a bitter red than an IPA, in my mind.