Lucky S.O.B Irish Red Ale

Just other day we were discussion the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Feast, and I was thinking about finding some Irish Red Ales to enjoy. Not long after that conversation I arrived home to find a sample of Flying Dog Lucky S.O.B. Irish Red Ale sent by the brewery. I enjoy this malty style on occasion and was looking forward to trying out the Flying Dog version.

Poured into my Flying Dog glass, the beer is a clear, reddish-copper color with a frothy off-white head. The aroma of bready malt and caramel is quite strong. The flavor is rich in toasted malt with a very faint sweetness. The finish brings on a lingering bitterness which remains along with the toasted malt flavor. The flavor profile is simple, but what is expected for the style. It's a clean, smooth beer and at just 5.5% ABV I could have easily enjoyed another.

Flying Dog says they brew Lucky S.O.B. with "real four-leaf clovers" so I guess it's a natural for toasting our favorite Irish Saint, St. Patrick, next month. The brew has previously been distributed only on draft and is released in bottles for the first time this year. It should be showing up on the store shelves through March. I'll be looking for it.

Disclaimer: This bottle of Flying Dog beer was an unsolicited gift from the brewery. This review written of my own free will.

Leviathan IPA, the tiny glass review

I've written frequently about how the proper glassware can enhance our enjoyment of a beer. Sometimes though, we just have to use whatever is at hand. While I always travel with a bottle opener, I don't always pack glassware. Stuck in a hotel for a couple of days, I was limited to the tiny water glass in the room.

I found a nearby beer and wine shop and grabbed a four-pack of Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA. I figured if I was drinking from a sipping-sized glass, I might as well pick a sipping-style beer.

Leviathan Imperil IPA pours a clear orange color with a thin white head that leaves sticky lacing behind. A sweet, syrupy aroma with a hint of citrus greets the nose. The flavor is initially sweet, caramel malt, which is soon overcome by prominent alcohol notes. The beer has a sticky, lingering, bitter finish. The 10% ABV is not masked, but is a pronounced component of the flavor profile.

After a long day of meetings, this big beer from Harpoon Brewery was just the treat with which to relax.

Harpoon IPA

During my last trip to the grocery store, my usual beer choices were out of stock, much to my disappointment. Time to look around the aisle. I spotted Harpoon IPA, a beer that I've seen, but passed by, usually in deference to a Virginia beer. I'm familiar with the seasonal Harpoon Celtic Ale from this Boston brewery, so I decided to give their IPA a shot.

Harpoon IPA is lighter and more transparent than I would expect from an IPA. The thick white head is short lived. I found the aroma to be faint and somewhat floral, with a hint of fruit. The flavor is mild as well. It tends towards piney and grassy hops with a hint of sweetness coming through. There's a lingering, grassy, bitterness at the end. Overall this is a milder beer than I expect from an American IPA. It is easy to drink and doesn't overpower the taste buds. The ABV is also on the low end of the IPA range at 5.9%.

While not what I expected for an IPA, I found Harpoon IPA to be a refreshing beer. Despite being on the "mild" side, the flavors are crisp. In a blind taste I might not have pegged it as in IPA, perhaps a pale ale, or even a hoppy red ale. That's okay though, Harpoon's interpretation of the IPA style creates a beer that would probaby appeal to a wide range of beer drinkers.