Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #19) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Imperial IPA, 9.6%
Reported IBUs: ?
Things were getting straight up legit. It was getting warm out, it started to feel like Spring...it's even storming right now. But the temps dropped back into the 40s, and it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Fuck you, Midwest. Fuck you. Add in the allergies and ask yourself, "why do we live here?" At least I'm in the non-cousin bangin' progressive parts.
Tonight's beer is from Spiteful Brewing. These guys are so nano you have to check them out on Facebook or Twitter. Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars.
Pretty cool stuff. These guys are up in Ravenswood near the Wrigleyville area. Can't complain about that. But you can complain about the insanity that is riding your bike in Chicago. Seriously, cycling in Chicago takes big balls. The back of the bottle on the Bitter Biker Double IPA reads:
This one pours a hazy orangeish/copper color, and kicks up a finger's worth of off-white head. The head is creamy, and has good duration. In bright light, this beer is a vibrant orange color, with some amber and gold tones. The head is tinted orange/amber, and is leaving impressive lacing. It's also hanging around with great duration. I see a stream of tiny bubbles rising upwards from the center of the glass, suggesting some carbonation...the beer is still just a touch hazy.
The aroma on this is quite vibrant and bright, which you want in a Douple IPA. I'm getting some nice, fat resiny hops, mild wood, resiny citrus, pine, pine sap, grass, pineapple, and some woody tropical fruits. There's a malty backbone here, but it's just suggestive and not assertive, like the smart kid who sits in the back of the class and never participates.
Wowza. Those suggestive malts come through with a big, assertive, dense body. This one is full-bodied, with fat, resiny hops. I'm getting some wood, woody lemon, pineapple, woody grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit rind, crushed up Aspirin, leafy vegetal salad greens, and some mineral-esque malt snap. You get some peppery zest and hop spice in here as well. Booze shows up on the back end...this one is bitter, woody, resinous, and not at all sugary sweet...
...However, this is still sticky, dry, and full-bodied. Even with my allergies acting up, and my throat feeling like it needs to be plunged...I'm feeling the sticky and bitter on my lips, my teeth, my gumline, and my throat. I really like this, though! This beer has struck a good balance between malt density, aggressive bitterness, and hop kick. It may be a bit malt heavy for the style, but soooooo many Double IPAs are these days. Palate depth is outstanding, complexity is solid, and this drinks easier than it should thanks to the fact that this isn't overly sweet. The 9.6% shows up as mild alcohol complexity, and a bit of heat on the back end...but it's not a problem. Up front is woody citrus and tropical fruits, citrus rind, and some bitterness; that rolls into hop spice, more citrus rind, some vegetal and greens; the back end is bitter, woody, resinous, piney, and dry.
Rating: Above-Average
Cot dang, I gotta go with a Strong Above-Average on this. This is some solid stuff! Almost venturing into Green Flash or Sixpoint territory. This is a nice little riff on the Double IPA style, with non-assertive malts, but a big resinous, dense body, and plenty of bitter hop kick to boot. I would pair this with some vegetarian chili, a raunchy burger, aggressive dry cheeses, and aggressive American bar food. I think a bomber of this was priced around 10 bucks...so reasonable. Good job, Spiteful.
Random Thought: I watch Modern Family...that is to say, I literally watch it to sort of pass the time...it's not a great show, but it's a show that rises to the task of being moderately entertaining. It's a good 30-minute slayer, but really more like 23 once you fast forward through all the commercials. I have to say, this season has been kind of hit or miss, with the overall trend towards the decline. On the other hand, this season of Archer has been hi-freakin'-larious. You win some, you lose some.
Reported IBUs: ?
Things were getting straight up legit. It was getting warm out, it started to feel like Spring...it's even storming right now. But the temps dropped back into the 40s, and it's supposed to snow tomorrow. Fuck you, Midwest. Fuck you. Add in the allergies and ask yourself, "why do we live here?" At least I'm in the non-cousin bangin' progressive parts.
Tonight's beer is from Spiteful Brewing. These guys are so nano you have to check them out on Facebook or Twitter. Spiteful Brewing was founded in January 2010 by Brad Shaffer and Jason Klein. Like many brewers, the duo started out homebrewing. As of today, the brewery houses a 2.5 BBL Brewhouse and 5 BBL Fermenters. Currently, as a nanobrewery, Spiteful Brewing is hand delivering to stores and bars.
Pretty cool stuff. These guys are up in Ravenswood near the Wrigleyville area. Can't complain about that. But you can complain about the insanity that is riding your bike in Chicago. Seriously, cycling in Chicago takes big balls. The back of the bottle on the Bitter Biker Double IPA reads:
"Cyclists Beware! This city is a minefield: potholes, ruthless cabbies, pedestrians texting - and a headwind from hell. Arm yourself! This Double India Pale Ale was brewed for you. Loaded with Zythos, Columbus, and falconer’s flight 7c’s hops, Bitter Biker is our homage to the trials of the year round biker. Ride safe, stay bitter, and watch out for oblivious fools!"The bottle art is by Taylor "Tugboat" Garbin and Chris Murphy. Clocking in at 9.6%...this is a big beer. Into ze glass...
 |
| Spiteful Bitter Biker Double IPA |
This one pours a hazy orangeish/copper color, and kicks up a finger's worth of off-white head. The head is creamy, and has good duration. In bright light, this beer is a vibrant orange color, with some amber and gold tones. The head is tinted orange/amber, and is leaving impressive lacing. It's also hanging around with great duration. I see a stream of tiny bubbles rising upwards from the center of the glass, suggesting some carbonation...the beer is still just a touch hazy.
The aroma on this is quite vibrant and bright, which you want in a Douple IPA. I'm getting some nice, fat resiny hops, mild wood, resiny citrus, pine, pine sap, grass, pineapple, and some woody tropical fruits. There's a malty backbone here, but it's just suggestive and not assertive, like the smart kid who sits in the back of the class and never participates.
Wowza. Those suggestive malts come through with a big, assertive, dense body. This one is full-bodied, with fat, resiny hops. I'm getting some wood, woody lemon, pineapple, woody grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit rind, crushed up Aspirin, leafy vegetal salad greens, and some mineral-esque malt snap. You get some peppery zest and hop spice in here as well. Booze shows up on the back end...this one is bitter, woody, resinous, and not at all sugary sweet...
...However, this is still sticky, dry, and full-bodied. Even with my allergies acting up, and my throat feeling like it needs to be plunged...I'm feeling the sticky and bitter on my lips, my teeth, my gumline, and my throat. I really like this, though! This beer has struck a good balance between malt density, aggressive bitterness, and hop kick. It may be a bit malt heavy for the style, but soooooo many Double IPAs are these days. Palate depth is outstanding, complexity is solid, and this drinks easier than it should thanks to the fact that this isn't overly sweet. The 9.6% shows up as mild alcohol complexity, and a bit of heat on the back end...but it's not a problem. Up front is woody citrus and tropical fruits, citrus rind, and some bitterness; that rolls into hop spice, more citrus rind, some vegetal and greens; the back end is bitter, woody, resinous, piney, and dry.
Rating: Above-Average
Cot dang, I gotta go with a Strong Above-Average on this. This is some solid stuff! Almost venturing into Green Flash or Sixpoint territory. This is a nice little riff on the Double IPA style, with non-assertive malts, but a big resinous, dense body, and plenty of bitter hop kick to boot. I would pair this with some vegetarian chili, a raunchy burger, aggressive dry cheeses, and aggressive American bar food. I think a bomber of this was priced around 10 bucks...so reasonable. Good job, Spiteful.
Random Thought: I watch Modern Family...that is to say, I literally watch it to sort of pass the time...it's not a great show, but it's a show that rises to the task of being moderately entertaining. It's a good 30-minute slayer, but really more like 23 once you fast forward through all the commercials. I have to say, this season has been kind of hit or miss, with the overall trend towards the decline. On the other hand, this season of Archer has been hi-freakin'-larious. You win some, you lose some.
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