Brewmaster Jack Hop Essence Series HBC 342

A really exciting one, thanks to Marcello and the amazing high-end brew selection over at Bay State Foods.

The White IPA is always an intriguing beer style, combining the yeasty spiciness of the Belgian witbier and the bitterness and hop aroma of the IPA.

Yet this brew is truly set apart, demonstrating that Brewmaster Jack is a hop connoisseur of the highest caliber. It's part of Brewmaster Jack's Hop Essence Series, a release of brews crafted entirely around the hop-profile, using freshly harvested rare strains from all over the world. The Hop Essence Series is a testament to true love of hops -- and to great brewing. HBC stands for Select Botanicals and Hop Breeding Company, the guys who grow your favorite IPA hops. 342 is a daring experimental hop strain that adds orchards of citrus fruit to the beer.

HBC 342 appears light gold with slight amber hues and lovely thick white foam that leaves fluffy residues on the side of the glass. The aroma is a bouquet of citrus and spice. I can clearly pick out coriander and orange peel. The mouthfeel hits heavy with spice and hop bitterness. It finishes dry and lingers with that delicious IPA aftertaste that leaves you munching on hops and thirsting for the next next sip.

An excellent brewing experiment. Brewmaster Jack's website is a great read for you beer geeks out there:  http://www.brewmasterjack.com/hopessence.html 

Ace Perry Hard Cider

Another interesting selection out of Bay State

Ace Perry Hard Cider, from the California Cider Company in the plush Sonoma County, California, where hops and fruits are grown in abundance.

It has a fresh clear green-yellow color and strong almost candy-like aromas of sweet apple.

It feels like apple juice in the mouth but with pleasing tart-sour flavors from the carbonation and the fermented fruit juice, finishing crisp and sweet.

Hard cider is not beer. It is not made with any cereal grains or hops. Instead, it can be something delicious on its own right, and Ace Perry Hard Cider proves that point.

BrewDog Hardcore IPA

This guy is out of Scotland. They may take our lives, but they'll never take our strongly alcoholic IPAs.

A rich auburn color with a thin white head.

A mellow aroma, featuring  the floral-citrusy notes characteristic of Cascade, Simcoe, and Centennial, classic IPA hop strains.

The taste is a wild ride. The generous helpings of Maris Otter malt dominate the sip, offering loads of sweet toffee-like flavor. Yet an aggressive bitterness battles with this rich sweetness, thanks to the considerable amount of bittering hops they must have thrown in to balance a grain-bill sizable enough to yield the 9.2% ABV this brew boasts.

A dry yet surprisingly crisp finish, with a lingering sweet deliciousness.

                                                                A solid IPA that is indeed hardcore.

Moa Pale Ale

New-Zealand hops meet American Cascade to make a nice hearty pale ale.

A unique aroma and flavor of fresh fruit, reminiscent of an orchard after a light summer rain, suggesting an extremely fresh Cascade harvest. An additional overlaying soft spicy and berry-like sweetness characteristic of the Nelson-Sauvin hop grown in the land of the Kiwis.The sip finishes with a nice mealy bitterness.

Overall a delicious New-Zealand interpretation of the classic North American pale ale.