All the beer geeks seem to love the Alpine Brewing Company of San Diego, California. That’s all well and good, but so far I’ve passed on a lot of their beers because of the prices. I don’t mind paying for quality beer, but hey, don’t take advantage of my thirst for quality brew. I have only seen Alpine beers in half liter bottles for $10 each and frankly, that’s just too much. So I’ve passed.

Until recently, anyway. I finally bit the bullet and picked up a single of Alpine Hoppy Birthday Session India Pale Ale. It’s saying something when the best priced beer from a brewery is $13.99 a six-pack, and that for a so-called “session” IPA. I bought a single for $3.49 instead. I had thought the “session IPA” craze might be dying down, but it doesn’t seem to be. Before popping my bottle, I hopped on over to the brewery website to check them out. Lo and behold they don’t have one! They have a Wordpress blog instead. Come on guys, at these prices you can afford a better web presence than that.

From the label:

“The most celebrated beer in the world”

Truth is, everyone has a birthday. And when you want to celebrate, this Session IPA is a gift to the senses. Made with 6 different hops, this bold brew is refreshing enough to enjoy again and again. Now, make a wish and blow out the candles. But don’t tell anyone, or your wish won’t come true.

Alpine Hoppy Birthday Session India Pale Ale has an alcohol content of 5.3% by volume with 69 IBUs. I already told you the price.

Alpine Hoppy Birthday Session India Pale Ale pours to a brilliant orange color with a thick creamy head of foam and a vibrant resin pine and citrus nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a medium malt body up front, still a lot less than I want for an IPA but more than adequate I think for an American pale ale, which is what this really is. Then too, there’s more malt here than you’ll find in most any “session IPA”.

The hops are explosive, very sticky-resiny and piney, with definite citrus notes of bitter lemon zest and grapefruit pith. At the last, the beer is long and dry and quite bitter and that makes it quenching and very drinkable indeed.

Don’t hate it for the “Session IPA” moniker; it’s an APA and if they called it that we’d rate it highly, so I still will. I really love the green grassy herbal buzz in the finish, and am I getting Cascades here?

I love this session IPA because it’s not a session IPA, it’s probably one of the best I’ve tasted. I’d give it a full 5 stars hedonistically and judged against other beers in this “style”, but a star comes off for the ridiculous price. Would I pay fourteen bucks for it again? No I would not.

Home