Try?
Well what do you know? Atlanta’s pioneering Red Brick Brewery (formerly Atlanta Brewing Company) finally has an India Pale Ale. And it’s not a bad one at that. Red Brick Hoplanta IPA, a play on the “Hotlanta” moniker, was rolled out at the end of 2011 and continues to be one of their bestselling brews. The bottle says the beer is “Hoppier than a bullfrog with a stubbed toe”, which one would think is pretty darned hoppy.
Lately, I’ve been drinking a little extra Red Brick beer, including the Hoplanta IPA which I have enjoyed on tap at Taco Mac as well as in the bottle. That’s because I’ve been trying to support them after they were recently targeted by conniving scoundrels that stole copper wiring from their chillers. This occurred on January 5th, 2012, when as the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:
“The thieves did $3,000 to $4,000 in damage to the electrical system for perhaps 40 pounds of copper worth $200, Budd estimated. Luckily, a more expensive chiller appeared to have escaped damage, he said.”
The article is quoting Red Brick Brewing President Bob Budd; you can read the entire article here:
http://www.ajc.com/business/copper-thieves-hit-red-1292535.html
Luckily, no beer had to be dumped as a result of the theft, which was the biggest risk for Red Brick.
But back to the Hoplanta IPA. Red Brick describes this as “An American IPA. Citrusy, piney, hop aromas and flavor. Full bodied.” The beer is brewed with Vienna, Caramel and two-row malts and Bravo and Cascade hops. It’s about average for the IPA style at 6.7% alcohol by volume.
Red
Brick Hoplanta IPA
pours to a hazy orange amber color with a very thick and creamy head
formation and a bright spicy resiny nose. A thick layer of Brussels lace
clings to the side of my glass. Interestingly, my glass was full of
particulate matter in the bottle, I assume yeast as my bottle was fairly
fresh. The beer has a pleasant chewy caramel malt character that quickly
yields to building hop bitterness, just as a good IPA should. In the finish,
there’s a biting citrusy-resiny hop aroma mixed with a touch of grassy
bitterness. That bitterness lingers nicely on the tongue for a while after
sipping.
All in all, this is a good, solid example of an American IPA. It doesn’t stand out from the pack, but it is an honest to goodness example of tasty local brew. I found it slightly hoppier on tap than in the bottle, though. Perhaps not as hoppy as bullfrog with a stubbed toe, but maybe as hoppy as a tree frog with a callous? Either way, this one will cool you down on a hot summer night, and pair perfectly with a plate of Taco Mac Death Wings. Average in price at $5 a pint or $8.49 a six-pack, too.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
