Breakdown I.P.A.
Review Date 9/9/2002
Try?
Re-buy?
I’ve mentioned
before that I was a bit surprised at the beer selection here in the south,
especially in Georgia where I’ve lived for nearly a year. It has been much
better than I expected, though I still have a hard time finding stronger
styles like double bocks, strong Belgian ales and imperial stouts. I was
reminded of how much I missed the latter when I sipped a few of them at
Trinity Brewhouse in Providence, Rhode Island a few days ago.
Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about finding hoppy, delicious India Pale Ale thanks to Atlanta’s wonderful Dogwood Brewing Company and its fabulous Breakdown IPA. Breakdown is available year-round and is a malty-hoppy treat that rivals the best of them. It’s a classic example of the quality of brews being produced by what I consider to be Georgia’s best bottling brewery by far.
This is classic American IPA and is a great complement to many foods, but I like hoppy brews with spicy foods more than anything else. Breakdown washes down tangy Buffalo wings, spicy Cajun, blazing Mexican or infernal Indian equally well. A pint of breakdown and a plate of nachos loaded with jalapenos is a match made in heaven.
Breakdown could well be described as hop soup; it’s positively bursting with multiple varieties, more than three pounds per barrel produced. Magnums are added early in the boil for bittering, then Vanguards, Liberties, and Ultras join in later to impart aroma. The longer hops are boiled with the brew the more alpha acids are extracted and the more bitterness they will contribute. Shorter boiling times bring floral aromatic flavors. Of course, certain types of hops have higher alpha acid contents than others while still more are better known for their floral character, but the time they are added to the brew is all important as well.
Breakdown is dry-hopped with whole-leaf Goldings. This is a process where the beer rests on hop flowers during fermentation and/or aging. It tends to impart floral notes but not bitterness. Hot wort is passed through a hopback (basically, a bed of compressed hops); in this case the hops are Crystals.
Dogwood Breakdown IPA pours to a cloudy orange color with a thick, creamy head formation and a hoppy citric nose. The body is firm and malty with plenty of delicious chewy, toasty caramel notes. Slowly, the beer segues into a peppery, citric grapefruit character that becomes increasingly bitter right into the intense finish. A grassy, lingering bitterness is present on the tongue after sipping.
This is truly a hophead’s IPA, and it’s a steal at about $5 a six-pack.
Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about finding hoppy, delicious India Pale Ale thanks to Atlanta’s wonderful Dogwood Brewing Company and its fabulous Breakdown IPA. Breakdown is available year-round and is a malty-hoppy treat that rivals the best of them. It’s a classic example of the quality of brews being produced by what I consider to be Georgia’s best bottling brewery by far.
This is classic American IPA and is a great complement to many foods, but I like hoppy brews with spicy foods more than anything else. Breakdown washes down tangy Buffalo wings, spicy Cajun, blazing Mexican or infernal Indian equally well. A pint of breakdown and a plate of nachos loaded with jalapenos is a match made in heaven.
Breakdown could well be described as hop soup; it’s positively bursting with multiple varieties, more than three pounds per barrel produced. Magnums are added early in the boil for bittering, then Vanguards, Liberties, and Ultras join in later to impart aroma. The longer hops are boiled with the brew the more alpha acids are extracted and the more bitterness they will contribute. Shorter boiling times bring floral aromatic flavors. Of course, certain types of hops have higher alpha acid contents than others while still more are better known for their floral character, but the time they are added to the brew is all important as well.
Breakdown is dry-hopped with whole-leaf Goldings. This is a process where the beer rests on hop flowers during fermentation and/or aging. It tends to impart floral notes but not bitterness. Hot wort is passed through a hopback (basically, a bed of compressed hops); in this case the hops are Crystals.
Dogwood Breakdown IPA pours to a cloudy orange color with a thick, creamy head formation and a hoppy citric nose. The body is firm and malty with plenty of delicious chewy, toasty caramel notes. Slowly, the beer segues into a peppery, citric grapefruit character that becomes increasingly bitter right into the intense finish. A grassy, lingering bitterness is present on the tongue after sipping.
This is truly a hophead’s IPA, and it’s a steal at about $5 a six-pack.
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
