Is that Wagner I hear playing in the background? Sounds like The Ride of the Valkyries to me. Can you hear it? No? OK, maybe it’s just the beer talking then, especially since the beer that’s doing the talking tonight is Valkyrie Double IPA from the Southern Star Brewing Company of Conroe, Texas. Southern Star beers are not sold in Georgia, and my bottle was obtained courtesy of our own Bill Crossen and Jenny Crossen. Thanks guys!

Kudos to Southern Star on the half liter bottle and the really neat label (as well as the beer inside, but more on that in a bit). Valkyrie IPA is a potent enough brew at 9.2% alcohol by volume (according to my bottle, the website says 9.5%) and a whopping 100 IBUs, in the range for the style of double IPA/Imperial IPA. The beer is available June through December, a seasonal then albeit a long season of half the year.

Southern Star describes the beer as follows:

A pungently hoppy deep copper ale, this double IPA takes its influence from the hop loving city of San Diego California where the hop varieties of the Pacific Northwest reign supreme.

They list the following ingredients:

Malt: Rahr Special Pale Bairds Carastan 30/37 Dextrose 

Hops: Simcoe Centennial CTZ 

Yeast: California Ale 

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Southern Star Valkyrie Double IPA pours to a bright orange color with a medium sized head of creamy foam and a surprisingly subtle nose of caramel malt and resiny hop. Taking a sip, the beer has some wonderful chewy malt up front, rich with caramel, slightly toasty, and very pleasing to the tongue. The hops attack quickly, herbal and slightly minty in aroma with strong citrusy notes of orange and grapefruit. Some resin pops up in the finish along with a long dry, lingering herbal bitterness and some alcohol warmth.

All in all, a very tasty double IPA that’s nicely done, Southern Star. I’m not sure I would agree about this being a San Diego IPA-it’s too malty for that-but it’s a great double IPA all the same. Worth a try, and definitely a beer I would buy if it were sold in my area.

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



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