Guest Video Review by Tom The Beer Whisperer

Hey! What the heck happened to my Tallgrass IPA? That was the first beer I ever enjoyed from Kansas Tallgrass brewing company. I got it in Mississippi of all places, Biloxi to be exact, and this several years ago. It came in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans, and they had really a really neat looking elephant on them which I found kind of strange. Oh sure, there are elephants in India you say, but these really looked like African elephants. It’s not Africa Pale Ale, my friends.

Anyway, that beer seems to be gone now, replaced perhaps by Tallgrass Ethos IPA? Tallgrass IPA is no longer featured on the Tallgrass website at any rate, and Ethos is. So there. They are not the same beer, as the specs are different, with the Ethos IPA being a bigger beer with a lot more IBUs.

Tallgrass beers are still not sold in Georgia, and I was fortunate enough to recive a can of Ethos IPA in a trade with the legend named Tom Beer Whisperer Mulvihil. There are others out there purporting to be Beer Whisperers, but Tom is the real deal. Accept no substitutes.

Here’s what Tallgrass says about the beer on their website:

The beer foretold in legend. Six types of hops are gathered from the corners of the world to make this legendary brew. This is no earthly IPA. They will write ballads, build monuments, paint caves, and sacrifice goats to this beer. They will drink Ethos and dance to shake the heavens. The aroma is the harbinger of the tastes to come. Big, bright, and beautiful, this beer exceeds all expectations and grants wishes. Twice dry-hopped and brewed with the aid of a dark alliance from another realm, this beer bestows upon you all the complexity of the hops' flavors without overwhelming your senses. Ethos IPA is a gift to you, beer mortals. Drink it and fulfill your destiny.

Tallgrass Ethos IPA comes in 16-ounce cans. It has an alcohol content of 6.8% by volume and a whopping 110 (count ‘em) IBUs. My can has been sitting in my beer fridge since I got it from Tom last fall. It has a best by date of 6/27/2014, after which it turns into a pumpkin (ale). Tom reports this beer sells for $9.99 for 4 16-ounce cans. That's a little higher than average these days.

Tallgrass Ethos IPA pours to a rich orange color with a thick creamy head formation that fades rather quickly and a bright resiny hop nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a solid malt backbone up front followed by more of the resiny, piney hops and a massive bitterness in the finish! The resiny aroma intensifies as the beer warms, but that bitterness is really what gets your attention here.

Very tasty indeed, Ethos IPA is one to enjoy when you’re tired of those namby-pamby, so-called “session” IPAs.



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