WV Beer Week ending IPA showdown

I missed much of WV Craft Beer Week while traveling out in the Mountain time zone, but I made it back to WV Brick Oven Bistro (T&M Meats) for an informal WV IPA showdown on the final day of the week. The experience convinced me that WV brewers are holding their own with small brewers from other parts of the country.

Bistro proprietor Ron Cole normally keeps the taps in his Cross Lanes, WV establishment well stocked with WV brews, but especially does so during WV Craft Beer Week. Since IPAs were in abundance when I dropped in, it seemed appropriate for a comparative IPA tasting. Fresh in my mind were the tastes of IPAs from the many small, local breweries I had just visited in five different mountain west states.

My tasting had two rounds. First was a flight of standard-strength IPAs, and second was a flight of Double IPAs. I’ve listed my favorites realizing that your taste preferences could be quite different from mine. Here is what I found.

Standard IPA

Weathered Ground Haggard — Quite hazy. Fruity strawberry bubblegum aroma. Very juicy. Some melon. Tropical impression — juicy but not sweet. Very smooth. Low bitterness. Nice mouthfeel. Overall, a fairly light impression. A beer I would take any summer Saturday afternoon to the pool, the lake, the river. 6.5% ABV

Stumptown Bewildered Hippie — Clear golden appearance. The most West Coast styled of the group. Tastes of tea & lemon with just a touch of pine. Nice round bitterness that lingers into aftertaste. Very clean, very well attenuated. Straightforward in style, not particularly complex.  Good choice for a kick-back summer IPA. 6.2% ABV

Short Story Terra Firma — Clear and bright. Low bitterness. Citrus & pine flavors. Bready, light pale malt flavors. Touch of buttery popcorn aroma. (Ron Cole assured me the beer line had been cleaned within the week). Lightest overall flavor impact of the four — a quality that should make it a solid choice for porch drinking on a hot July evening. 6.2% ABV

Greenbrier Valley Devil Anse— Brilliantly bright and clear. Color is bright gold with a splash of amber. Citrus, passion fruit aroma. Some stone fruit in flavor. More malt flavor than the others. Just a bit toasty. Moderate bitterness. Nice layers of flavor. A very slight impression of residual malt sweetness that buffs the corners off the bitterness. Most total flavor impact of the bunch. There’s a lot going on here and it’s handled well. 

My favorite

For me, on this day, Devil Anse stood out as the most enjoyable of the four due to its overall balance of flavors. I found it so very well-made with great layers of flavor. I know this beer went through a rough patch a while back, but with brewer Brian Reymiller’s return and with the brewery’s upgraded equipment and ingredients this beer seems better than it ever was. If you haven’t tried it in a while, it’s time to give it another drink. It’s a great representative of WV’s ability to offer a solid everyday American IPA.

Double IPA

Stumptown Multiple Hopgasms — Hazy light gold appearance. Strong tropical fruit & citrus aroma with a slight touch of dankness. It is fully hazy, mildly bitter. Beautifully balanced, richly flavored. Mostly dry. Smooth mouthfeel. Clean finish. So easy drinking that you lose the fact that it is 8.5% ABV. 

Weathered Ground More Haggard Than Haggard — Hazy gold color. Tropical fruit aroma and taste. Pineapple, pear, melon, bubblegum. Light bread. Nails the desired creamy mouthfeel you want in a NEIPA. Moderately light bitterness. This is a very good entry in the popular juicy-hazy IPA category. 8.0% ABV

Stumptown Sassy Mojo — Clear and bright golden color. Strong citrus and mint aroma with a bit of earthy malt coming through in the taste. Clean. Dry. Just enough balancing bitterness. Probably the easiest drinking of the four beers sampled. Stumptown handles their single-hop series so skillfully, with no weak entry. 8.5% ABV.

Short Story Fast Forward — Very clear and bright. Darker gold color than the others. Toasty aroma. Nutty, spicy honey flavor comes through pretty strongly. Moderately bitter finish. With its honey flavor, do not expect a typical American double IPA signature. Give this beer a try when you want a little extra something, both in flavor and alcohol. 9.3% ABV 

My favorite

I found that Stumptown’s Multiple Hopgasms, with its great integration of potent flavors, delivered everything I’m looking for in a DIPA. I have to admit upfront that this beer is a favorite of mine for the past year or so, and it didn’t disappoint in this tasting. It’s put together so beautifully. If you are seeking rich, complex DIPA flavors, here it is. It definitely is nationally competitive with the best in its category. So enjoyable. 

WV Brick Oven Bistro website