Maiden West IPA | Little Beast Brewing

Little Beast Brewing creatively crafts beer — fruited sours, barrel aged ales, and west coast IPA's are some of the elixirs you can expect. Certain offerings are available in single bottles, while select others can be found in four packs. I recommend hanging out in their (hopefully sun-soaked) yard on SE Division with a fresh pint.

The delicious Maiden West is beautifully done in the spirit of west coast IPA's. Early aromas lean toward white peach and yellow nectarine. Carbonation moves about with glowing clarity. Those notes of stone fruit fade into pleasant bitterness. Contrast in smell and taste can really add to the complexity of an IPA. Maiden West accomplishes this in both a surprising and respectful way; nothing seems out of the ordinary, ingredients and methodology work in tandem to achieve such distinct aromas, flavor and nuance. Little Beast crafts with care in order to create quality beer. Enjoy responsibly.

Cheers,

80choices

Space Danger

Danger, danger, danger Will Robinson. Er, I mean, Space Danger, a real west coast IPA. This beer is not a hazy juice bomb, thank you Fremont Brewing. A great interplay takes place between the hops and malt in this fantastic beer. The malt helps to produce a fluffy head as bubbles loft upward from perfected carbonation. Space Danger is so clean and transparent. If you see this beer, buy it.

Space Danger livens my taste buds like fresh garden greens, think escarole, arugula, even parsley. Those notes of bitterness meld perfectly with malted barley. Space Danger's complexity gives it an actually voice against the muted homogeneity of hazy IPA's. Another tasting note worth mentioning is that of moist tree bark. Mirabelle Plum comes to mind. If you've ever pruned that particular tree you know exactly what I'm talking about. I could smell that one-of-a-kind smell when I wrote this. This ale is a new favorite of mine. I will gladly seek it out between now and April 1st. 

Space Danger is one of the best IPA's I've had in quite some time. It's truly memorable. Hops include Centennial, Simcoe, and Sabro. The grain bill consists of 2-row pale malt, rolled oats, and white wheat. Find this IPA and drink it responsibly. 

Space Danger IPA | 7% | 61 IBU

Cheers,
80choices

Brew Detective: Apex Beer Bar

Portland has an abundance of great breweries, they also have some amazing beer bars. Apex is a must-go for anyone touring the beer scene in PDX. They have a live tap of about 50 beers. They also have a library of aged and hard to find bottles. It's a mecca for beer geeks. I was really impressed by their selection, as well as the friendly vibe. Agent M and I split three beers, two were NW natives, the third was Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. For the purpose of this review, I'll be breaking down the NW selections.

Stable Genius | Hazy IPA | 6%

Level Brewing crafted this hazy IPA right here in Portland. This was our first time sipping on an offering from Level. My notes were as follows: hazy straw-yellow, dappled with dashes of orange; lingering foamy head with a dank nose, herbaceous mouth feel and desirable amounts of bitterness. Agent M's notes: mild and creamy, hoppy taste late, yum.

Bits & Bobs | West Coast IPA | 7%

This west coast IPA was brewed by Reuben's out of Washington. I've had one of their other beers, but never Bits & Bobs. Our takes on this IPA: almost pilsner-like in color with great clarity, plus carbonation, a floral nose, crisp with surprising bitterness. Agent M: balanced, drinkable, a perfect IPA.

I'll leave you with that, a perfect IPA.

eightychoices.