2010: My days have been extremely long as of late balancing my time between my new job, with all its transitions and my church where I serve in multiple ministries. So, on this now rare occasion, I decided to write up a review on a beer that I tried and immediately went back to the store for more.
Enter Port Brewing Company’s High Tide [Fresh Hop] IPA. A seasonal twist on their Wipe Out this beer offers a great way to experience a true San Diego style IPA while at the same time honing your hop tasting abilities. The bottle and website seems to suggest two things as one says Simcoe is uses while the other states Chinook. Either way, the bottle label looks new so I’m going with Simcoe. It is brewed with Amarillo in the boil and fresh hops just picked of the vine at flame out and for the dry hopping. The result…
…one damn delicious beer! I’ve read that fresh hops don’t add as much bitterness as hops that have been dried. While High Tide does retain hoppy IPA quality it does so in a calm manner. After talking with my buddy Anthony at Binny’s he commented that it “provides great hop flavors” for expanding your palate.
I could not agree more. It pours bright with a yellow-orange hue and wonderful head whose lace is like a nice Belgian beer. The aroma is super fresh and packed full of huge citrus notes. While Simcoe can be spicy and somewhat piney it seems as thoough the wet hops additions mellowed out that aspect. It is like smelling and then biting into a ripe orange and had additional notes of guava (a la Half Acre’s IPA). Clementines, tangerines, and peaches were also present in the aroma. Again, while these flavors where vibrant they lacked a harsh bitterness. I’d liken it to a smooth tropical blended drink.
The mouthfeel was on the lighter side with enough carbonation to lift some of the wet, syrupy hop character off the palate, yet leaving the right amount to bask in their freshly picked glory. Tasting this beer was like a little slice of heaven. Resinous, dank, pungent, bitter, sticky, citrus, and dry in the finish this brew played the right chord on my IPA guitar. I was able to explore the base flavors of the Simcoe, Centennial, and Amarillo hops. They are definitely the more citrus in nature and add their own levels of orange, grapefruit, and lemon notes. Coming in at only 6.5% abv it is a very easy bomber to enjoy and finish.
Port beers are quickly becoming one of my favorite products and this beer ranks among the top. Get it while you can…fast!!!
Tom, I went out and got this the day I read the review. It was as you said. Very very well done IPA. I loved it.
Right on man! Get your thoughts up here.
Tom,
Thanks for the review. I just got my first bottles of High Tide and have to agree with you – I wouldn’t rate it quite an A+, but would give it a good solid “A.” What I find interesting is that I got all grassy, flowery hops w/lots of bitter, w/a bit of resin and almost no citrus or pine. And, I’ve tried two bottles! Guess everyone’s tastebuds are different. Nevertheless, it is a great brew. Not sure if you’ve tried the Ballast Point Sculpin or Alpine Nelson (think you’ve tried the Pliny and Blind Pig?), but if you haven’t, if you like High Tide, you will almost definitely like Sculpin – like High Tide on steroids; and Nelson, like High Tide with a sweeter Nelson Sauvin hop flavor and a bit more alcohol. Cheers and thanks for the review – I always know I will get an interesting beer if you’ve recommended it.
Richard.
Revisit 2011:
What an amazing beer! My bottle is just a little over a month old (bottled 9/21/11) and the hops are exploding out of the glass. The hazy,light golden hue and very frothy head were very familiar one year later. Juicy, dank, spicy, pungent, heck…everything you would want from a hop are here. Centennial rounds out the citrus flavor while Simcoe provides the resinous blast while a light touch of caramel malt sweetens things up.
To be honest, it is crazy to think of where I was a year ago. If you really “stop” and refelct, life seems to pass by faster each year. Drinking this beer brought back some great memories. Last October (2010) I started a new job and had a fresh start/approach on life. Call it nostalgic, but this “fresh” beer seemed to embody my personal position in life. Newness.
It was fun to revisit this beer and find that nothing had changed. The quality of the beer was not dependent on my situation in life, it was crafted for me to enjoy with skill and care. The timing just seemed to fit.
Therefore, I estated a new tradition. Every 4th week in October I shall sit down with a glass of Port Brewing High Tide Fresh Hop IPA and reflect on the past year.