Eight great beers competing against one another. I drank them all.
#1 Great Divide Titan IPA vs. #8 Otter Creek Hop Session Ale
Great Divide Brewery Titan IPA is a full bodied brew. From the bottle it tastes much more compact than from the IPA glass. The IPA glass maintains the full body while smoothing over the taste; stretching the flavor, if you will. Otter Creek Hop Session Ale is smooth but pales in comparison for hoppiness and body. Perhaps the fact that Hop Session Ale is not a true IPA holds it back from being something more. On strength alone Titan IPA moves along to the next round.
#2 Hop Hog IPA vs. #7 Saranac High Peaks Imperial IPA
This was a well enjoyed round of beer drinking. Both beers flavor and taste was amplified from the bottle to the IPA glass. Not in any real significant way but the IPA glass helps both. Ina subtle way. This was the closest round of this tournament and the previous one. For a quick moment I thought I was snookered and both beers were one and the same. Both had strong flavor and taste. Both had excellent body. Hop Hog stayed heavy on the tongue in a good way. Hop Hog edges it by a slim margin.
#3 Big Daddy IPA vs. #6 Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
Another tough one. Really enjoyed both these beers. Once again the IPA glass provides a subtle taste and flavor difference for both of them. Two well rounded good IPA's. I wish both could move to the next round. This contest came down to what do I enjoy drinking more. The answer to that question is Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA.
#4 Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA vs. #5 Ballast Point Big Eye IPA
I had high hopes for Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA. I have liked all the Smuttynose beers I have tasted in the past. Ballast Point was a newcomer. I just saw them at the beer distributor and decided to give them a try. At first I thought Ballast Point Big Eye IPA was too perfumey, too flowery. That was when I drank it on its own. Those proved to be strong points against Smuttynose. Smuttynose IPA seemed to have gone in for the hops. The flavor and taste seemed to be neglected along the way. Not much balance for Smuttynose. While I love hoppy beers I like to have a well rounded beer. Ballast Point Big Eye IPA moves on. I'm beginning to think that Big Eye may be the big sleeper of this tourney.
Updated bracket:
