What’s For Dinner?

Welcome to the big draft: 2009 Beer Bracket Final Four

Which is the best IPA?

At a recent blind tasting, a group of IPA lovers judged a Sweet 16 of American IPAs — eight from east of the Mississippi and eight from west of the Missisippi. We enjoyed them all (and our comments are below). But we managed to sniff, sip and argue our way to choosing our favorites, with Sweetwater IPA coming out on top.

Readers voted in Round 1 and Round 2 to chose the final four. When the voting ended, Boulder Mojo came out victorious.

— Bob Townsend, for Evening Edge

 

THE FINAL FOUR

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
(Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Dele.)
"Chocolate, coffee aromas and flavors; light bitterness; clean aftertaste."		 Sweetwater IPA
(Sweetwater Brewing Co. Atlanta)
"Huge grapefruit nose; good balance of hop and malt; bitter but very nice finish." 		Boulder Mojo India Pale Ale
(Boulder Beer Co., Boulder, Colo.)
"Tangerine aroma; well balanced with a clean, smooth finish; bitterness doesn't linger."		 Stone IPA
(Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif.)
"Grapefruit aroma; minty character; tasty; good balance; puckering bitterness."
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  THE JUDGES

Lee Dickson, beer manager at Brick Store Pub in Decatur, helped set up the tasting, served as steward, and made sure the judges didn't have a clue what they were sampling, except for the style. Joining Bob Townsend on the panel were:

  • Chris and Cristina Collier, award-winning homebrewers and Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) national judges
  • Phil Farrell, a finalist in the 2009 Beer Drinker of the Year contest in Denver, BJCP Master judge and BJCP South regional representative
  • Dave McClure, gold medal award-winning brewer for Atlanta Brewing Co.
  • John Kessler, the AJC's food and dining writer
  • Adam Tolsma, senior beer buyer for Green's Discount Beverage Stores
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