Tournament of IPAs

What will you be drinking while you watch the NCAA Basketball Tournament? How about a bright, hoppy American IPA?

India Pale Ale originated in England, brewed with extra malt and hops to survive the long voyage to India. Nowadays, IPAs are one of the most popular beers around, and a great match for game day food favorites —- from pizza and burgers to spicy nachos and wings.

At a recent blind tasting, a group of IPA lovers judged a Sweet 16 of American IPAs —- eight from east and west of the Mississippi. We enjoyed them all. But we managed to sniff, sip and argue our way to a final four. Our comments on the beers are below. And then we picked a winner —- Sweetwater IPA, from right here in Atlanta —- a beer we found super fresh with a bold hop presence.

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, BJCP Master judge and BJCP South regional representative

> Dave McClure, gold medal award-winning brewer for Atlanta Brewing Co.

> John Kessler, AJC’s food and dining writer

> Adam Tolsma, senior beer buyer for Green’s Discount Beverage Stores

EAST

BROOKLYN EAST INDIA PALE ALE (Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, N.Y.) —- “Spicy, with some residual sweetness, but still bitter; pine and wood notes.”

WYERBACHER HOPS INFUSION IPA (Wyerbacher Brewing Co., Easton, Pa) —- “Bready, with hops throughout; a nice balance of caramel and bitterness.”

HIGHLAND KASHMIR IPA (Highland Brewing Co., Asheville, N.C.) —- “More a session ale than a heavyweight IPA; lighter bitterness and a touch of apricot.”

OUR PICK: SWEETWATER EXTRA PALE ALE (Sweetwater Brewing Co. Atlanta) —- “Huge grapefruit nose; good balance of hop and malt; bitter but very nice finish.”

SMUTTYNOSE IPA (Smuttynose Brewing Co., Portsmouth, N.H.) —- “Fluffy with a nice head; hops have a slight vegetal aroma; bitter balanced finish with mineral aftertaste.”

WOLAVER’S ORGANIC INDIA PALE ALE (Otter Creek Brewing, Middlebury, Vt.) —- “Very easy drinking; minimal bitterness; pleasant toffee notes.”

DOGFISH HEAD 60 MINUTE IPA (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Dele.) —- “Chocolate, coffee aromas and flavors; light bitterness; clean aftertaste.”

VICTORY HOP DEVIL ALE (Victory Brewing Co., Downingtown, Pa) —- “Citrus and pine; very bitter, almost metallic finish.”

WEST

LAGUNITAS IPA (Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, Calif.) —- “Big citrusy and floral nose; malty and bready; well-balanced; piney finish and good deal of bitterness.”

FULL SAIL IPA (Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, Ore.) —- “Toasty malt nose with some grassy notes; fruity esters dominate; hop flavor is weak and doesn’t balance malt profile.”

STONE IPA (Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, Calif.) —- “Grapefruit aroma; minty character; tasty; good balance; puckering bitterness.”

GREAT DIVIDE TITAN IPA (Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver) —- “Peachy, fruity aroma; caramel malt flavor; some nuttiness; hops provide more bitterness than flavor.”

AVERY IPA (Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, Colo.) —- “Floral perfume hop and sweet malt aromas; bitterness nicely balances malt; biting crisp finish.

SIERRA NEVADA TORPEDO (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif.) —- “Faint orange, grassy aroma; very well knitted but perhaps a tad too sweet; harshly bitter finish.”

BISON ORGANIC IPA (Bison Brewing, Chico, Calif) —- “Complex maltiness; chocolate and dark fruit; hops play a secondary role to the malt.”

BOULDER MOJO INDIA PALE ALE (Boulder Beer Co., Boulder, Colo.) —- “Tangerine aroma; well-balanced with a clean, smooth finish; bitterness doesn’t linger.”

PICK THE WINNER

The judges had their say. What do you think? Choose your favorite IPA at www.eveningedge.com/beerbracket