Alpha Acid Test - A Hoppy Event

My Daughter, her husband (coolcliff), and I attended a beer tasting event at Lafayette Brewing Company yesterday. The format was an interesting one. Ten beers were on hand, all identical with one small exception.
All ten beers used in the tasting event were brewed in a single batch using a single 60 minute addition of Chinook hops. The resulting beer had 60 IBU's, and I would have classified it as an IPA. That single batch was then split into ten separate batches. All ten batches were fermented under the same conditions using the same yeast, same temperatures, same time. Every effort was made to make all ten batches of beer identical. Sound like an interesting tasting event? Ah, but it was!


The only difference between the 10 batches of beer was what hops were used in a dry hop. The amount (by weight) of hops used in the dry hop was equal in all cases (3 oz. per firkin or if the beer would be served from a half keg, 4 oz. - roughly equivalent.) One of the beers had no dry hop at all, but instead served as the "control". Six of the ten beers were served from firkins, the remaining four from kegs. The hops used in the dry hopping which were served from kegs included Centennial, Chinook, Warrior, and Amarillo. The "base" beer was also served from keg. Served from firkins were a couple of hops I wasn't at all familiar with, along with a few old favorites. The unfamiliar hops in the firkins included Saphir, First Gold, and Ceria. The more familiar hops included Czech Saaz, Styrian Golding, and U.S. Fuggle.

Now for the tasting. The beers were set up so samples would be drawn first from the base beer, and then progressing toward beer with more intense hop notes. The last three beers in the sampling line were in order Warrior, Chinook, and finally Centennial. As I am a fan of citrusy, intense hop flavors I preferred the "end of the line" hops. The Chinook hopped beer was my favorites. The hops used in the firkins imparted much more subtle aromas, good, just not what I expect in an IPA. I have to admit I was unimpressed with the First Gold, Ceria, and Saphir hopped beers, perhaps because I was expecting, or perhaps hoping for, more intense citrusy notes.

I was somewhat surprised the event was not more well attended. Perhaps 40 beer fans participated, and I suspect most of those were THC members. The event might have been better suited to homebrewers hoping to gain an appreciation for the subtleties of various hop varieties rather than those who are simply beer consumers. That might have limited the participation somewhat. The servers were absolutely awesome, knowledgeable and friendly. Serving was quick with only short waits. Pizza and a couple of other snacks were served and were tasty as well. The room was spacious and comfortable with LBC's typically worn decor.

The bottom line was that the event was educational for me and I drank a lot of good beer. If another event like this were held I would be likely to attend.