The plan was to continue the “Brewing Science” series today but fate stepped in and provided this opportunity to share a wonderful subplot that underlies much of the excitement of tasting fine craft beer which is often taken for granted- the “chase”.
Much time and energy is expended by brewers and craft beer lovers in what we half-jokingly call R&D. Of course, there are countless volumes of books on the history of beer, brewing processes, ingredient selection, food pairing, etc. but the real research is done at the local brewery tasting room, craft beer taproom or while sharing a meal with family and friends at the dining room table.
The prevailing theory is along the lines of: If you don’t know what you enjoy, then how can you possibly brew beer that other’s will potentially enjoy?
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So…we brewers are forced to taste beer from around the globe to build that essential database in our minds of “likes” and “dislikes”. Doesn’t sound that complicated but infuse the idea that, according to the Brewer’s Association in 2011, there were 77 “Ale” styles, 33 “Lager” styles and 31 “Hybrid/Mixed” styles- all broken down by country or region of origin. Add in the destabilizing fact that everyone’s palate is different and that beer is affected by living organisms (yeast) and continuously evolves over time; and you begin to realize that it is increasingly difficult to hit that moving target, as pleasurable as the endless chase may be.
Craft breweries understand that the chase can be half the fun for the beer connoisseurs who support their breweries and, to that end, they introduce seasonal / limited supply beers which help build their brand with the type of hype once reserved for indie-blog-bands. Beer nerds (remember- endearing term) strive to be the first of their friends to “tap in” a new release from a favorite brewery, a new “vintage” of an annual seasonal or a rare bottle release of a typically draft only offering on the Untappd app (endless fun and FREE so, if you haven’t downloaded it yet, now is the time).
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Stone Brewing Company of Escondido, CA has been creating and sharing amazing beer since 1996 and has pushed this marketing concept to the next level with it’s Enjoy By IPA limited release Double IPA series. The idea is to get the beer from the fermenter to the consumer’s glass in as short a period of time as possible in order to preserve the flavor and aroma as close as practicable to the brewer’s intent.
Each release is branded with the “enjoy by” date front and center on the screen printed green, black and white label. This is akin to the “born on” date which macro-breweries such as Anheuser-Busch place on their bottles but differs in the strikingly disparate range of what they consider “fresh”. For example, A-B considers the shelf-life of many of their offerings to be 120-180 days while Stone urges you to “ENJOY NOW!”, “LIVE FOR THE NOW, the present.”, and follows up with “THERE IS NO BETTER TIME THAN RIGHT NOW to enjoy THIS BEER” embossed on the 22 ounce bottle. Enjoy By IPA is not designed to last and the 35 day self-imposed shelf life is the proof on the packaging.
I, along with IPA addicts across the country, pine for this release every couple of months and go to great lengths to secure a few ounces for myself, my friends, and my family. This equates to keeping a close eye on Stone’s website page dedicated to this innovative release (http://www.stonebrewing.com/enjoyby), checking the twitter feeds of local (and not so local) bottle shops, and following social media leads for a chance to score a bottle or pint or two before it’s immediately “Enjoyed” by others.
My Stone Enjoy By 02.14.14 IPA journey began about a month ago when my internal hop clock went into alarm triggering my immediate internet search. I learned that this release was indeed coming to Pennsylvania (YES!) and would be shipping from California on 1/15/14. I knew that it was only a matter of time (and effort) before it would be decanting into my glass either from a local tap or from a 22 oz bomber (bottle).
My first sniff came when I received a text that it was being Enjoyed by fellow Brandywine Valley Brewing Collective members at the Side Bar & Restaurant in my very own hometown of West Chester, PA. Knowing how quickly these kegs drain, I dropped what I was doing and headed straight into the borough. I parked my car and visualized the glass approaching my lips while hurriedly walking the uneven bricks leading to Side Bar. When I arrived and the news of the kicked keg reached my already primed mind, I instinctually retorted with my “funny, but give me my Enjoy By!” but it was truly gone and I accepted the fact that I probably just missed my opportunity to experience this installment.
Good things come to those who wait.
I was randomly in Concord, DE last week and detoured to the Total Wine & More to see what new and enticing beers they may be offering. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they remodeled adding a growler filling bar with a choice of 24 beers to be filled in either flip-top 36 ounce or 64 ounce screw top growlers. Very impressive setup which will hopefully be a rotating supply of coveted craft brews. Chalk one up for the Craft Beer Revolutionaries!
Just past the growler bar was an end-cap display shelf with six Stone Enjoy By 02.14.14 IPA bombers. I nabbed a few at the ridiculously lowball price of $6.99 and filled the rest of my basket with some random offerings that I had yet to try and made my way back to West Chester with a smile on my face.
One to not disobey my brewing elders, I grabbed my favorite BVBC glass and prepared to enjoy ASAP.
LOOK: Green Stone logo and “drink now” language plastered all over the bottle; golden, straw-like yellow color; vigorous bubbling and building of the foam head in my favorite glass
AROMA: Strong hop bouquet with hints of pine and citrus fruits
TASTE: Substantial malt backbone that masterfully balances and enhances the obvious hop centerpiece without distraction. Blatant hop character without the bitterness you might expect from a Double IPA loaded to the cap with tons of hops.
FEEL: Medium bodied without feeling heavy or overly viscous.
OVERALL: A fantastic Double IPA sure to quench the hop lust of even the most palate-eroded Hop Heads.
Enjoyed immensely. Cheers!
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