Beer of the Weekend #916: Official
I took a break from beer last weekend. I usually allow myself to splurge on Friday and Saturday nights, but late-night drinking is not conducive to good sleep and adds a lot of calories, so I cut it out. My weekend sans late-night beer worked perfectly: I slept very well and dropped another 1.2 pounds this week (I’ve lost 15 pounds since my last weight of 2018).
However, beer is back this weekend!
The beer of the weekend is the Bell’s Brewery’s hazy IPA: Official.
The color is hazy deep gold. (This hazy IPA is actually hazy, not cloudy.) A finger of beige, buttery, bubbly head dissipates slowly and evenly, leaving a short webbing of lacing stuck to the glass.
The aroma is fruity and tropical with scents of orange, grapefruit, touches of pineapple and mango, stone fruit, and peach. It has a touch of earthy hops.
The mouthfeel is soft and the flavor is fruity but subtle. It has an almost astringent earthy/citrusy/arboreal bitterness that lingers on the taste buds. The flavor is not as fruity as the aroma, but there are still flavors of orange, grapefruit, touches of pineapple and mango, earthy and arboreal hops, stone fruit, and peach. It’s balanced, mostly, but the bitterness turns up a notch as the beer continues to warm.
Fun facts about Official:
• Style: Hazy IPA.
• Price: $7.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 6.4 percent ABV.
• IBU: 55. One has to click a link to show the beer’s IBU on its webpage. Why? Here’s the explanation offered by Bell’s:
• Calories: 187 per 12-ounces (listed on the beer’s webpage).
• Printed on the can is some noteworthy text: “PUERTO RICO DON’T LITTER” and “Shelf Life—6 Months” are written on the side. I’ve never seen the note about Puerto Rico and kudos to Bell’s for adding the shelf life!
• This BotW may represent another first: I usually take a pic of my first pint, but this time I took all my notes and drank my first pint without taking a pic. Scandalous!
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
However, beer is back this weekend!
The beer of the weekend is the Bell’s Brewery’s hazy IPA: Official.
The color is hazy deep gold. (This hazy IPA is actually hazy, not cloudy.) A finger of beige, buttery, bubbly head dissipates slowly and evenly, leaving a short webbing of lacing stuck to the glass.
The aroma is fruity and tropical with scents of orange, grapefruit, touches of pineapple and mango, stone fruit, and peach. It has a touch of earthy hops.
The mouthfeel is soft and the flavor is fruity but subtle. It has an almost astringent earthy/citrusy/arboreal bitterness that lingers on the taste buds. The flavor is not as fruity as the aroma, but there are still flavors of orange, grapefruit, touches of pineapple and mango, earthy and arboreal hops, stone fruit, and peach. It’s balanced, mostly, but the bitterness turns up a notch as the beer continues to warm.
Fun facts about Official:
• Style: Hazy IPA.
• Price: $7.99 for a six-pack of 12-ounce cans at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 6.4 percent ABV.
• IBU: 55. One has to click a link to show the beer’s IBU on its webpage. Why? Here’s the explanation offered by Bell’s:
Why don't we list IBUs?
There is a difference between absolute bitterness and perceived bitterness. IBUs are useful for homebrewers for the purpose of clone recipes, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story. Expedition Stout is a good example. It has more IBUs than more traditional hoppy beers like Two Hearted and Hopslam.
• Calories: 187 per 12-ounces (listed on the beer’s webpage).
• Printed on the can is some noteworthy text: “PUERTO RICO DON’T LITTER” and “Shelf Life—6 Months” are written on the side. I’ve never seen the note about Puerto Rico and kudos to Bell’s for adding the shelf life!
• This BotW may represent another first: I usually take a pic of my first pint, but this time I took all my notes and drank my first pint without taking a pic. Scandalous!
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
