Beer of the Week: India Pale Whale
Harland Brewing's IPA uses a hop from the past to present a dank here-and-now
From the Beer Writer: “Big C” hops served as the foundation for West Coast IPAs, growing that niche all-American take on a tame English ale archetype into the most popular beer style in the country. The big pine and citrus character of Cascade, Centennial, Columbus and Chinook made hop heads of beerophiles coast to coast. Over the years, scads of new hop varietals have been developed, offering interesting tropical, stone fruit, berry and even coconut flavors and aromas. At the same time, the advent of hazy and lower-IBU (international bittering units) IPAs created greater demand for the likes of new MVP varietals like Galaxy, Mosaic and Strata. The Big Cs are still in play, but in San Diego, Chinook—a dominating, woody, piney, evergreen workhorse—is scarce enough to seem historic. It’s a shame, because it has so much to offer, especially for fans of “dank” IPAs. Want proof? It comes in the form of India Pale Whale, a West Coast IPA from Scripps Ranch-based Harland Brewing, which uses an ultra-modern Cryo form of Mosaic plus venerable and catty Simcoe and good ol’ Chinook to create a sweet-leaf sensory profile reminiscent of days gone by. And with far less bitterness and an of-the-day 6% ABV (alcohol-by-volume), it’s a perfect everyday “whale”-watching accompaniment.
From the Brewer: “We first brewed this beer on our five-barrel pilot system. We are constantly trying new grain bills and new techniques, and it is amazing when a real winner comes out of this experimentation. We believe India Pale Whale is one of those winners. This IPA was created as a West Coast IPA influenced by both traditional West Coast IPAs and the new hazy IPAs of today. With a simple base of Pilsner and Carafoam, the beer pours a clear and light golden-yellow, hopped in the kettle with a small dose of Magnum for some light bitterness then heavily dry-hopped with Chinook, Simcoe and Mosaic Cryo; a mix of traditional West Coast hops as well as some new modern day Cryo. Aromatic, light and crushable, this IPA is one of our favorites here at Harland!”—Ryan Alvarez, Head Brewer, Harland Brewing