Have you ever had a beer when absolutely nothing else would do? You get that cold rush hitting your tongue. As it makes its way to the back of your throat it is like taking a squeegee to a car window that has been caked with dirt that washes away the grime from weeks of travel. As it makes its way down your throat and ultimately stops you get that quenching, satisfying feeling that sends that little chill up your spine…the chill of ultimate satisfaction.
It didn’t hurt that this was a really good beer too, but let me start by telling you about my night last night. It started on my commute home. All was going fine until I got a call from my wife. She informed me that our suburban wouldn’t start and she was stranded about 25 miles away from home. So I divert my route to go to where she was and try to help out. I get there and the vehicle starts right up, you’d of thought I was a mechanic! I am not. So I drive the wounded vehicle and am going to take it to my repair shop, while my wife shadows me in my vehicle. Well we get about ten miles and the damn thing stalls again. Yipee! So we end up having to push it to a vacant lot across the intersection of the highway. That was real fun!
We decided to take everyone home and get a little bite to eat, because at this point it is about 7pm. So we leave the vehicle and drive 15 miles to home. Get something to eat and drop my son off at football weight lifting. We grabbed a Sandwich and drove back to the truck. We got there and it started right up. So we began driving the 10 miles back to town to the service station. Well, guess what…that’s right you guessed it, the damn thing stalled again about a mile from the service station. So we sat there to see if we could get it started for a third time. While we were waiting some friends of ours saw us there and had a tow rope! Hallelujah! They towed us to the service station and we left it there unlocked with the key in it! We were kinda hoping it would be stolen but no such luck!
Well after running back into town again to pick up my son, I finally got to relax a little. At this point it was almost 10pm and I was hot, dusty and tired, and wanted a beer. I had a KettleHouse Pale Ale in the fridge, so I poured it and took a sip…
Did I say sip? It turned into an instant gulp. It was almost uncontrollable like someone had tapped into my autonomic nervous system and would not relinquish control until I had about 4 ounces of liquid in my mouth!
Wow! Was that good…no Great! I guess given the last IPA I had from KettleHouse I wasn’t expecting the gush of flavor combined with superior drinkability and clean and satisfying finish. Talk about hitting the spot. I didn’t even know I was so parched, but this beer was like manna from heaven. OK, so after that first drink or two I put on my reviewer hat and said does this brew really stand up, or was it just in the right place at the right time?
The pour was a nice looking deep golden color with about a one finger white head that left lots of lacing and dissipated, but always had a thin layer of foam on top. The nose was well balanced with just a tinge of hoppiness, but the big malt backbone was there to keep things balanced.
The flavor was a little hop forward but it had a great balance of maltiness to keep it upright. It had a sweet and slightly bitter aftertaste and finished clean, crisp and a little dry. Great mouthfeel that lended to its smooth richness. In a word Quaffable!
This was definitely the BEST part of my night! Oh, and did I mention that it was me and my wife’s 25th wedding anniversary? Yeah, that’s right we spent our 25th taking care of our disabled Suburban! Well, it is memorable, but I wish it would have been memorable in a different way. A day in the life!
-Don
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Happy 25th, Don and Kathy!! I had no idea. Did your kids?
Also, you are describing the exact experience I had with Arrogant Bastard a couple of years back. Hot, dusty, thirsty and aaaaahhhhh! It hit the spot perfectly and the flavors came to life in a way they hadn’t before. The right beer at the right time can make you a fan for life.
I think I am, but the big problem is they don’t sell in Idaho yet. I’d love to stock the fridge with these, but there isn’t anywhere to get it. I’m gonna talk to my beer guy and see if he can get it into his shop.
Happy 25th!! It could’ve been worse, so be thankful for small graces like the thirst (and soul) quenching IPA. I totally know what it’s like to gulp-gulp-gulp when it’s REALLY wanted and needed, but I’d be curious to see what you think when you retaste it in a less frenzied state. Oftentimes, it’s the fact that it satisfies the moment more than how great the beer is…but I could be wrong. Maybe you’ll retaste and find it’s everything you thought 🙂
Thanks Katie. But you bring up a question that I have about beer. Jim does this too, and it perplexes me. You called the beer I reviewed an IPA, but the can just says Pale Ale. As I said Jim does this too all the time for example his love affair with Dales Pale Ale, he calls that an IPA, but the can just says Pale Ale. So my question is are all Pale Ales IPAs? Or is it just an accepted phrase like Kleenex for Tissue or Q-Tip for cotton cushioned ear wax retrieval unit.
Pale Ale is usually less hoppy than an India Pale Ale, which was brewed in England with a higher hop and alcohol content to survive the long sea journey to colonists in…wait for it…India. It’s a blurry line, but IPA’s are usually above 7% ABV and are pretty aggressively hopped.
Dale’s is an American Pale Ale, with a 6.5% ABV and nicely hopped flavor profile. Gubna could be an IPA, but they call it an Imperial Pale Ale, indicating it’s higher alcohol content. But make no doubt about it, Gubna could totally rule India.
Yeah this was a 5.5% brew. It was great!
Yeah, Jim beat me to the reply…technically there’s a difference. My typing fingers have a mind of their own, I guess. Like Jim said, the extra dose of hops (double or more) was because hops act as a preservative.
And basically folks like me lazily use IPA and Pale Ale interchangeably sometimes because we’re weak minded, beer addled half wits.
Sorry Don, but did you really write the word “drinkability”…
I did! And don’t think I didn’t think about it a lot before I did. But I also used the more acceptable “Quaffable” too. I’m trying to reclaim that word! Bud doesn’t get it, we NEED that word.
Wow, you could build a whole campaign around that word. I bet it’d sell a lot of beer. Of get your agency fired. One or the other.
Good thing we don’t have anything to “sell” here!
Just our opinions, preferences, allegiances and maybe a timeshare in Boca if anyone is interested. It’s a partial ocean view slightly obstructed by a rather hairy nudist neighbor’s glass yoga enclosure.
Just kidding about our opinions and such, but I really can’t bear to go back to Boca. I’ve never seen a man sweat so much.
Happy Anniversary to a fantastic couple!
PS- I need to find out who your “beer guy” is so I can visit that store.
Hey Lennie, thanks. No big secret here I get my beer in two different places. In order of preference they are:
1) Rick at Brewforia–Is located on Eagle and Overland Road in Boise behind the Qdoba.
2) Matt at the Boise Co-op. Co-op has a good selection, but there is a membership fee.
Both have a fairly good selection. The Co-op is nice because you can buy six packs as well as singles. You can buy six packs at Brewforia too, but they are more set up to sell singles. Brewforia is nice too because they have beer on tap, so you can drink a brew while you shop! Have a great summer.
Congrats Don! 25 years is a loooooooooooonnnnng time! Anyway, glad you were able to top off the night with an enjoyable brew. I’d call it an APA. 🙂
Hey Scott, Thanks. APA? American Pale Ale? 25 years with the right woman goes by very quickly. It seems like just a couple years ago I was popping the question and going to the University of Iowa, but when I think about it there has been a lot of life lived between then and now. Like Jimmy Buffet says “some of it magic and some of it tragic but I’ve had a good life all the way.” Indeed!
That’s good to hear, Don. I hope you have 25 more great years! Yeah, APA = American Pale Ale, its like a junior IPA to me! English Pale Ales are a little different than their American cousins so I think ‘Pale Ale’ need to be broken down a bit.