Schlafly American IPA (A)

I have to be clear here, Schlafly is one of my favorite breweries. I went there once just to grab some beer with my old band, John Henry and the Engine, before a show in St. Louis. With this disclaimer in mind, I still say that the American India Pale Ale is one of my all-around favorite beers.

First and foremost, it is extremely drinkable. I could easily put several of these away in a sitting. (I don't, because it's 7.2% abv, and I do like standing up from time to time.) I really feel like a sip of this beer is a short song. The front end of the flavor is relatively quiet and smooth. Then the hops wake up and start fluttering. The malt flavor slowly waxes and wanes under the hops, and the aftertaste is bright for at least a minute after drinking. The science graph below shows the timing of the tastes.

Green Flash Palate Wrecker (B)

This is a good beer. t's right in line with what I've had previously from Green Flash (named after the green flash phenomenon). I probably won't pick up another four-pack of this particular brew right away, but I do enjoy it. There is some serious truth in advertising with this one.

There is a relatively quiet and even front end. It is almost sweet, but not quite. The hops wake up sometime in the middle, and they ride all the way out to the end with a bit more ferocity than I'd vote for. The aftertaste is pretty bitter, but not unpleasant.

It doesn't quite qualify as “ face-grating, ” but it's also not exactly smooth. Overall, it is great pick if you are in the mood for a relatively high-octane (9.5% abv) West Coast hop worship beer.