Beer time! We returned from the gas station this past week with my growler full of a new beer to try: Barrio IPA
IPA stands for India Pale Ale, and this is another creation of the Barrio Brewing Company (see my reviews of some of their other beers here and here). Always happy to support a local business, the brewery's website describes their IPA as "[b]rewed just like the original from Burton upon Trent. This style calls for a high hop rate combined with an elevated alcohol content because it was brewed to survive the journey from England to Bombay as rations for British troops. Huge amounts of two row pale malt with an addition of a few specialty malts provide a nice mouth feel buried under copious additions of Columbus hops. This beer is big but finishes clean."
Admittedly, I'm not much of an ale fan. I find them to be too bitter for my taste (the bitterness of hops are what turned me off of beer for a long time). But, I will drink ales to try them since I'm seeking to expand my beer palate and learn what brews work with what foods. A good IPA is something I've been on a quest to try and find ever since a former blogging buddy recommended them as his favorite beer a few years ago (he was actually a home brewer on the side).
A steaming bowl of Emile Zatarain's Dirty Rice for dinner seemed like a good occasion to try this new brew, so my hubby put our beer mugs to use.
As expected, this is a bitter brew. You can really taste the hops in this IPA, as the aftertaste is sharp. It has a nice smell though, and a head that is just the right consistency. This IPA is a nut-brown color, which is actually darker than a proper IPA (those are just a tad lighter). Since ales have a higher alcohol content than my preferred lagers, there is a slight buzz after consuming (ABV is somewhere between 5-6%). But true to it's description, there's not much of an aftertaste that lingers in your mouth. It does finish clean.
As for what foods pair well with Barrio IPA, fish seemed to work well (catfish, in particular), as well as anything acidic, like pickles (which I discovered actually takes the bitterness out of the ale pretty well!). The Dirty Rice we had with the initial tasting, not so much.
One interesting side effect of the IPA-my milk production ratcheted up noticeably. When she wakes up for her morning feed, the baby certainly appreciates the beer I had with dinner after she went to bed (by morning, the alcohol has completely metabolized so it's not in the milk to present a threat to her). Nursing mommies, take note!
For more on the Barrio Brewing Company, check out their website.
As always, please enjoy responsibly.
Admittedly, I'm not much of an ale fan. I find them to be too bitter for my taste (the bitterness of hops are what turned me off of beer for a long time). But, I will drink ales to try them since I'm seeking to expand my beer palate and learn what brews work with what foods. A good IPA is something I've been on a quest to try and find ever since a former blogging buddy recommended them as his favorite beer a few years ago (he was actually a home brewer on the side).
A steaming bowl of Emile Zatarain's Dirty Rice for dinner seemed like a good occasion to try this new brew, so my hubby put our beer mugs to use.
As expected, this is a bitter brew. You can really taste the hops in this IPA, as the aftertaste is sharp. It has a nice smell though, and a head that is just the right consistency. This IPA is a nut-brown color, which is actually darker than a proper IPA (those are just a tad lighter). Since ales have a higher alcohol content than my preferred lagers, there is a slight buzz after consuming (ABV is somewhere between 5-6%). But true to it's description, there's not much of an aftertaste that lingers in your mouth. It does finish clean.
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| IPA+sandwich with WTF cut bread=SCREW YOU, PINTEREST, WITH YOUR UBER-PERFECTIONIST FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY! |
As for what foods pair well with Barrio IPA, fish seemed to work well (catfish, in particular), as well as anything acidic, like pickles (which I discovered actually takes the bitterness out of the ale pretty well!). The Dirty Rice we had with the initial tasting, not so much.
One interesting side effect of the IPA-my milk production ratcheted up noticeably. When she wakes up for her morning feed, the baby certainly appreciates the beer I had with dinner after she went to bed (by morning, the alcohol has completely metabolized so it's not in the milk to present a threat to her). Nursing mommies, take note!
For more on the Barrio Brewing Company, check out their website.
As always, please enjoy responsibly.
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