What's In My Glass: 8/22/11

First up tonight was a can of Surly Bitter Brewer.

It’s brewed mostly in the style of a traditional English bitter, with the notable exception of the use of American hops. I ended up not reviewing this one on Beer Advocate since the “canned on” date was illegible and a beer this small (4%ABV), especially a hoppy one, is going to be very delicate as far as freshness goes. It was still a very good drinking experience, very light and drinkable, with just enough malt to balance a lightly hoppy attack. The flavor profile was interesting, as the citrusy hops tended more towards orange, and melded neatly with the fruity esters from the yeast. It’s the kind of beer that, if it was available locally, I could see myself buying in bulk when it first came out and going through way too quickly.

Next up was my second big bottle of double IPA in two nights from Three Floyds, Dreadnaught

This is their year round imperial IPA (with Arctic Panzer Wolf being a seasonal release), and the one that garners more hype on Beer Advocate, but I found myself greatly preferring APW. This one is more of a paint by numbers version of the style, with a nice tropical fruit presence trying in vain to drown out the harsh grapefruit flavors of Centennial hops. That flavor isn’t as abrasive and dominant here as it was in the Summit beer I had over the weekend, but it’s still weighing the brew down. I’ve been impressed with Three Floyds overall so far, but I can’t see myself actively seeking this one out again.

Last up was Odell Myrcenary (the misspelling honors Myrcene, a chemical component of hop oils)

This ended up being the high point of the night. The beer was an absolute tropical fruit bomb. It was redolent of pineapple and mangoes, both in aroma and flavor, with just a little bit of peach in there as well. More common citrus notes showed up as an accent in the flavor. Myrcenary is a fairly unique beer, not as much so as last night's Arctic Panzer Wolf, but  interesting nonetheless. I'm glad I picked up a four pack of this one