Greetings From The Hop Tripper
Not sure why I’m doing this..but what the heck. Decided it might be fun to try and share my love of IPA, and of craft brewing in general.
If you are reading this, then certainly you are aware that this is the most exciting and fast-moving era in the known history of beer. It is simply an amazing time to be a brewer, and to be a fan of beer. And I am very fortunate to be both.
As I travel around in my work for Stone Brewing Co. I come across great new breweries, pubs, and beer scenes quite frequently. If I can share some hidden gems with the readers of this blog, then I’ve done what I wanted to do. And you may read some funny stories here-I’ve had a long career in the brewing industry, I’ve seen craft brewing grow from its beginnings with just a handful of regional breweries and brewpubs to the huge business it is today, and I’ve experienced a lot of unique opportunities and had some very fun experiences.
Also, as a follow-up to the publishing of my book on IPA: IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale, there is a lot of information and a lot of photos that didn’t make the book that I am looking forward to posting here. And if I can also share new information I learn on the history of India Pale Ale, or other beer styles, I will do that too.
Some things you probably won’t see here:
You won’t see any formal beer reviews, I’ll leave that to others. There are so many places on the internet to read or watch beer reviews, we certainly don’t need any more. And in my job, I can hardly be considered objective, despite my best intents. But if I come across a beer that I find interesting or unique, you can bet I’ll make mention of it here. In fact, I had one the other night on draft at The Gopher Hole, near Escondido, CA where my band Craigsband plays on a regular basis. My Temecula friend John Ryti, The Temecula Beer Ambassador, recommended this beer. Anderson Valley’s Summer Solstice Cream Ale turned out to be a surprisingly complex malty beer with hints of cream on the finish. I was curious about how they achieved that amazing trace of cream soda flavor on the finish, and I wonder if that is the result of the natural flavors listed on the front label. In any event, it was a wonderful beer, darker than any cream ale that I’ve ever tasted before, and it was quite delicious.
You probably also won’t see me write too many details about what’s happening at Stone Brewing Co. We have an excellent media team, and we’re so active already with blog posts, videos, and all the other social media stuff, there’s no need for me to talk in depth about what’s happening here. And I need to let them do their jobs! And though I may come back and review things that have happened at Stone in more detail, I’ll save most of my immediate Stone related updates for Twitter. MitchAtStone is my Twitter handle, btw.
So anyway, I do hope those of you who take the time to check this out will enjoy what you see.
Cheers, Peace, Love and Beer,
Mitch
