Alpine Beer Company Exponential Hoppiness (365 Day 261)

By scot in 365 Days of American Craft Beer, Beer on Friday, August 19th, 2011

Alpine Exponential Hoppiness

American craft beer on Thursday evenings has become ingrained with my family as the natural way things should happen each week. My kids usually ask which of the guys are coming over, replying with an “Ahhh,” if someone that they wanted to see can’t make it over. The wife usually joins for a sip or two while making some conversation near the end of the evening. Since everyone is involved, the weekly get together is made much easier. My oldest even distributes the ritualistic pretzels into bowls for the guys to share and cleanse their palate throughout the evening.

Of course sharing beer with friends has advantages: good conversation, not enough beer to impair but enough to taste and appreciate, and a chance for everyone to have that occasional hard to find beer that someone in the group snagged. Which was the case with beer number 261: Exponential Hoppiness by Alpine Beer Company.

Saying that Exponential Hoppiness is a normal American Imperial IPA is slighting the beer. The citrus and tropical fruit profile of the hops in this beer is outstanding. The 11.0% ABV made me believe this would be a boozy beer with the aroma making me believe this was going to be bitter and, more than likely, unbalanced. Assumptions. This beer was smooth, balanced like nothing I have experienced this size for and Imperial IPA before. I was shocked at how well it all fits together.

Rich and I had the bottle down so fast that, with this being our second beer of the evening, we both felt a slight buzz. Rich also brought up the fact that this is the best beer we have had in 2011. To this point, he is right. Enjoy!

Aroma: 10 (25%), Taste: 10 (25%), Look: 9 (15%), Drinkability: 10 (35%), Overall: 9.9

Useless Fact: When ancient Egyptian priests held a banquet, a large mummy was often carried into the feast chamber and propped up at the table where all the priests could see it, a reminder that even while at pleasure, death was ever near.