My lovely wife stopped by Gigantic Brewing yesterday to pick up a growler of beer for me for my birthday. She was impressed by the place and the folks behind the bar. And she decided to get me the fresh hop beer that had just gone on tap the day before. Good call, it is excellent. Admittedly, I haven't had any others this year and I hear great things about Deschutes' Fresh Hop Mirror Pond and Laurelwood's Fresh Hop Red (as well as expecting the ever excellent Killer series from Double Mountain to once again rock), but Gigantic's is a wonderful example of the art. It exudes fresh hops without the grassiness that can make the beer less pleasant and sits on a body that complements without overwhelming the fresh hop flavor. Once again, the hop flavor I get is citrus dominated so I am inclined to like it. Anyway, though I can't give it a relative judgement, I can say that I think it is an exceptional fresh hop beer. Definitely worth a trip.
By the way, my wife could not remember what they called it but, amusingly (if you understand Gigantic's sense of humor) she said very seriously: "apparently it the the best beer in the world." To which I replied: "I am sure that it is."
UPDATE: Bill Night informs me the name of the beer is "The Most Interesting Beer in the World" which must be what my wife was thinking of but misremembered. Bill is also the go-to authority on fresh hop beers as he zealously tracks down almost every one each year.
1 comment:
I just ask, if I am asked, to "Bring back a growler." and the result is more often than not a pleasant surprise.
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