A Year of Widmer Rotator IPA

It has been roughly a year since the Widmers introduced a new concept in its mainline IPA: the Rotator series in which a new recipe would be rolled out every three months or so.  We are now in the fourth iteration in the series and it is the most unique IPA they've rolled out yet - the "Spiced IPA."

There is a lot going on in this beer and I suspect that this beer will divide folks into two pretty distinct camps: lovers and haters.  I will be totally honest: it is definitely not for me but then I never expected it wold be for I am not a fan of spices in beer.  Holiday ales, for example, are often too spicy for me.  But to my surprise it is really the tea that jarred my palate.  It is a very well made beer, make no mistake, and you should definitely try it because it is revelatory no matter which camp you end up in.  And for such a non-mainstream beer, the Rotator aspect means that it is being sold as one - you'll find it everywhere, including on tap at Jeld-Wen Field during Timbers games. 

So over the last year we have had (in order of their release):

X-114: An 'experimental' IPA with an experimental hop that has gone mainstream.  This is the one that hit my sweet spot.  Super floral and citrusy with a nice malt and alcohol balance, it quickly became a favorite of mine.

Falconer's IPA: An aggressively bitter -hopped IPA of the 'old school.'  Folks who love the So Cal IPA style would probably love this one, for me, though I liked and enjoyed it, it missed the aromatic sweet spot and was a bit too caustic.

O'Ryely IPA: Rye and my palate generally don't get along very well - I find rye often imparts a soapy quality that I dislike intensely.  But the rye here is very subtle - I get no soap but a nice grainy spiciness that complements the hops brilliantly. I thought of this as a perfect winter IPA, a little warmer and spicier, but I would turn away from it as the temps climb higher. 

Spiced IPA: See above

I hope that by imparting my personal refelctions of the beer that I do not skew the results too much, but I have put up a poll asking which IPA you prefer.  You have to pick just one.  Notice I don't say 'best,' this is about the one you would choose if you had all four on offer but could pick only one.

I would love to know how they sold but even if the Widmers shared the data it would be hard to interpret  It is hard to de-trend and isolate an individual beer's effect on sales. By this I mean that if you bought an X-114 and loved it and went back and bought the IPA again, you might have missed the X-114 and picked up a Falconer's.  When you did so you might not have noticed the change or you might have noticed the change but figured that since you liked the X-114 your would give the Falconer's a try. 

I would also like to know what they are thinking now after a year into the project: will the start re-running the best sellers, spin those off into separate beers, or just keep offering new one-offs.  

I hope, of course that they give us the X-114 again in whichever format they choose and I especially hope it gets back on tap at Jeld-Wen because I am just not into the Timbers and Spiced IPA combo.

Overall, I am a huge fan of this project, a big fan of the beer (even the ones not suited to my palate) and think the Widmers deserve tons of credit for trying something different with such an important line of beers.  Kudos.

Poll Results: X-114 is the Winner

In my scientific and representative random and completely meaningless poll asking which of the two initial Widmer Rotator IPAs you preferred, you have given X-114 a resounding victory.  

But I suspect that as random and unscientific this poll was, this is reflective of the general mood.  The X-114 is not beloved by all, the Citra hops don't dance on all tongues like they do on mine, but the Falconer's IPA is, I think fairly undistinguished.  Which does not mean it is not a great IPA (and worlds above the entirely forgettable Broken Halo) but X-114 has character that differentiates it from other great IPAs - which is about as high a compliment as I can pay.

I'm excited for the next iteration - this whole Rotator business is genius (assuming X-114 comes back regularly).

Poll: Widmer's Rotator IPAs

Sorry for the Oregon-centric nature of this, but as much of craft beer is local these things happen regularly.  Actually Widmer is spread pretty far and wide, so it should not be too limiting.  Anyway, the Widmer Rotator IPA series is now on its second iteration and I thought I'd get a sense of the relative reaction to the first two offerings: X-114 and Falconer's IPA.  So, after a long hiatus, it's poll time!

As a refresher, X-114 is the Citra-infused IPA that has been out all summer.  If you have caught the Timbers at Jeld-Wen this year and bought a Widmer IPA, this is what you had.  The Falconer's IPA, named after NW brewing legend Glen Falconer and using the eponymous hop, has been out for about a month now.

So the poll is simple: of you had to choose one, which do you prefer?

Widmer's Rotator IPA Series: X-114 in a Bottle!

Widmer is kicking off a new series of rotating IPAs and as I understand it, the idea is to do about four a year.  I encountered the first of the series, the X-114, at my local store last night (and on sale no less).  I had sampled the X-114 a long time ago at the Gasthaus and loved it.  It is brewed with generous amounts of Citra hops and the result is quite probably my all time favorite of Widmer beers. 

My first thought when I had it at the Gasthaus was 'why in the hell don't they bottle this?'  Happily they are and the product from the bottle last night was as exceptional as I remember - a stellar, balanced, northwest IPA that holds its own against the best around (Ninkasi, Bridgeport, Bear Republic, Fort George, etc.).  Not overly bitter but wonderfully aromatic and beautifully balanced with a nice even malt character.

Sadly it will give over to another IPA in a few months, but the rotator idea is great if they can keep up the quality.  IPA is the signature style of NW breweries and it'll be fun to see variants on the theme from Widmers master brewers. 

But for now, go and get you some, you will not be disappointed. 

[As a side note both this and Ninkasi sixers were on sale at Safeway for $7.99 and both were in short supply. In fact I grabbed the very last Ninkasi - an anecdote, yes, but I suspect the new Ninkasi sixers are selling like hotcakes] 

Craft Brewers Alliance Buying Kona

The Portland Business Journal is reporting that the Craft Brewers Alliance (Read: Widmer/Redhook) is buying Kona Brewing Company.  Interesting.

This type of consolidation is not unexpected given the economics of the beer industry (read: economies of scale).  The economies are both internal to firms (brewhouse volume) and external to firms (distribution and marketing).  Obviously CBA believes that the latter will help both companies.  But is not just external economies.  Kona has made pretty amazing inroads in the mainland beer markets, and they do so by the way by contracting with US brewers to brew their beer and, you guessed it, Widmer is the contract brewer (and the Redhook facility is Portsmouth, NH is the other apparently).  So both internal and external economies of scale are huge drivers of the economics of beer and will continue to shape the craft brewing industry.

Which is why I anticipate the continued shake out of the industry.  Small packaging breweries are going to be constantly faced with pressure to expand or die.  It is just economics.  So I think you'll see that the only small brewers that remain are the brewpubs - who can package as well but it is the pub itself provides the stability.

Should be an interesting decade.

Good News

The Portland Business Journal is reporting that the Craft Brewers Alliance, created in the merger of Widmer and Red Hook, which had had to weather some merger related bumps in the road, has had a very strong quarter and has returned to strong profitability.

This is a much more complicated business structure than most, but to the extent that it shows craft beer sales are remaining strong in the recession, it is welcome news.

Good on ya Bros.