Strom Hammer IPA
Mick Duff's Brewing Company

Taster flight at brewery. Light amber pour, small bubbly head. Malty aroma, caramel, sweet. Taste retains the sweet, malty caramel base with some nice gentle piney hops coming in late.

 

Growler from Mick of MickDuffs - Thanks Mickey! - Pours a clear coppery orange with a large beige head...aroma is a nice mix of floral hops and toast, toffee malt and pine resin to round it out...flavour is similar, bitingly bitter, grapefruit peel, hop flowers, resiny and pitchy before it shows a dry malty counterbalance...awesome hop presence that shows great depth rather than being bitter for bitters sake...great NW IPA...

On draught at the brewpub, served in a shaker pint, Strom Hammer is chill hazed burnt gold, sunset, with an off-white head that leaves sheets of sticky laces with nice rings.

Smell is somewhat hoppy but not aggressively so, lemony citrus and some sweetness from the malt. Pleasant for sure.

Taste is similar, this is a well balanced american IPA, in the west coast style without being extreme. oderate bitterness which I appreciate, it accentuates the sweetness but the dryness keeps it from being cloying.

Mouthfeel is on the lighter, drier side.

Drinkability is high. This pint disappeared in a hurry. I will be drinking more of this during my stay.

On tap at the brewpub, tasted with lunch. Wanted to try a hoppier beer, to go with the gorganzola fries.
Golden orange color, just slightly hazed, with a larger than expected head. Slightly sandy colored foam left thin sticky lace. Lots of pine and grapefruit hoppiness in the aroma. The taste starts with a solid malt base, then you get hit with the great fruity, citrus hops. Bitter and flavorfilled, yet not overwhelming. The mouthfeel is tingly while still being smooth. Dry enough finish to make you take another sip. Too hoppy/bitter for the wife, but bang on for a NW IPA.

I popped into this brewpub after spending the morning and early afternoon on a blissfully quiet post-Labour Day beach in Sandpoint. Finding a very friendly and laid-back pub atmosphere, I immediately ordered a pint of the IPA, the little lady a pint of the huckleberry stuff. We both quite enjoyed the beers, and the food, not much more I can say without notes. I did grab a bomber of this beer to take home, so here we go...

In the middle of another bloody -30C cold snap, a big hearty IPA sounded like the cure for the TGIF blues today. Since this bomber had been sitting around for a number of months in my fridge, it was time to have at 'er. Into my Laughing Dog pint glass it poured a big healthy frothy head, with a pock-marked chunkiness. Fading away rather quickly, the head gave way to a very pleasant piney hoppiness in the aroma, to remind me of my late-summer trip to the Pacific NW. The beer itself was a cloudy burnt orange colour, with no sediment. Looks like a Yankee IPA, smells like a Yankee IPA, and lo and behold...tastes like a very good Yankee IPA. The first thing apparent in the taste is a solid, robust malt backbone, that is tantalizingly overtaken by the pine and citrus hops that slide across the palate, but don't overwhelm with bitterness. The mouthfeel is nice and smooth with a light snap, and I am transported back to lake water and sunshine, small town hospitality and great beer. The only thing I can say about the finish is that it makes me want another quaff. Fantastic stuff. Definitely not a hop bomb, but strong enough in alcohol (6.6%) and hop goodness to keep this hophead quite satisfied. I'm sure I could session this, even without the après-lake sensibility.

I had this brew over lunch. Served in a pint glass.

Poured a toast gold color, with minimal head.

The smell was typical of an IPA, evergreen aromas, but faint.

The taste was also typical of an IPA, citrus flavors. It is a good tasting brew.

The mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing.

This is a very drinkable beer,

The recipe was a gift to the proprietors from the brewmaster at Skuttlebutt's in Seattle, WA.