2:01 IRA
Hollister Brewing Co.

 

I love this beer, and the reason Grumpy named it 2:01 IRA. The IRA is easy to figure out, it's a hoppy red ale... but the 2:01 is for a regular customer who would always show up @ 2:01 when happy hour started and order the highest gravity beer. I am not sure they are brewing this one any more, last time I was in they had a different Imperial Red.

Draught at the brewpub. Dark red-brown color with a beige head that leaves a sticky lacing. Citric hoppy aroma with sweet underlying malts that have caramel and toffee. The flavor has plenty of grapefruit and pine hoppiness, with a firm caramel and caramelized sugar maltiness. Full bodied and rich. Clean and hoppy. Big on flavor, and quite balanced with the added malt complexity. Really nice.

I had this on tap tonight, it came out with a nice reddish body under an off white head. The nose was dominated by citrus/piney hops and a little sweet malt. If there was a little more malt, I think this could be an excellent beer, it is good but the malt doesn't back up the big hop flavor. The citrus and piney hops dominate and there is a caramel malt background that can't quite keep up with the hops.

Another very fine offering from Eric at Hollister! This is an interesting mix of an IPA and Red. It's heavy on the hops, but backed by a strong maltiness. He did a great job at combining the two to make a very flavorful and smoother than expected brew.

A - Nice healthy looking beer. Red body with a bubbly, foamy head.
S - Hops, hops, hops!
T - Strong hop flavor that isn't overwhelmingly bitter because it's backed by strong malts. Not too bitter, not too sweet. Great mix!
M - Mixed bitterness and sweetness help cover the tastebuds. Bubbly and alive.
D - That smooth mix of the hops and malts I've mentioned make this one drinkable beer!