Best Portland IPA?

I really want to be wrong. I love Wanderlust, but hardly ever buy it since it's everywhere in quantity, and I can't tell if it's old or new.

 

http://www.wweek.com/2016/02/24/we-drank-every-ipa-in-portland/

seems relevant

 

I was literally just about to post that same link.

 

fat heads...nice!

 

I loved that IPA and picked up 8 cans during the release event. That was the best IPA I've had so far and one of the few I would drink often.

 

What the hell? Breakside IPA isn't even on the list? (And because of a technicality?)

Good thing I don't rely on WW for beer. Jesus Hopbursting Christ.

Congrats to Fat Head's for taking top honors with Semper FiPA. As I was happy to mention on the previous page, it is very good indeed.

 

They also left off breweries in unincorporated Washington Co. even though they have a Portland address, so even more pedantic than the Breakside exclusion. It's all good though, beer lists are dumb.

 

no love for breakside on the list, but they were chosen for "Beer of the Year" for fresh-hop simcoe. that beer was excellent.

http://www.wweek.com/2016/02/23/the-beer-of-the-year-breakside-brewery-fresh-hop-simcoe/

 

I'm a fan of blind tastings, and I applaud the effort. I think they can tell you a lot.

I take with a grain of salt, though, any beer-by-beer rankings based on 10 people sampling that many IPAs in a 5 hour sitting. (This has nothing to do with the make-up of the tasting panel, and everything to do with the nature of the task.) It's probably alright for grouping the beers into quartiles, but that's about as far as I'd trust it.

 

Apparently they were going for "beers they got at the Dekum pub" according to comment from the ever terrible Martin Cizmar. Which they apparently found Fresh Hop Simcoe, but not Breakside IPA.

I think it's important to take most lists with grains of salt, even these blinds. Because reading though some of the reviews/comments it sounds like they procured some (or a lot? all? most?) of it themselves, resulting in quite a few "tasting old," "oxidized," and "faded." At least Martin said in a comment they "went to Dekum to see if they had any Breakside IPA there, but they didn't." Or something along those lines.

Every list should be blind/double blind imo, but I realize sometimes that's a little unrealistic.

 

i've only been to the dekum pub a handful of times, but do they ever not have wanderlust or flagship on tap?

 

Flagship has been there every time I've been there since it came out, Wanderlust 50/50~. If I knew how to make that shrugging shoulders emote, I'd put it here.

 

But the IPA had to been actually brewed at Dekum and not at the Milwaukie brewery.

 

(head explodes)

 

I was born in a Milwaukee hospital been calling myself a portlander all this time. Boy do I feel foolish.

 

Panel of pros or professional drinkers? You can't try 73 ipas without getting some serious taste bud fatigue and maybe a buzz. List is very flawed, but I could be jealous I wasn't invited.

 

I get IPA fatigued after more than 2 in one sitting.

 

I've judged IPAs on many occasions, after the first 10-12 my palate is fried as far as hops go.

 

1. Semper FiPA (Fat Head's)
2. IBUsive (Fat Head's)
3. Juice Jr. (Great Notion)
4. Phaedrus (Culmination)
5. Ripe (Great Notion)

We're honored to have two IPA's in the top 5. Please join us on March 5th for our Grand Beer Release.
http://www.newschoolbeer.com/2016/02/great-notion-brewing-unveils-full-beer-lineup.html