The quintessential NW IPA

You make a good point, although there are hops from New Zealand (see http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/42533/) that are fairly commonly used.

So, I guess I would differentiate these by how and when the classic 'three C's' PNW hops --- Cascade, Centennial, Columbus --- are used. I would say that Columbus hops with their earthy and herbal qualities are more prominent in classic PNW IPAs and certainly used in the bittering stage. I think the newer PNW IPAs that people are mentioning have completely abandoned any use of Columbus hops in favor of the newer, more citrusy varieties of hops like Citra and Mosaic.

 

You beat me to it.

 

Could you tell me which IPA mainly uses Columbus hops? I want to give it try to see if I like it or not. I am more of a Simcoe Citra guy though.

 

Any IPA or pale ale you had that smells and tastes distinctly of weed, most likely you've had a beer that uses mainly Columbus. Although not an IPA from the PNW, OB Deviant Dale's I think is made only with Columbus hops. Fremont generously uses Columbus in Universale Pale Ale.

 

Leave it to the guy whose BA name is BuckeyeOne to know all about Columbus hops... what was it you said about taking the boy out of Ohio?

I think you described really well the difference I was trying to articulate earlier, but I haven't paid enough attention to what kinds of hops are used (or at which stages of the brewing process) in which beers to explain it as clearly as you did.

 

IIRC, Snoqualmie Wildcat IPA is 100% Columbus, and their Plant 1 DIPA is predominantly Columbus.

 

119 days until the Michigan game.

 

Maybe my perception of the "weed" taste is different to yours lol. To me, 3-Way IPA and Stone Enjoy By taste like weed. I guess I call it "dankness" which I love. I will give Wildcat IPA another try. I have had it before and I just don't recall it tasting like weed. Deviant Dale had some off flavors too. If I remember correctly, I tasted some onions. I may be *mixing IPAs now. @BuckeyeOne @sharpski Thanks for the information. Always learn so much here.

 

Sure you're not confusing Deviant with Gubna? Gubna is a gawdawful thing I wouldn't serve my worst enemy.

 

I have such bad memory and I hardly drink the same beer more than once or twice other than my go-tos. Maybe it was Gubna and it was definitely not pleasant.

 

I think Gubna is Summit.

 

Let us not speak of it again.

 

I decided to do a modicum of research and discovered that according to Oskar Blues, Gubna is a different blend each year: http://brew.oskarblues.com/ob-beers/seasonals/gubna/

But then they talk about specifically Cascade and Summit for Gubna on this page: http://brew.oskarblues.com/ob-beers/

Maybe OB is trying to get away from the Summit stigma by ninja rebranding Gubna to use different hops?

 

Isn't Gubna considered an onion bomb? I vaguely remember drainpouring one, but could be confusing it with a different OB beer.

Also: from the BA Gubna page:

Gubna was bred from Oskar Blues Brewery’s hankering to confront 100+ IBUs by cranking up the complexity of hops by pouring Cascade on top of copious amounts of Summit, then balancing that with a backbone of German Dark Munich Malt and Rye Malt. GUBNA’s post-fermentation dry-hopping with both hops allows this monstrosity to gently coax the citrus rind and grapefruit aroma while providing a rye malt-induced, spicy-yet-round middle, and a brisk, clean bitter finish (10 percent ABV, 100+ IBUs).

 

First rule of WA IPA Club, we don't discuss WA IPA Club.

Personally I believe the title of "Quitessential IPA" should go to an IPA that has been produced for longer than a couple years. My vote(s) for a tie:

Boundary Bay IPA
Snoqualmie Wildcat IPA

Both were produced LOOOONG before most others in the state AND set the tone for NW IPA style IMHO.

 

OB put such a marketing push behind Gubna when it was new, that we were all amped for it. A local bar owner happened to be at the Seattle OB distributor when the truck came in with the very first Gubna to hit the state. He grabs a few cases and heads home. We crack a few open, and it was unanimous: onion and fish. Down the drain it went. We thought maybe they weren't cold enough yet, so we threw a few on ice. Onion and fish. More drain pours. I've tried it a few more times, but can't get that first impression out of my mind.

Back to the topic at hand. I see a PNW IPA as having more of a malt foundation, but isn't sweet. It may have pine, floral or weed notes, but that goes along with a big blast of citrus. And the finish is bitter, almost unpleasantly so, and leans toward the dry side.

 

So you mean "perfect?" Yeah me too.

Edit: Sorry for the shameless NW is best post. But it is, so whatever.

 

Oh shut it. You ain't got shit.

 

Yup.. Wildcat is 100% Columbus. Plant 1 is just more Columbus, 27lbs in a 14bbl batch to be exact, plus a bigger malt bill.

 

It is. And it is wretched.