Well it’s been awhile since my last post(gee, how many times have I said that), but I’ve been inspired recently by trying several new beers. I figured a little review of each one would be a good way to not only share some of the beers I’ve discovered, but also have a record of the beers I’ve tried and what I thought of them. Since I’m here in Alabama visiting my parents I figured I’d get this started with some Alabama beers.
Alabama is fairly new to the craft beer scene. Over the last few years the Free the Hops organization has worked hard to change many of the states more archaic laws to help create a more brewery friendly atmosphere. While there are still only a handful of breweries in the state it really seems like things are starting to explode in the local craft beer market.
Let’s get things started with Good People Brewing Company’s “Good People IPA”.
Good People Brewing based in Birmingham, AL has been “Legally Brewing Since 2008” according to the label on their cans. Yes, they’ve joined the recent revolution of packaging craft brew in cans (my feelings on this would make a great post at some point) and I was easily able to find some at one of the local supermarkets in Auburn, AL. They came in a 6 pack of standard 12 oz cans.
The beer was poured from a can in to a clean, dry pint glass. A generous 2 inch luxurious white head formed and hung around nicely. It left behind a delicate lacing that clung to the side of the glass for the duration of drinking the beer. The beer had a nice coppery color to it with pale highlights. The aroma had plenty of citrusy hops, with a hint of floral aromatics.
The first sip was a little sharp on the tongue – a harsh bitterness that smoothed out after a few more sips. In typical American IPA fashion there was little contribution from malt flavors and no yeast character (indicative of a neutral American strain of ale yeast). However there was a firm body, and enough of a malt sweetness to balance against the hops giving the beer a nice hoppy finish without being aggressive. All in all a solid representation of an American IPA. It had a good hop presence, was easy to drink, and wasn’t so hoppy that it fatigued the palette so it didn’t keep you from enjoying another.
Just a Man with a Mash Paddle 