I Came Home To This?! My Little Trip To Jacksonville

I don't know if you guys have noticed it, but it cold out there! I just spent the last week in Jacksonville FL, where I had temperatures in the 60's all but one day. We left to come home Thursday morning and it was kinda funny, we left at 7am the temp was 30°. When we got back into Birmingham at 3 o'clock, the hottest part of the day, the temp was still only 30°. The ambient temperature outside has its effect on what beer I crave. While I was down in Florida, checking out their beer selection, I got a lot of IPAs. Partly because, well, I love them and partly because it was warm. I also picked up a few other styles too, I knew it was going to be colder here in the Ham and because I can't resist getting a beer I've never had before. On a side note thats a problem I have, my want when it comes to beers I've never had, outweighs the money in my wallet sometimes. Walking around in Hop City is complete torture, the beer stores in J'Ville were no different. Good thing for me, it was a work trip and I was not driving. I was only able to shop at a couple of places that were within walking distance of my hotel. Like a little kid, I have to be put on a Craft Beer allowance. Anyway, on to the beer!

The first beer I dove into from my Florida score was not a local brew, but one we can't get here in Alabama. 90 Minute from Dogfish Head, an Imperial IPA that weights in at 9% abv and 90 ibu. I couldn't wait until I got home to enjoy this one, so I had to drink it out of a plastic cup in my hotel room. Good thing I bought a four pack, I'll try another one soon in proper glassware, and try to review it. According to all of the Craft Beer data bases, this is one of the best IPAs in the country. From what I experienced out of a Best Western plastic cup, I'm sure I wont be disappointed. I did have enough willpower to save the others, unfortunately making my luggage very heavy.

Last night, I decided to try a few brews that were actually brewed in Jacksonville. One thing that I liked was that all of the local brews I purchased, were in cans. I am a fan of cans over bottles, but I'll save that for another blog. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that I only got beers from two different Jacksonville breweries, but that's all the selection I had. The first can I grabbed was Peoples Pale Ale from Intuition Ale Works. I really like the simplistic labels on their cans. This one has only two colors printed on it, gray and red. Pale Ales aren't typically bold or robust, but this one was a little too mild. There were some citrusy and piney hop notes, but they were muted by malt flavors. Not a bad beer what so ever, just not as entertaining as I would like. That being said, it went perfect with my pizza from Papa Johns!

The next 12 oz can of suds I indulged in was a Cream Ale from Bold City Brewery. The artwork on Killer Whale Cream Ale is what you would think from a brewery by that name. Bold City's labels are the Yin to Intuition's Yang. Vibrant and colorful, they were actually the first beers to catch my eye when I went to the store. Now before I go any further, I've got to tell you, I'm not a fan at all of Cream Ales. They are just not a style that does anything for me. Killer Whale was no different. If you know someone who is not a Craft Beer fan, and would like something to get their foot in the door, this beer might be for them. Imagine a PBR that has a little more flavor, a slightly buttery mouthfeel and a little more color. I didn't like this beer, but again I hate the style. If it wasn't for the cool artwork, I probably wouldn't have got it. The next beer I tried had to be better.

Better? I-10 West Coast IPA from Intuition Ale Works was! Here were the hops that I was looking for. If a beer has "West Coast IPA" on the label, I'm going to try it. Off the subject, but not really, Terrapin's Hi-5 IPA is pretty dang good. Again, the artwork on this one was super simple. Two slightly different shades of green, make up the entire label. At 6.75% abv, this brew isn't quite sessionable, but it's not far off. I wish I would have got more than one of these, I could easily drink it on the regular. It's an IPA, so hops are going to be the foundation of flavor. Brewed with Columbus, Summit, Cascade and Centennial hops this one has all the bases covered for an American IPA. I'm a big fan of dank, citrusy beers. This one has a nice piney scent accented by the smell of grapefruit, followed by that dank (almost Marijuana like) aroma. The flavor of this beer is identical to the scent. Honestly, I was a little bummed about the quality of Jacksonville beer, but this brew has my opinion headed down the right track.

My next brew was also a quality one. I'm a dog fan and Boxers might be my favorite breed. So when I saw Duke's Cold Nose Brown Ale I couldn't resist. Like the other Bold City cans, this one is very appealing to the eye. The profile of a slobbering boxer pays tribute to the brewery owners late dog. Unlike the Cream Ale I had earlier, this one lives up to the packaging it came in. Typical Brown Ale flavors and aromas were found, but that's a good thing because they were done very well. This example may be a little on the mild side, but solid execution make this one a joy. Light caramel notes play with an even milder chocolate essence. The flavor finishes with a nutty, almost peanut butter taste. I really liked this beer, again my opinion of the brewery had changed. Killer Whale was almost a drain pour for me, this brew has got me craving more.

I picked up another local beer as well as a couple national brews we can't get here, but I'll have to enjoy them at another time. My trip to Jacksonville was short and a little more restricted than I would have liked. Maybe next time I'll get to enjoy not only the better temperatures, but hopefully I'll get to visit a brewery or two. Intuition and Bold City will be at the top of my itinerary when I visit again.