This was a nice little find for me. Not that it's hard to find, though, I mean, I got it at Albertson's. But I didn't know that New Belgium had a twelve pack of beers with four different varieties of beer. Pretty good deal if you ask me. If you are unfamiliar with New Belgium, they are the good people that brew Fat Tire. Still not sure? I've got your back, you can read up on it here: Fat Tire! Before we move on, might I suggest reading the history of the company. It's not long and quite interesting, one such fact is that the name 'Fat Tire' refers to the bicycle owned by the creator of New Belgium breweries. Okay maybe I didn't sell it well, but check the site out anyway. A little story before I move on: I bought the twelve pack because I trust New Belgium. To answer your question of why: because this was my very first craft beer. I mean they sell it at grocery stores (yes, I did a little research to make sure New Belgium isn't another pseudonym by the giant BCM [Bud/Mill/Coors] jerks). When I first had a Fat Tire I was shocked at the taste. No bland, piss taste present at all! It was full and complex. I'm not going to say that it changed my life. I was still drinking to get drunk at the time. But it left an impression. So now, a few years later, there is a sampler pack from the New Belgium brewery and it didn't disappoint at all. Thank you, all of you visionary beer enthusiasts out there. I am in your debt. So here we go, the Ranger India Pale Ale.
Appearance
The head was a little higher before I took this picture, maybe at it's fullest it was three-fourths of an inch. So far we've seen two other American IPAs and this is the lightest of them all. In order, the darkness of the brew is the Ranger, then the 60 minute, followed by the 90 minute being the darkest. We can assume that the darker the IPA is, the stronger the hops are--can we agree on that? The head was eggshell white and retained for a good long time. I counted about six carbonation streams, which is the most I've seen since reviewing, and it really made me think of the monsters from "War of the Worlds." Hell if I know why.
Smell
The smell was very very grassy or leafy. If I knew what fresh hops smelled like, then I can tell you with complete confidence, but I don't. Yet, instinct tells me that's what fresh hops smells like. The smell was thin to medium and smelled very organic, very leafy or grassy. I would liken it to walking on fresh cut grass after a rainy day and there is an ocean breeze. If you're from middle America and have never been to the beach, then I have no other idea how else to describe it to you. But then again, if you're from middle America, you probably grow hops don't you? I kid (no I don't), on to taste!
Taste
Yummy, I'm growing to really like these India Pale Ales. I hear that all the time when I peek into the depths of the beer community (that they love their pale ales) but I always thought maybe they got brainwashed. I mean, it's easy fall prey and say you like something because everyone else like's it. But, from my experience, I'm growing to love the bitterness of India Pale Ales. Really good stuff to tell you the truth. Anyway, the taste was very similar to the smell: very hoppy and fresh leaf tasting. There was a hint of sweet and a slight sharpness, maybe a little citrus taste, but the headliner is the hoppy bitter taste. That fresh cut grass taste is what I got out of the beer. It was really good though. I don't want to convey that I took a bite out of someone's lawn. The balance of flavors is really the best I've had so far. Yes there's a star, but without all the other compliments, the star is nothing. The IBU is 70, and, comparing with the Dogfish beers, that's a good number to rate this bitterness without considering the other flavor notes found in the brew. The bitterness is there and hangs around for you to have a conversation. Maybe about the bitterness' childhood of growing in the fields, hanging out with his buddies. I think I'm digressing so on to mouthfeel.
Mouthfeel
Slightly dry coming in and after swallowing. There was also a frothy and aerated mouthfeel but nothing like a smoothie. Just frothy enough to lift the liquid off your tongue. There was a bite in carbonation and then it let go as soon as it bit. The bite was kind of strong but not annoying. I guess that's why there was SIX streams of carbonation.
Overall
I enjoyed this beer. I hope I don't offend anyone, but I would say this is a good beginners beer. By that I mean if you have some friends that are interested in expanding their beer mind with craft beer, I would suggest this. I would actually suggest the sampler, which is this IPA (part of their Explore series) and all their Folly line minus their Blue Paddle Lager. Don't know what I'm talking about? Go to this site. Before I end this, I have to say that I kind of skimped on you guys. I lost the notes I took for this beer and went solely on memory. So if you're thinking, "I'd like to hear some specifics buddy," then you're probably right, I would as well. But what I thought about the brew is one hundred percent true. I highly recommend a taste, especially if you want to get into the beer world and you, or someone you know, will probably gag when drinking something that's too bitter or too heavy or something like that. Remember, take it slow, you have all the time to taste everything. And don't take baby steps, that's a dumb saying. Just take a step and go from there. Easy as that.
Afterthought
This isn't going to be educational. Maybe it will be if you regard me, your narrator. I recently watched a documentary called "Beer Wars." This documentary gives a good sized window into the beer world, more specifically, the brewers and the difficulties they faced when breaking into the beer making industry. I learned something from this: I learned why I shouldn't buy BMC brands. First, I should direct you to this site: Real American Beers. This site gives a list of beers that is owned by whatever company, DESPITE WHAT THE LABEL SAYS. This is also revealed in "Beer Wars," when a certain beer, which I forget the name but who cares anyway, claims to be from a microbrewery in Fairfield, CA but is actually made by Budweiser.
So why am I saying this stuff? Because at first I thought "you know what, who cares, you can't get away from the machine. What I like isn't what everyone likes." That's true still, but lesser than what I originally thought. The truth is, when you're in your twenties, you just want to get drunk. Taste doesn't matter as much as the social and physiological aspects of drinking alcohol. So yes, I buy BMC every so often. And I don't want to be that guy that villainizes the layman because he/she buys BMC. But what I want to say is PLEASE buy craft. Every time you can buy craft, buy craft. Try to drink craft more than you drink BMC. You're going to go to house parties, clubs, even bars, and they're not going to have craft beer. And for the sake of having fun or social acceptance, your going to drink what ever is there. There's nothing wrong with that. But try to drink craft majority of the time. Even if the bar you go to has one craft beer on tap, buy it. These little breweries have people that have so much passion and are so intelligent that I couldn't help but side with them. And so, I want to help pass the message along that the BMC companies are heartless and care nothing about quality. It's just to get drunk. That's all it's good for. Thanks, I'm off the soap box, deuces.
