We’re gonna have a good time!

It’s my birthday too yeah!

To celebrate my Hoppy Birthday, I’m popping bottles of a different sort than you might expect for a WINE PREDATOR. Instead of Champagne, I’m heading to “Hop Henge” and I swear it won’t be my “Ruination.” (Well, all right, I will be popping some corks too!)

As you can imagine, as the Wine Predator, I drink more wine than beer, but I do buy a lot of beer for my beer loving husband, and I usually have a taste or two of it while we’re prepping dinner, then I usually have wine with dinner, and he’ll have a sip or two from my glass (or more if he really likes it or he’s in the mood).

I love IPAs, especially super hoppy ones with high IBUs (bittering units). My husband, not so much at first, but since those were the ones I’d tend to buy, they’ve grown on them, and now he’s a fan.

Which is too bad for me because I used to be able to able to have an IPA when I wanted one, but I’m much happier with my samples from his glass!

So these are the three six packs that I bought for myself:

Hoppy Birthday: $12 SRP West coast style, piney, exuberant nose; nice session beer at 5.3; bitter, malty, citrus, resinous, DRY, with a bitter pithy long finish — better like it bitter! I chose this one because yes, it’s my birthday!

Hop Henge: 8 alcohol; 97 IBU. $14 SRP. This one is the most complex of the three. There’s a lot going on! I get lots of interesting resinous notes — like pine but also frankincense and myrrh and cooking spice as well as citrus and tropical fruit. Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, and Galaxy hops. Really well balanced. I chose this one because we went to Stone Henge last summer.

Ruination: 8.5 alcohol; 100+ IBU. $16 SRP 6 pack. Oh I do love my unfiltered beverages! There’s a richness here that’s quite lovely, and lots of bang for your buck in terms of alcohol (it’s the highest of the three) and the most intense. I liked it so much I bought another 6 pack today! Piney and citrusy with a long citrus finish. I chose because I’ve long been a fan of Stone beers — and this one did not disappoint!

So hoppy birthday to you!