Today I'm drinking a beer from Knipknup

Johnnys' Light Liquid Hops

I'm not really sure how to classify this beer. Definately not an IPA. Not really a Pale ale. I guess it's kinda like a brown ale.

Smallish head dissipated fairly quickly. Carbonation, adequate.
Clarity is good. Not crystal clear but pretty good. I wish most of mine were this clear.
Initial light citrus hop aroma has at mid- glass given way to something else. Something a little spicier. This kinda reminds me of a holiday type brew. Even the flavor, which started out sort of sweet and caramelly, has taken on an added spicyness as it warms up. I think I taste nutmeg with a nice hop flavor balance.
Pretty nice beer all in all. Not too sweet. Easy drinking beer.

And I am drinking one from knipknup as well

I am drinking the Imperial Pilsner

Pour:
Very pronounced Pffft! upon opening. poured down the center of a footed glass and ended up with about a 1/4 inch head that dissapated quickly (30 sec.)

Visual:
Clear, light copper in color. perhaps slightly darker than a traditional pilsner but not a distractor for me.

Aroma:
Spicy/fruity aroma with hints of alcohol in the nose. No detectable hop aroma. reminded me of a Belgian.

Palate:
Spicy, banana flavors up front, perfect carbonation level with bubbles still gently rising from the bottom of the glass. You mention that this beer finished at 1.035 but it is not overly sweet, it is quite drinkable. Again, this reminds me more of a Belgian Style Saison or Golden.

Proximity to Traditional Styles:
I haven't had many Imperial Pilsners (Rogue comes to mind as one but I can't remember enough about it to acurately compare)

Overall:
Let me say right off the bat that I love this beer! I was pleasantly surprised by the spiciness in the nose and palate. This may come from pitching on the yeast cake of your Peppercorn Rye Bock. It did remind me more of a Belgian style but for me that was a good thing. Keep up the good work and now I can't wait for the New Ireland IPA.

Thanks for the comments and all that hard work reviewing my beers gents! I also sampled a couple brews last night and will be posting my findings presently...

Tonight I am sampling the New Ireland IPA

Pour:
Again, as with the Imperial Pils, a pronounced Pfffft! upon opening. Poured down the center of a footed glass and ended up with a nice 1 in. head. This dissipated in about 2-3 minutes.

Visual:
Dark reddish amber relatively clear with a slight chill haze. No floaties.

Aroma:
Some malt with a touch of wood. Not a lot of hop aroma. Cascades are there but you gotta be looking for them.

Palate:
Medium body. Caramel malt up front followed by a touch of dryness from the wood. I believe you said you used hickory. Interesting as I've never tried anything but oak. Still get subtle vanilla flavors from the wood but the spicy/floral hop flavors come through in the end.

Proximity to Traditional Styles:
Darker than a traditional IPA but that may be by design. I love the color.

Overall:
An extremely drinkable IPA. Well balanced, very clean with no detectable off flavors. The hickory is perfect in this beer and really makes it stand out in my mind. As I type this last sentence, I look to the bottom of an empty glass and wish I had another bottle. Or a 6 pack!

Light Liquid Hops.

I recieved this brew as part of the HBT 2007 brewswap. Thanks KnipKnup....

Pour: Nice sound of carbonation at opening, poured down the middle of a standard pint glass and was rewarded with a nice condensed head that measured about .75". Head was a pleasant off white color that lasted for about 3-4 minutes.

Visual: The 60L crystal really gave the brew a deep copper color. Some chill haze was evident, though it did not detract from my enjoyment of the brew.

Aroma: A very nice caramel nose followed by some citrusy overtones upon swirling of the glass. Smelled very sweet and inviting.

Taste: Sweet and "caramely", with just enough hop presence to keep in interesting. A very mild cinnamon/nutmeg flavor becomes apparent as in warms on your tounge and finishes with the lingering taste of raisin.

Overall Impression: While billed as a Pale Ale, I think it leans more towards the amber end of the spectrum. I found it very similar to Mac & Jacks African Amber Ale, a beer that I really like, but slightly more "festive". I will definitely be making a "winter warmer" version of this beer . Great work KnipKnup. Thanks very much.

First, I must admit that I am an IPA neophyte. I have tried only one other IPA prior to this (Long Hammer from Redhook) and didn't really care for it. If the New Ireland IPA is representative of other IPAs, then more research is in order

POUR Good carbonation. An moderately aggresive pour resulted in a very nice 5/8" head that hung around for awhile. Not much lacing in a clean glass, but a thin layer of foam stayed present until the very end . Nice!

APPEARANCE Nice rich caramel coloring with some amber hues. Chill haze that was starting to clear as I finished the glass.

AROMA Very nice aroma which hits you just upon opening of the bottle. Not really the "cascade" smell that I was expecting based upon the Long Hammer, but a pleasant aroma that reminded me of orange peel.

PALATE Maltier than I expected it to be, especially finishing at 1019. Very different than the Long Hammer, but in a good way. The extra malt helped to balance out the hops and provide a very drinkable beer. Mouthfeel was right in the middle of the road and complimented the beer nicely.

OVERALL Has changed my outlook on IPAs. If a commercial beer similar to this one existed, I would certainly buy it. I might even try my hand at making it. Be warned however, because this is so smooth, the 7+% ABV kind of sneeks up on you.... Good Work again KnipKnup, thanks for the opportunity to sample your brews...

knipknup,

I had your New Ireland IPA tonight and I don't think I can match Brewtopia's detailed description. Onestly, I didn't really know what to look for.

* pronounced floral hop aroma after pouring
* head retention was good and lasted for a while
* the beer is slightly hazy and I dont know if it is chill or permanent haze
* Clean tasting beer. I couldn't detect any off flavors
* Since I didn't know what to look for I didn't really found the wood flavor. Maybe I should have read Brewtopia's review before I sampled the beer.
* All in all this is a very nice drinking beer. Even a malt-head like me could finish a few of these.

Kai

I had the New Ireland IPA tonite.
Poured with a large head, almost 2 inches in my glass, which dissipated after a few minutes with a little help from my quaffing a sizable mouthful. Said mouthful of foam struck me with a strong floral hoppy sensation and a moderate alcohol flavor.
Appearance is a little hazy but not bad at all. Has a very nice dark amber red color.
Flavor is not like a typical IPA. More like an extra hoppy Red ale with alot more alcohol. I guess that's what makes it "Irish". I cant really taste the oak.
Nice medium to full bodied beer with a fairly sweet malty flavor balanced nicely with the hops. This is the first beer I've had in 4 days and by golly, I've got a bit of a buzz! Very good.

I had the Light Liquid Hops tonight:

The beer has copper color and is fairly clear. There is only little haze. Since the beer was already at 50 *F, I'm not sure if this is chill or permanent haze.

It gives off a nice floral hop aroma that gives way to a slight touch of cinnamon. I was about to contribute this flavor to some off flavor until I realized that it was the cinnamon.

The beer has a sweet but not cloying flavor. But the hop flavor is less pronounced than I would have expected from that hopping schedule. I guess it must be the age of the beer.

Overall it is a good beer. I like how the cinnamon was not overdone and just lays in the background a little.

Kai