Copy-and-pasted from my blog post:
Last night, Nancy and I celebrated our friend Bill Goetz's birthday at Hailstorm Brewing, in south suburban Chicago. We took the opportunity to enjoy some Prairie Madness, crowned last month at the Great American Beer Festival with the gold medal for American IPAs.
I wasn't evaluating the beer, just enjoying it with friends at a celebration, but thought I would share some of my impressions here. Bottom-line, if you haven't had an opportunity to try some, you should. Its an excellent IPA.
Overall, I was expecting something more 'extreme' and was instead delighted by its high drinkability, its relative balance (in the context of an IPA), and the complete lack of harshness. The balance is key to this beer, I think - it gives the impression of a soft, complex malty background against which the hops do their business. Its still very much hop-forward, but its overall impression is not extreme. The bitterness is firm, but not overwhelming, it doesn't blast your tastebuds. The hop character is citrus-like, reminding me of beers I've made with Mosaic hops - orange and grapefruit, bright but not overwhelming. Everything melded nicely and and was utterly delightful.
While there was no alcohol hotness, I got the impression I was drinking a 'big' beer and it turns out I was right - Prairie Madness comes in at 7% abv. At this strength, it pushes the very upper limits of the style and starts to blur the lines between an IPA and an IIPA. I suspect that going big like this is part of the key to making an IPA that gives this overall impression of balance - there's enough malt there to provide a canvas on which the hop bitterness, aroma and flavor can create a beautiful sensory painting.
Hailstorm's brewer is Brandon Banbury, whom I've known from his homebrewing days with the Brewers of South Suburbia (BOSS). Its a small brewery that makes a number of excellent beers. If you have a chance, you really should visit their taproom or buy some Prairie Madness at your favorite bar or bottle shop. It is officially the best damn IPA in America!
Last night, Nancy and I celebrated our friend Bill Goetz's birthday at Hailstorm Brewing, in south suburban Chicago. We took the opportunity to enjoy some Prairie Madness, crowned last month at the Great American Beer Festival with the gold medal for American IPAs.
I wasn't evaluating the beer, just enjoying it with friends at a celebration, but thought I would share some of my impressions here. Bottom-line, if you haven't had an opportunity to try some, you should. Its an excellent IPA.
Overall, I was expecting something more 'extreme' and was instead delighted by its high drinkability, its relative balance (in the context of an IPA), and the complete lack of harshness. The balance is key to this beer, I think - it gives the impression of a soft, complex malty background against which the hops do their business. Its still very much hop-forward, but its overall impression is not extreme. The bitterness is firm, but not overwhelming, it doesn't blast your tastebuds. The hop character is citrus-like, reminding me of beers I've made with Mosaic hops - orange and grapefruit, bright but not overwhelming. Everything melded nicely and and was utterly delightful.
While there was no alcohol hotness, I got the impression I was drinking a 'big' beer and it turns out I was right - Prairie Madness comes in at 7% abv. At this strength, it pushes the very upper limits of the style and starts to blur the lines between an IPA and an IIPA. I suspect that going big like this is part of the key to making an IPA that gives this overall impression of balance - there's enough malt there to provide a canvas on which the hop bitterness, aroma and flavor can create a beautiful sensory painting.
Hailstorm's brewer is Brandon Banbury, whom I've known from his homebrewing days with the Brewers of South Suburbia (BOSS). Its a small brewery that makes a number of excellent beers. If you have a chance, you really should visit their taproom or buy some Prairie Madness at your favorite bar or bottle shop. It is officially the best damn IPA in America!
