Funky Buddha Hop Gun

[Clint Yeastwood]

My best friend and his son visited a few years ago, and the son, who was in his early twenties, left a can of something called "Funky Buddha Hop Gun IPA."

I wanted to flush it down the toilet just because of the name. And it was CANNED.

It sat in the pantry forever. I didn't know what to do with it.

Today I was flailing around, trying to brew with my new/used Braumeister, and I decided to knock the can off just to get rid of it. I read the label carefully to make sure that in order to drink it, I was not required to have tattoos, a beanie, gauge earrings, piercings, or a waxed moustache.

I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of Flying Dog Snake Dog Ale, which is the only IPA I would consider drinking instead of brewing my own.

The hops were pretty brutal, but they were nicely balanced with sweetness. Crystal malt, maybe? I do that with my own beers. The color was a pale orange. Hazy. The head was reasonably solid, with fine bubbles. Citrusy hops. I guess the usual Cascade/Centennial/Amarillo type of thing?

I thought it was great. In spite of the hop overload, it still managed to go down without a fight. I don't like beers I have to wrestle with.

I wish it didn't have that stupid name.

 

[VikeMan]

My best friend and his son visited a few years ago, and the son, who was in his early twenties, left a can of something called "Funky Buddha Hop Gun IPA."

Yikes. A few years is a few years too long for an IPA to sit. The best time to drink a newly acquired IPA is immediately, or sooner. Some craft brewers have O2 control down to a gnat's eyelash, but oxidation still happens, and hop flavor and aroma suffer with time.

I wanted to flush it down the toilet just because of the name. And it was CANNED.

I don't know why the can bothered you, but canning, if done properly, is superior to bottling, from the perspective of maintaining freshness.

I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of Flying Dog Snake Dog Ale, which is the only IPA I would consider drinking instead of brewing my own.

Interesting. Snake Dog IPA isn't a particularly highly rated IPA, but preference is personal. If you don't mind my asking, how many IPAs have you tried? It's just seems odd to me for someone to say that there is only one IPA they like as much as their own, when there are more than a few truly outstanding IPAs these days.

The hops were pretty brutal, but they were nicely balanced with sweetness. Crystal malt, maybe? I do that with my own beers. The color was a pale orange. Hazy. The head was reasonably solid, with fine bubbles. Citrusy hops. I guess the usual Cascade/Centennial/Amarillo type of thing?

I don't know if Funky Buddha Hop Gun uses any crystal malts. But at a few years old, I suspect the sweetness was as much or more coming from staling. I also don't know what the hops are, and can't even guess, since I haven't had it. But there are a lot of different hops used in American IPAs. It could (again, I dunno) use Cascade/Centennial/Amarillo, but there's not really anything standard/typical about those hops these days.

The hops in the other IPA you like, Snake Dog IPA, are listed as Warrior, Columbus, Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic. Maybe look for other IPAs with those hops to try? Or get some more Funky Buddha Hop Gun and see if the fresh version is to your liking?

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Looks like the answer is to buy lots of Funky Buddha Hop Gun and start drinking it two years from now!