Big Swell IPA by Maui Brewing Company

Well, I have wasted another day of my life at a job that sucks the soul out of me, but I am happy to be here, with you, wonderful beer blog readers.

After a day of listening to people complain about my employer, largely based on their own lack of personal responsibility for their finances (I had a woman literally complain about her delinquency, in essence, because she didn’t read the bill she receives every month), to my faceless dozens, the readers of this blog.  It’s nice to be back, I missed the excitement of writing for you all.

The past two days have been particularly slow on the floor, so I spent the time in-between calls envisioning and outlining ideas for a layout of this site, and other improvements that require more capital than I can outlay for the short term according to my wife (AKA El Jefe), but still exciting to think about none the less.

Tonight, after a meal of wonderful red curry, and while listening to jazz on Pandora, I am enjoying Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Company.

Lacking any care or restraint when pouring the beer, I created a stupid amount of head. From one 12-ounce can, I almost overfilled a 20-ounce pint glass. Needless to say, this beer has the potential to make some very decent amounts of fluffy, off white foam. As well as being impressive in size, the bubbles that make up the head, much like the ones making their way from the bottom of the pint, are tiny, producing a very aesthetic drinking experience.

Living up to the can’s boastful proclamation of being a “big, hoppy, bold, smooth, and hoppy” beer, the aroma, which is sharp and aggressive with pine smells accented with floral notes, is the making of a fist before knocking you out with similar flavors.

Now, I cant say that this wasn’t influenced by the idea of drinking a beer brewed in Hawaii, or if my palate was off kilter for the first sip, but I swear I tasted pineapple initially. This is not a flavor I am familiar with in beer, but I found it quite interesting.  After this brush with pineapple dissipated, the prominent flavor was that of pine hops that developed a slight orange citrus essence on the backend. This transition helped cut some of the beer’s initial bitterness with just the hint of sweetness.

The beer had a smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel that was wet while being consumed, however left a crisp, dry finish on the palate.

This beer really hit a lot of the high notes that I look for in India pale ales: crisp bright flavors, a full-bodied, complex, hop character with a little sweetness to pull it all together.

Prost!