New Brew: New Belgium Hoptober

Padma likes what she sees

A recent trip across the street to Barriques PD netted me  a six-pack of New Belgium’s latest offering, Hoptober.  As summer wanes and the weather chills with each coming day, a beer that appears to meld hops with a malty Oktoberfest-style seemed right up my alley.  As it turns out, Hoptober is somewhat of a misnomer.

Beer: New Belgium Hoptober

Style: Golden Ale

Description: “Five hops and four malts make Hoptober Golden Ale a veritable cornucopia of the earth.  Pale and wheat malt are mashed with rye and oats to create a medium-bodied ale with a creamy mouthfeel. Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Glacier hops form a bonfire of citrus notes, fruity cheers and a bold finale. – newbelgium.com”

Vitals: 40 IBU, 6% ABV

My take: The beer pours into my vintage Schlitz chalice just a one would expect from a golden ale – light golden yellow, crystal clear, and with ample white, foamy head.  The nose on this beer is simply phenomenal.  Those 5 hops and 4 malts really create a lot of complexity to take in with notes ranging from citrus to honey, vanilla, and apricot.  The beer sits full, yet smooth in the mouth with a nice even effervesence.  The malts assert themselves on the palate up front with the rye provideing that unique grit that I love.  A brisk piney hop flourish cleans the palate in the end.

I really think this beer hits the mark as a great transition between the refreshing hoppy beers of summer and the complex malty beers of fall.  A beer that would be an asset to any brewery’s catalog and something I could see in my fridge on a regular basis.  Seek this out while it’s on the shelves.

Can I get a…free listen to the new Jay-Z album? Why yes, yes you can.

Listen to Jay’s new album, The Blueprint 3, before it drops on 09/11/09 (also the 8-year anniversary of the release of the original Blueprint).  The first two singles have already hit rotation (“D.O.A.”and “We Run This Town”).  Nearly every track features a guest artist, among them Kanye, Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Drake, Swizz Beatz, Young Jeezy, and Pharell.  Through one casual listen, my standouts from non-released singles include the opening track “What We Talkin About”, with a smooth early-90’s-era electro-contemporary beat and “Hate”, a cocky back-and-forth with Kanye brushing off the inevitable haters the two superstars have to deal with at this point in their careers.

The rest of the album is a bit hit and miss, a collection of duets of questionable necessity wrapped in alternating Kanye-soul or Kanye-spazed-out beats.  Less disappointing is Jay’s unwavering swagger on nearly every track.  It’s clear he’s settled nicely into his role as CEO of the hip-hop game and his bravado alone carries some of the weaker tracks, reinforcing the fact that many of the featured artists don’t lend any memorable presence to their respective tracks.  Overall, not in the top half of his catalog, but after his #45 Jordan-esque return from retirement, we should feel lucky we get to see an all-time great back in the game.