Michael Hepworth
GUINNESS NITRO IPA TO HIT THE MARKET
Los Angeles(Spiritsman)10/4/15/–Any new release from the brewing giant in Dublin is worth a mention, and if you are one of the first in the world to try it, then it definitely deserves a mention. At a private tasting at The Larchmont Restaurant in Los Angeles, we were there to taste the draft version and the canned equivalent. This beer is a nitrogen infused IPA from a brewer that actually perfected the art of nitrogeneration, and this latest creation is an India Pale Ale crossed with the classic Guinness qualities, and to this casual beer drinker a lovely tasting and quite potent brew. Golden in color, the drink benefits from the roasting of the premium barley which also helps the creamy mouthfeel and the thick head.
Five hops are used in the creation of Nitro IPA-Admiral, Topaz, Challenger and Cascade. The Challenger, Cascade and Topaz are all dry hopped which brings out the citrus flavor in the beer, and the blend of CO2 and Nitrogen are a perfect balance against the hops. All this magic is created in Dublin at St.James Gate in Brewhouse No 4, and the brewer who created this is Luis Ortega,not a typical Irish name by the way. He is part of a team called The Brewers Project whose sole purpose is to create new beers for the ever changing beer market, and yes Guinness is painfully aware of the inroads that the rapidly expanding craft beer movement as made into their market share.
Ortega said “ IPAs are complex and hoppy, but for some beer drinkers the bitterness can be too much. We aimed to make a balanced smooth beer. Guinness perfected nitrogenerated beer more than 60 years ago, so we believed we could really add something new to the style. There’s plenty of hoppy flavor, with citrus aroma to the fore, but the nitrogen rounds it all out. The mouthfeel is fantastic, and the use of Guinness yeast gives it an echo of the character of our famous stouts.”
Guinness introduced the nitrogeneration process in Ireland in 1964, and about 20 years later Guinness invented the widget which brought the process to canned beer. The widget is a small plastic ball filled with nitrogen that releases when the can is opened.
The retail price of a six-pack will be $8.99 and it should be sampled in a Guinness Gravity Glass, a glass specially designed to optimize nitro generation and the aroma of the beer.
Michael Hepworth
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