Dry Dock Belgian IPA

On my way out of Denver, I stopped in to Dry Dock Brewing to claim the West Coast Bar Hop badge from Untappd. The beer I ordered was the Belgian IPA, a recipe that came from the winner of a home brew competition. The beer pours a golden color with a bubbly white head. The aroma consists of banana, pepper, Belgian yeast and Belgian spices. The taste is smooth but biting, surprisingly a little sour with lemon, and lots of pepper and spices. There are some bitter grassy hops. The alcohol content is 6.7% ABV. At first, I was not really impressed with but it grew on me. I thought that the bitterness took away from the enjoyment of the beer, but as it warmed, some of the sweetness reclaimed its place in the beer and provided enough balance to make this an enjoyable beer.

Karl Strauss Blackball Belgian IPA

While in San Diego, my friends and I stopped in to the Karl Strauss Brewing restaurant in La Jolla. The first beer I ordered was the Blackball Belgian IPA. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy tan head that laces on the glass. The aroma consists of Belgian yeast, spices, and banana. The taste is smooth and sweet and then a sharp pepper and spice bite kicks in on the tongue. The finish brings outs the sweet Belgian yeast. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. The Blackball overall was a solid beer, so much so that I ordered a bottle of it to be enjoyed later in our trip.