I’m going to try something. I’m going to be someone capable of picking favorites! Watch out!
Ethan, in 2 paragraphs (spoiler alert!)

On the subject of favorites

I have a complicated relationship with the question “what’s your favorite ____?” I never really got it the way other folks did. From “favorite color,” which I always thought was a pointless question (what object am I picking a color for? What’s the context? Can I add metallic flakes?) to “favorite band” (why just have one?), I’ve been incapable of committing to an answer. Why would you want to pick just one favorite? Why box yourself in? Why be on a desert island with just one of anything when you could not be on a desert island and have a lot of many things?!

In case you haven’t figured it out, I’m bad at favorites. But…what if I’m not bad at favorites, but really, I’m too good at favorites?! What if I flipped this particular script and tried something?! You know what? I’m going to try something. I’m going to be someone capable of picking favorites! Watch out!

I’d like to introduce you to my favorite beer. This beer is excellent and let me explain why.

Head Full of Dynomite

So let’s start with the easy part…this beer? It’s tasty! It’s a hazy IPA and I’ll get to all about how it tastes in a minute, but first, I need to explain this beer just a little bit. This is a rotating hop series from Fremont. I was at my local bottle shop and they had this little number right next to the cash register (because they’re smart and want to sell beer). What stopped me in my tracks was the way that this beer reminded me of the sort of art my grandma would keep in her house (which I mean in the coolest way possible). My grandmother was a sculptor, painter, and general artist. She had a ton of mid-century modern stuff and always knew how to set a scene. Unlike everyone in Buschwick or Manhattan Beach, this stuff was actually made and purchased in the '50s. I’ve been luck enough to have some of her art in my room going back to my first apartment, so with that running through my mind, how could I not get this 4-pack and bring a bit of her into the world with me?

Tastes that match the look

A beer is sold for many reasons. There are price-conscious consumers who buy a beer because it’s the cheapest on the shelf (me, in college, buying Genesee beer that was $14.50 for 30 of them!), there are consumers who buy a beer because they taste great (me, last week, spending way too much money on a gueuze), there are consumers who buy a beer because there is a man at the supermarket promoting it (me, a few weeks ago, buying some Anchor Pale Ale), and there are (many) consumers buying beer because it randomly hits your deepest memories (also me, at Blackbeard’s, buying some Head Full of Dynomite). So, with that riding on it, let’s jump right in 😬😬

Importantly what flavors match the art? It does (gasp)! I just cracked open the ‘shell’ looking one (V29) and the first thing I noticed is how reminiscent it is of walking into our hop room. (Quick side bar, we have a hop room at work….it’s awesome!) Beyond just smelling like hops I get some orange juice and a wee bit sherbet aromas along with a slight caramel note in the back end. Since I was hit with the aroma right when I cracked the can lid, I circled back to the beer’s appearance, which is a hazy gold that is entirely opaque, even in my fairly small glass. The head is dense white bubbles that subside fairly quickly but leave little spider patterns on the top surface of the beer. The remaining bubbles scream “drink me!” and who am I to object?

Once you take a sip, you’ll find the beer hits with those citrus notes and sweetness up front and a bitterness on the back end. This beer is a big beer, clocking in at 16 oz and 6.8% ABV. The bitterness that is present punches through the general sweetness of the beer, and is deceptively subtle. The beer holds balance in exactly the way the hippos from Fantasia could stand on pointe. Just like those hippos (probably), there’s a slight resinous character you’ll find in a traditional West Coast IPA.

The feather version (V30) hits many of the same notes, but instead of intense citrus with a hint of caramel (possible some age on it, if I’m being honest), the latest version is more stone fruit in the hops with just a touch of lemon. In addition, it’s a little dryer, and slightly more bitter at the end. Two smash hits (not to be confused with a SMASH beer; that’s a Single Malt And Single Hop) as far as I’m concerned and this is why this is my favorite (two) beer(s)!

I wonder what’ll be my favorite next! If you’re also curious, there’s a good chance you’ll spot it here! Cheers!

Ethan