Beer Week 2013- Round Three- Stoudts Double IPA

by Philip R. Whigham

There is a lot of myth surrounding the India Pale Ale. The common story (the one I’ve always heard) goes a little like this: “Colonial India was thirsty for English beers in the late 18th century, but the rough six month voyage by sea from England to India was enough to spoil regular beers. Even hearty porters could not survive the grueling trip.

Bow Brewery genius George Hodgson came along and tweaked the popular Pale Ale style by adding copious amounts of hops and jacking up the A.B.V. of his ales to prevent spoilage on the long trip. Once the beer arrived in India it was a massive hit, being better suited to the warmer climes than the aforementioned, and wildly popular porter style. Everyone in India drank what became known as India Pale Ales; the style spread back home to the seat of the British Empire, and everyone drank happily ever after.”

I wish this story wasn’t almost entirely drek. It turns out, a trick of marketing made this style of beer popular not only in India, but also in the British Empire and the United States. I’ll get more into America’s love affair with the IPA later this week.

For now, I present to you Stoudts Double IPA. My six-pack of 12 oz. bottles came from Total Wine in Orlando, Florida. This beer is 10% A.B.V.

(As an aside, I should note a beer that is described as either “Double” or “Imperial” is a higher “gravity” beer. Gravity in this case refers to both alcohol content and richness of the beer.)

This beer pours out with a one finger, caramel colored head which boils down to a rich lacing. The nose on this one was strange. I spent a few minutes trying to identify the aromas. I eventually was able to pick out brown sugar, alcohol, bitter hops, and… well… cake batter. I’ve never smelled anything quite like it. The dark golden, hazy body had a medium feel to it with moderate carbonation. The palate of this beer was nice. I picked up on the cake, brown sugar, hops and alcohol; I also was able to pick out the floral nature of the hops and even caught notes of melon in the aftertaste.

The ABCs

Album- LCD Soundsystem- Sounds of Silver- In my opinion, this is James Murphy’s masterpiece. Sounds of Silver has a post-punk dance edge and answers the misfit’s call of this Double IPA.

Beer- Stoudts Double IPA- A brash, yet sweet IPA, this beer is as bold as it is flavorful.

Comics- Nemo: Heart of Ice- This harrowing tale of the daughter of Captain Nemo, the Indian Prince Dakkar, is Alan Moore’s latest adventurous tale of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Suitable for your anti-Imperial whimsies this beer may inspire.