Being hop heads up here, we love our big hop beers, but to me, sometimes they can go a bit overboard.

I like hops in beer just like anyone else, but what I dont care for is the wrenching bitterness that comes from over-hopping a beer just for the sake of getting to put a bigger International Bitterness Unit (IBU) number on the label. One key characteristic of a world-class beer is balance. Sure, one or another aspect of a beer can be featured or highlighted by making it stand out, but the last thing I want to have to do is wash down an over-hopped beer with a glass of water to move on to something else.

One thing I do like is hop flavor. Note that hops do a number of things for beer depending on when in the brewing process they are added. Hops have to be boiled for a certain amount of time to add bitterness, but if theyre boiled for more than a few minutes the flavor they can impart is cooked off. And the first thing to go when the hops hit the brew kettle is aroma. This is why a number of hop additions are used at various times in the boil depending on what aspect of the green stuff the brewer wants to accent. Finally, dry hopping takes place after the beer is boiled and fermented; sometimes hops are put into the conditioning tanks with the beer to impart the freshest aromatic presentation possible. Conditioning is usually the last step before packaging.

There are alternatives to big IPAs when it comes to bold hopping, and red ale is one of them. As the name implies, red ales can range from amber to crimson in color. The color comes from medium malts used in the beers manufacture. The style isnt well defined and really anything goes, but a red ale typically features the beers underlying malt just a bit more than the average IPA. The hops in the beer can be all over the chart as well. The hop presence can be subdued or bold. The beer can be subtle or quite bitter, but I think the better examples are evenly balanced and with the bitterness somewhat in the background. A couple of better-known examples include Redhooks Copperhook, Green Flash Hop Head Red Ale and Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale. Ive had them all and theyre all worthy. So, Im always interested in any new iteration of red ale when it comes to town.

Heres a new one that really makes my socks go up and down: Ninkasi Brewing Companys Dawn of the Red India Red Ale is a true hybrid that sashays between a red and an IPA.

I fell in love with beers from Ninkasi as soon as they came ashore here in Alaska a couple years ago. Ninkasi beers add a unique fresh dimension to mostly hop-forward beers in an IPA loving world. Relatively new, the Eugene, Ore. brewerys been around since 2006. Per the usual story, a couple of beer loving friends who homebrewed got together and dreamed big. Some make it; some dont. Ninkasi was a hit right out of the first fermenter.

The brewery is named after the Sumerian God of fermentation, Ninkasi. The brewery remains true to its roots and sports an unofficial motto of: Believe the Goddess symbolizing the Ninkasi belief in an elevated human experience through the social enjoyment and sharing of beer. I like it. I like it a lot.

The brewerys plant is comprised of a 55-barrel system that cranks out about 95,000 barrels of craft beer a year. Note that a barrel is 31 gallons; the standard half barrel is more familiar as the ubiquitous keg . The beers distributed here, of course, and in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. Im sure more states will scramble to get Ninkasis primarily hop-forward beers as the brewery expands (its done so three times already), but Im glad were in the mix.

Ninkasis got some big ones; thats for sure. The big hop-boners in the bunch include the flagship Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops Double IPA, Believer Double Red (another favorite of mine) and a bunch of others Ive had since we were lucky enough to get them up here.

I stumbled across Ninkasi Dawn of the Red quite by accident. Sometimes I dont pay attention, even to the brands I love. Me bad, but happenstance aside, Im glad I did. And, I always love a surprise! It was the label that initially caught my eye; Ninkasis always got something creative going on when it comes to packaging their beer, and Im glad it stood out and caught my attention. I wouldnt have wanted to miss this bottled delight.

Continue reading here:

Red Dawn