I’m a bit of a Motorhead fan. Not as big as Belmont Station‘s Carl Singmaster, who once told me he tries to see them at least once a year, but I’m a fan. And my favorite song/album has to be the one that inspired this beer … “Ace of Spades.” It’s the album I listen to when I need to get something done, when I need to tune out everything but the task at hand. I turn it up loud, and I just …. go.
If I were going to make a beer that encapsulated that feeling, I have to say it wouldn’t be this one. Lead singer Lemmy is a bit of a … dark figure, shall we say, well-known for his extreme lifestyle and abrasive, take no prisoners approach to life. If I were making a Lemmy tribute beer, it’d be a obscenely dark, burnt-tasting stout aged in heavily charred, fresh bourbon barrels, then aged again in gin barrels. I’d add some espresso somewhere along the way, and probably try my best to further punch up that smoky quality by including some smoked malt in the brew kettle. Hops? The bitterest I could find, and nevermind the aromatics.
This beer is softer. Balanced. Graceful. I’ve heard it described as “hiding its alcohol well.” I tasted it right off, but the heat was well-integrated, and the hops were a nice mix of sweet aroma and just a kiss of bitterness. It would probably age well, given its high alcohol content. Which is to say, it’s almost totally un-Motorhead-like. Instead, this is the “Lionel Richie” of beers. Silky and smooth. I’d call it “All Night Long IPA,” if it were my choice, and rather than hidden skulls on the inside of the label (see photo), the bottle would be covered in rose petals and silk sheets. Delicious silk sheets.
Beer Name: Ace of Spades IPA
Brewer: Hopworks Brewing
Price: FREE (provided by brewery)
Sampled: April 14, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: Uhh, Bruce was crazy. Boozy/delicious, but boozy. Huge hop aroma and green-tinged head. Great example of how hoppy don’t have to mean bitter. Long live Lemmy!
ABV: 9.5% abv
IBU: 100+ ibu
OG 21.5
TG N/A
Serving Type: Bottle.
6 Comments on “104: Ace of Spades IPA”
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100+ IBU and very little bitterness? And a ton of sweetness? I thought that IPAs were, in general, the opposite.
Posted on April 24, 2010 at 6:55 PM.
I’m not a chemist or anything, but IBUs are intended to be a measure of bitterness, this is true.
My understanding (based on talking with a number of small brewers) is that they usually estimate IBUs based on the alpha acid levels of the hops used in a particular brew, which can lead to some … overstated numbers. The only way to accurately establish IBUs is with a lab, and small brewers don’t usually have labs (New Glarus in Wisconsin does, not sure if Hopworks does).
When bigger breweries are talking about IBUs, they tend to be talking about actual, measured bitterness, which is why (I think) I find Bridgeport IPA to be a fairly bitter IPA, despite its low IBU number (50), relative to smaller breweries’ guesstimated IBU (based on potential bittering, based on alpha acid content).
Clear as mud? I think we need an actual brewer to weigh in here.
Posted on April 25, 2010 at 7:42 AM.
Also, Wikipedia has a much more lucid explanation than mine!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Bitterness_Units_scale
Posted on April 25, 2010 at 7:43 AM.
So, is this an atypical IPA? I tend not to like IPAs due to the bitterness. Would this be a good one for me to try?
Posted on April 25, 2010 at 9:26 AM.
“100+ IBUs”
If it weren’t for a 20% discount I receive at the store that carries this brew, im not so sure I would’ve bought it. After chatting up the beer guru at our store, he comforted me its worth [at the discount price].
Im a pretty big IPA fanatic. Ill drink all across the board, and take them for what they are. I have been taken back by this beers claim to be 100+ IBU (what does that even mean?) because this brew to me didn’t even reach 70. 100+ IBU can mean /something/ there is a certain point when IBU’s are that high……
This is *not* one of those beers.
I love HUB.
I love explosive over the top IPAs.
I think “100+ IBUs” in this case needs to be rethunk.
I drunk, & methinks while this beer is tasty, I will not believe that number was slapped on the bottle. Im disappointed in that; not the beer itself.
Worth a try, but not at retail price.
Posted on May 30, 2010 at 2:23 AM.
IBUs don’t necessarily translate to bitterness, especially when a beer has a lot of malt. It’s based on an analysis of the hops and the duration the hops are used in the boil, and even then, sweetness and other flavors in the beer can heavily mask bitterness. In other words, IBUs are not a subjective taste experience, but an actual measurement of alpha acids in the beer.
Posted on June 2, 2010 at 12:01 PM.