93: Tricerahops Double IPA

I really like this beer. Ninkasi is that rare brewery that actually lives up to its hype – each beer they make* is solid, and success could not come to a nicer person than brewer/owner Jamie Floyd.

But I’m not going to sing Ninkasi’s praises here. Rather, I’m going to bring up a subject I find a little offensive. At the beginning of this project, I decided to only include on this blog beer stats like IBU (international bitterness units), price or ABV (alcohol by volume) if it was visible either on the beer’s packaging or in a beer menu. I can understand why some bars omit things like O.G. (original gravity, a measure of the fermentable sugars available for conversion to alcohol before fermentation starts); it’s admittedly a pretty geeky stat that only a select few care about.

But alcohol? That’s important. I visited Laughing Planet Burritos on Mississippi for lunch with my wife and young son on Saturday, in the neighborhood to stock new retailer Bridgetown Beerhouse with 33 Beers books. Now, I’m a pretty geeky guy, and ordering this beer, I knew I was in for something strong, and that I should both pace myself, and drink just one before driving (we actually walked around the shopping area for awhile before I got behind the wheel).

What concerns me is that your average Joe might not know that at 8.8% abv, drinking this beer is roughly equivalent to two “normal” beers. True, the “Double IPA” might have tipped him or her off, but the responsible thing to do would be to inform consumers of this very basic (and critical) data point.

Not all alcoholic drinks are created equal, and overindulgence could easily happen accidentally. Best case, someone is inconvenienced and needs to walk around awhile (as I did) before getting behind the wheel, but worst case … someone could get hurt.

I’d like to see all bars include alcohol content on their menus and chalkboards, and breweries should include it on beer packaging, too. And if they decide to go the extra mile and include O.G., IBUs? A little knowledge never hurt anyone.

Beer Name: Tricerahops Double IPA
Brewer: Ninkasi Brewing
Price: N/A
Sampled: April 3, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: So sweet, so yummy. A good accompaniment to spicy salsa. A bit sticky to have more than one, which is good due to sneaky alcohol hiding inside.
ABV: N/A
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Draft.

* I’ve never had Ninkasi’s “Schwag,” a low-octane lager they made around the same time Full Sail debuted its “Session” lager. I dislike Session (the standard yellow version) for a lot of reasons, the most important of which is taste, which it is very light on. I suspect I’d dislike Schwag for the same reason, but have yet to vet this theory.