Once again, last week we had lovely weather during another weekend in quarantine. And for this balcony beer I decided to pick a beer style that is a better fit for sunny days: A fruity and juicy American IPA. Since there probably isn’t any Polish craft brewery nowadays that doesn’t have one of these in their line-up, I decided to turn this into a little battle between two well-known breweries in the scene: Browar Artezan (“Artisan Brewery”) and Browar Trzech Kumpli (“Brewery of Three Buddies”). At the same time, one could look at it as a battle between Central Poland and Southern Poland, or even between Poland’s two main cities Warsaw and Krakow. The names of the beers make it sound like a combat between two sirens, nymphs, or other creatures that appear in Greek mythology: Mera vs. Califia.
But first of all, what is so American about American IPAs? Well, original IPAs (or India Pale Ales) are English beers that were extra hoppy to withstand the long journey on a ship from England to hotter destinations like the Caribbean or India (hence the name). Once the craft beer wave took over the US a handful of decades ago, there was an abundant offer of these hoppy, bitter delights. Instead of using the original English noble hops such as Fuggles or Goldings, Americans added indigenous hops that have quite a different aroma. Hops like Amarillo, Citra, Cascade or Centennial are known for their fruity and citrusy character. They add a plethora of fruity aromas to the beer that often waft over you, as soon as you pour your bottle (or often can) in a glass. Lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, passion fruit, melon and many other exotic fruitiness. Before the craft beer revolution, these flavours were unheard of in Europe, but can be found all over the place now.
Since I already had plenty of good experiences with Trzech Kumpli beers, I kicked off this balcony tasting session by opening Califia first. I poured the gold-coloured ale in my glass and straight away I could distinguish the citrusy aromas of the American hops. The smell was on the sweet side and there were also some subtle hints of pine and flowers. The beer is semi-dry and the hops add slightly sharp hints of grapefruit to the flavour. The bitterness is rather intense and stays with you for a while after you swallowed your sip. Light to medium body and medium carbonation. Nice and pleasant beer!
After enjoying the beer from the south, I served myself Browar Artezan’s Mera afterwards. The colour was almost identical to the previous drink and the aroma was also comparable, maybe a little more on the fruity side with a slight maltiness. Very promising! When taking a sip, I knew straight away which beer had won this battle. Nicely dry, and fruity hints of citrus and melon. Firm bitterness, but not overpowering. Medium body, juicy and drinkable. I wanted to pour another one, once I finished it, really great IPA!
So Mera won the battle of the nymphs, although Califia was a very good runner up. Normally I love a bit of change and try different styles when having a few beers, but these battles are interesting for digging a little deeper in what I personally enjoy in a particular style. Might do this again in the future!
