This Saturday was a pretty event filled day and it all started off with a great hike to the infamous Hollywood sign in Hollywood, California. My wife and I went on this hike with a few of our friends and we chose a great day to go. The weather was perfect, it wasn’t too hot or too cold. We weren’t the only ones that chose to go and view the historical landmark, the trail was filled with people going up and down the trail. When we go to the top, we were able to take a few minutes and take in the great view that looked over the Hollywood resevoir and the rest of Los Angeles, California. It was my first time up there as it was my wife’s as well so you can imagine that we enjoyed it a lot. There is nothing better than getting out and doing things with really good friends.
Then after the hike was finished we decided to treat ourselves to a little lunch and coffee at the Urth Caffe. It was also our first time there as well and as with the hike I was really impressed with the coffee and desert that we had while we were there. After our lunch it was time to go home and get changed and head to a family members birthday party. After a little more to eat and great time with friends and family it was finally time to go home and relax.
There is nothing better to come home to and relax with than a great beer and that is exactly what I did. When I got home I opened another great beer by Samuel Adams. I know Samuel Adams mass produces a lot of their beer but they also have some great specialty beers. The one that I had was the Tasman Red. There are many different things that make this beer special, unique and so good. I want to start off with the hops that it is brewed with. It is brewed with a variety of Tasmanian hops which include the Topaz and Galaxy hops. These hops will give the beer the aroma of Grapefruit, pine and other earthy tones. The malts that are in this beer are Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Special B, Caramel 60, Carafa III. The combinations of these malts will give the beer the sweetness of toffee that balances the taste of the hops.
Now when you pour this beer, it will pour to a dark amber color and have a great head on it. As soon as you pour it you will smell those Tasmanian hops that I was talking about. I feel as though the great fruit and pine aromas give this beer a very inviting beer. Then when you get to take you first sip you will notice the taste of the hops at the beginning of the beer. The bitterness of the hops is definitely noticeable but this beer is not extremely bitter. If I were to rate the bitterness of the beer I would rate it at around 50 using the IBU scale. The bitterness is then followed by the sweetness of the roasted malts. the roasted malts will leave you with the smooth taste of toffee at the end of the beer. All of the different taste and aromas will leave you wanting more.
This beer is a great beer to pair with food because it can be paired with many diffferent foods. If you are a fan of curry or any other type of spicy food such as Mexican this beer will go great with that. If you are a fan of cheese you can beer this pair with cheeses such as Pepper Jack, Cheddar and Blue Cheese. If you are a fan of meat of seafood this beer is one that you should try because it goes well with poultry , fish, shellfish and salmon. Another recommendation I can make is that you serve this beer at temperatures between 45 and 50 degrees F. I really hope you all try this beer because it is one of the best Samuel Adams beer that they produce and in my opinion a very good Red IPA.
The Best Beer Ever 