#127: Deschutes Brewery » Chainbreaker (White IPA)

My first visit to Philly's lauded, historic Monk's Cafe...

The Brewery: Deschutes Brewery (Bend, OR)
The Brew: Chainbreaker (White IPA)
Availability: Draft, Bottle (year-round)
ABV: 5.6% | IBUs: 55
Rating: 9/10
Location: Monk's Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)

The Story? Before my road trips and vacations were beer-driven, they were concert driven. This trek down to one of my favorite U.S. metropolitan areas initiated from the desire to finally see one of my favorite experimental hardcore bands, Circle Takes The Square. I've also had my eye on getting down there to Monk's Cafe, for their extensive and oft-changing list of world-class beers. Two birds and so on... I was traveling on my own for a change and thus on my own time for beers and bands.

Despite my morning starting off with a minor flood of water from a broken shower which reached all the way to the basement, a brief white-out on the road, and typical inbound Philly traffic jams, my determined self arrived within standard deviation of my goal time.

Monk's Cafe was easy to find, just a block over from bustling 15th Street. Dark and cozy, there's a front bar and back bar, and thankfully you can order brews from either at either. With a table for one in the back bar and I order up a burger with ardennes-style ham & a nutty, Belgian cheese along with Deschutes Brewery's Chainbreaker White IPA.

Deschutes beers are only available in a few speckled locations east of the Mississippi, besides Illinois, so I usually jump at the chance to give one a try. My last bid on Deschutes yielded a glass of one of my new favorite beers.


The Beer? Chainbreaker is an American-Belgian hybrid, brewed with Belgian yeast and Cascade and Citra hops. My glass arrives, filled with the translucent, yellow brew with a finger of lacy head.

The alluring citrus nose invites me to dive right into this one and it's beautiful with the perfect level op hops. Mild, bitterness threaded with orange and sweet grapefruit augmented by a perfectly prickly Belgian-style carbonation, but not too much to be distracting.

Sweet, bready malts provide a wonderful backbone while modest, but highly complimentary herbal and floral flavors nod in. This is pretty much the perfect start to what should be a thrilling and stress-reducing escape.

#034: Anchorage Brewing Co. - Galaxy (White IPA with Brett)

One of my favorite Brett beers...

The Brewery: Anchorage Brew Company
The Brew: Galaxy (White IPA bottled with Brett.)
Availability: Bottles
ABV: 7.0% | 50 IBUs
Rating: 9.5/10
Location: Home

The Story? Back in December, I was lucky enough to be invited to an annual beer tasting home party in Philadelphia through a friend. It was the best home tasting I'd been to by far and must have had $5,000+ in bottles, plus sever excellent home brews. Through many, many jovial conversations about and sharing of beers, I was introduced to Anchorage Brewing Co. - an brewery out of Anchorage, AK which bottles all of their beer with Brettanomyces. After their Galaxy White IPA and Lovebuzz Saison, I was hooked.

Only catch is that they don't distribute to NYS. Major bummer. So, several months of online watching and waiting I snagged two bottles the collection, waiting for the right opportunity to pop one open with friends...

But then, tragedy... one of the bottles exploded during the heat wave while I was on the road. Luckily, bottle #2 was well in tack and my partner and I decided better not wait to test the fates.

The Beer? Voluminous, lively white head which hangs around. Wonderful citrus nose with hints of spice. Cloudy, golden appearance.

On first sip, lively carbonation prickles the tongue. Very clean and dry with a nice bitter hop finish. Very elegant mouthfeel - top choice if you have champagne fan friends who are hesitant venturing into beer.

This beautiful White IPA is brewed with kumquat and peppercorns in addition to the Brett fermentation. The kumquat is very apparent in the bitterness. The Brett brings a dry, transparent nature - not so much on the juicy sour or funky or musty spectrum, but a thinned, rindy tartness. Delicate, but stands firm.

A few mouthfuls in, some more of the funky points of the Brett sneak in. The peppercorn is quite subtle and isn't as spicy as you may expect at first... but second glass in, the peppercorn spikes up and the kumquat becomes more present and robust. By dredge, some sweeter notes come into play.

One of my favorite Brett beers, though not quite as mind-blowing the second time around with all that anticipation, but I will buy this one again and again when I can get my hands on it again.

#013: Heavy Seas Alehouse (Visit & Tasting)

While in Baltimore for Maryland Deathfest, stopping in to Heavy Seas was a must...

Heavy Seas is generally available up here in Central, NY and plenty of six-packs, half-cases, and bombers have graced our refrigerators, but there's nothing quite like getting it from the source - especially when cask options and barrel aged brews are available.

We stopped in for lunch before our first day at Deathfest looking for a good meal and good ales before a weekend of festival food and drink and HS delivered. We drink 'em down right to left.

Powder Monkey: Pale Ale | 4.75% ABV
Very different on cask. Mild, roasted flavor. Bitter and a bit nutty, with a dry finish. Excellent with salty food like their house made chips.

Loose Cannon: American IPA | 7.25% ABV
Also on cask. Hoppy and smooth, while still being piney and bitter. One of the hoppier IPAs I've had on cask. Much of the hop characteristics are usually muted with the warm, almost uncarbonated style, but this still punches through. The finish is much earthier than in bottles. Great variation.

Riptide: White IPA | 7.25% ABV
Excellent. Bright and citrusy with a wonderful, prickly mouthfeel. A bit tart and tangy. Looking forward to picking this one up in bottles. No cask option on this one this time around.

Holy Sheet: Abbey Ale | 9% ABV
Brandy barrel aged "Uber Abbey Ale" from the Uncharted Waters series. Mmm... taste the barrels. Mildly boozy and nice oak notes. Sweet, but not too sweet - caramelly with hints of tropical fruit. Wonderful mouthfeel. Not heavy or sticky. Hints of vanilla extract in the finish.

Overall a wonderful ale house. I would have liked to see a few more local-only brew options on draft (or more tap options in general), but the food was great and the service was ultra friendly, accommodating, and knowledgeable. We were even graced with a "Apple Jack Sparrow" - a beer cocktail of their Imperial Stout with Fireball liquor and Green Apple Pucker, which was marvelous.