In the interest of being a full-service hockey blog, we’re here to provide you the best in what you should be drinking while watching hockey. Because you’re drinking while watching hockey. And if you’re not, you should be. So we turn to our local expert, you may remember him from such blogs as this one in its previous forms (he did start the fucking thing), Matthew Killion! (@_Killion_)
Hello! Been a while since you’ve seen my name on this site, unless it’s one of the many instances of slander from Fels. But we’re back! It’s time to talk some beers. We’ll roll these out weekly, maybe more if we get on a roll. So what should you be drinking this week? I’m going to go with Half Acre’s Sticky Fat. Is it cheating to use one of Half Acre’s beers for one of these since I work there? Maybe. But it’s the first time I’ve written one of these in a while so it’s a welcome little on-ramp. And it’s a damn good beer.
The beginning of fall obviously gets people thinking of Oktoberfests (hooray!) and pumpkin beers (boo!) but it also means the glorious time of year when breweries release their “wet-hopped” beers. These are beers that use hops coming directly from the farms, generally less than a day from the bine, and still “wet” with oils. Generally, breweries are using hops from the previous year’s harvest that have been ground down, formed into pellets, and frozen. These fresh hops burst with flavor and aroma that you can’t quite replicate any other time of the year. Now generally, you’ll be seeing these beers added to pale ales and IPAs.. it just makes sense, right? Half Acre plays it a little different though. Sticky Fat is called a “Wet Hop Dark Ale”. It’ll still be similar to an IPA but there’s a good amount of Chocolate and Midnight Wheat malts added, giving it a dark appearance and slightly roasted, chocolate flavor. Whole cone Chinook hops are used in the boil (450lbs of them for each turn) along with 60lbs added as a dry hop. (I know.. it can’t really be a wet hop dry hop.. but just trust me). It’s a delicious beer only able to be produced in a very limited scope and quantity. Find some. Enjoy.
