From the Beer Writer: If it weren’t for good friends and a great excuse to spend time with them, getting old would really suck. While I’m far from ancient, this weekend I will reach the milestone age of 40. I’m not bitter or upset. In fact, 40 is my lucky number and has graced every sports jersey I’ve ever donned, so I’ve finally caught up to a significant portion of my wardrobe. But getting back to the friends part, I am blessed to have a great many and, hence, an annual reason to enjoy beers with them, including Nickel Lion’s Blood Triple IPA. The recipe for this 11% alcohol-by-volume behemoth (which was massively hopped in the kettle, then run through a hot-tub of whole-leaf hops before hitting the fermentation tank and being dry-hopped with both pelletized and wet hops, the latter of which were sourced from Ramona’s Star B Ranch) was developed by brewmaster and publican Tom Nickel. We bonded over nearly overlapping August-birthday status years ago. His big day is August 13 and mine is the 14th, so this beer was brewed for co-celebratory purposes. Nickel wanted to name it Tiger’s Blood because, a la Charlie Sheen circa 2011, we would be #winning while drinking this hop-monster, but I suggested referencing lions given our shared Leo status. I consider his acquiescing in the moniker department a pretty nice birthday present. Ditto this beer, which will debut at Nickel Beer Co. in Julian and at O’Brien’s Pub in Kearny Mesa this afternoon. See you there?
From the Brewer: “I have to admit that this was not my idea, but it was one that I instantly warmed to. I don’t drink a lot of triple IPAs. I always enjoy trying them, but the high ABVs and often malty finishes dissuade me from thinking that this is a style I want to drink more than a single or even a double IPA. So when I set out to brew a triple IPA with Brandon Hernández for our mutual birthdays, I knew I wanted to keep the beer very light in color, as dry as possible for 11%, and more than anything, just plain hoppy. The malt bill is a combination of Golden Promise, German Pilsner malt and Great Western 2-Row with flaked corn and dextrose added to help keep the color and body light. In my more than 20 years in the San Diego brewing scene, it was the first time I had ever used corn in a mash. The hops were a collaboration between the birthday boys: Simcoe and Citra for power and depth, with Mosaic and German Blanc for finesse and finish. The beer was heavily dry-hopped and made extensive use of post-boil hops stewed in the mash tun with the beer during run-off. It even has the added bonus of fresh-picked Cascade hops from Star B in Santa Ysabel in the dry-hop. The result is a beer that is Pilsner-esque in color with an aroma full of stone fruit, melon and sweet citrus. The initial flavor is complex with hints of peach, pine and melon. The beer then finishes dry with a firm bitterness and deceptively high alcohol content. I couldn’t be happier with the beer and suggesting to brew this was a great birthday gift from Brandon. And if you are wondering about the name, duh…WINNING!”—Tom Nickel, Owner/Brewmaster, Nickel Beer Company