Ogden Beer/Spirits of Coffee and 2 Row Dank Engine
Two beer-clashing flavors not typically found in brews
By Mike Riedel @utahbeer
Ogden Beer/Spirits of Coffee - Spirits of Ogden: This beer is a collaboration between Ogden Beer Company and Spirits of Coffee. If you're not familiar with Spirits of Coffee, they are a unique Utah-based coffee company that barrel-ages all of their coffee in used whiskey barrels, rum barrels, wine barrels, etc. You know, "spirits." Using whiskey-aged beans, a Vienna base was selected. This variety of lager offers a subtle maltiness for the coffee to complement.
The body was a light amber color, with two fingers of beige head sitting atop; it took its sweet time to settle down to one finger, which lasted throughout—an attractive-looking beer. The nose showed a good amount of freshly roasted coffee, but it integrated very well with the other aspects of the beer. The coffee sits on top of a mild vanilla and caramel base, with a tendril of smoke and nuttiness. The mildly floral hops are noticeable without much work, which makes for something I don't see (or taste) every day.
The coffee comes through as freshly-pressed with a mild roasting, but that doesn't stop the coffee from being large and in charge. As big as the coffee is in this beer, the caramel and hop notes are still very much alive. The nuttiness is light, smooth and runs from start to finish. The body is surprisingly light, as it leans toward the lighter side of medium. The bitterness steps forward on the finish, but never rises above mild. With the body as light as it is on the tongue, it does manage to keep a slight creaminess. At 5.0 percent ABV, this is one very sessionable brew—flavorful, rich, aromatic and smooth while being assertive.
Verdict: My first glass of this went down fast. As a matter of fact, it was gone before I even realized it—and the second glass went just as quickly. This beer is super-drinkable, and goes down like a champ. A definite recommendation, especially if you like coffee (which just so happens to be true for me).
2 Row - Dank Engine: This new beer was part of the 4/20 weekend last month, and served as 2 Row's entry into the pool of cannabis-esque tasting IPAs. This weedy beer pours pale apricot, with yellow-gold highlights. Aroma is dank cannabis with tropical fruit, showing off peach, mango, passion fruit and pineapple. Plenty of straight citrus is present as well, with chewy dankness returning.
On the palate, the terpenes and citrus pungently lead in comparison to the nose: orange, sweet Meyer lemon and ruby red grapefruit. Dank, peach, and dried mango come late through the finish. Mouthfeel is somewhere in between medium and full, while the carbonation level is only slightly lower than typical. It's more bitter and less malty than other 2 Row IPAs, which lean more toward the West Coast style of IPA.
Verdict: Big bitterness, but not quite to the level where it becomes unappealing. Lots of juicy flavors and a nice marijuana flower pungency help make this one live up to its name. I'm trying to detect the hops in this, and I can sense them briefly, but those terps keep getting in the way. Approach this beer as the full-flavor "Dank Engine" that it is, and you'll get along just fine.
Both of these beers have a limited run; 6-oz cans of the 8.7 percent ABV IPA can be found at 2 Row Brewing, and you can look for Spirits of Ogden in 12-oz. cans at Ogden Beer and Mountain West Cider in Salt Lake City.
As always, cheers!
About The Author
Mike Riedel
Local boy and pilot of City Weekly’s best gig, The Beer Nerd column since 2017. Current photojournalist at KSTU TV (Fox 13) and host of the Utah Beer Blog and Beer Nerd Radio on KUAA 99.9 FM radio.
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