While many have been going crazy trying to hunt down Russian River’s Pliny the Younger around San Diego, I sat down to a cheesesteak and two new delicious IPAs with less hype – the Rich Man’s Double IPA and Mandrill IPA from
Monkey Paw Brewing. Better yet, no trips to Mira Mesa, Escondido or San Marcos are required to taste these San Diego IPAs at the source! Head Brewer Derek Freese has been putting signature beers on tap at the newest addition to the Blair Bar Empire for a few months, but these are the first IPAs the establishment has produced.
The Rich Man’s Double IPA – fitting for tax season – was the first to be released, early this February. This American IIPA is everything you would expect, with a surprisingly nice balance between hops and malt – a rare find among this category of beers. The beer itself is a beautiful copper color with a nice white head. The aroma is grassy with notes of citrus and sweet malt and the flavor is chock full of hops with a bitterness that's not too intense. The beer also exhibits a nice piney resin quality that makes the beer more complex than others I have tasted. This IIPA is fairly high in ABV at 8.7%, which is typical of its kind and will have you feeling right after just a couple.
The newly released Mandrill IPA is not as heavy as its bigger brother, but still exhibits many of the same qualities. This beer is piney, bright and citrusy with a lighter golden color and creamy head. Evenly bitter and more approachable than the Rich Man’s, this beer is a San Diego IPA crowd pleaser.
Looking forward to more beers from Monkey Paw and Derek Freese, who in San Diego fashion promise to keep their beers new and exciting. But even more than the beer, I’m looking forward to another cheesesteak!