Brew Review: Weyerbacher Ales for ALS IPA

What if I told you that you can help find a cure for ALS by drinking beer instead of dumping a bucket of ice water on your head?

I recently did my part by drinking a couple pints of Weyerbacher’s new Ales for ALS IPA, which donates $1 per pint to ALS research. Loftus Ranches and Hopunion hop farms have mixed six of their most popular new and experimental hop varieties into a blend that they’re distributing free of charge to breweries participating in the Ales for ALS program. In return, participating breweries donate $1 of each pint they make to ALS research. If you are a hop head, this program is an absolute win-win.

Ales-for-ALSIn Pennsylvania, Troegs Brewery is participating with their Scratch #144 IPA and Weyerbacher has released their IPA, although most bars are just calling it Ales for ALS. The hop blend used for the program consists of Citra, HBC 436 (an experimental hop with ridiculously high alpha acid levels), HBC 366 (an experimental hop with citrus, tropical fruit and pine flavors with a very high oil content), HBC 344 (an experimental hop with a unique green apple and tropical fruit aroma), Mosaic and HBC 291 (an experimental hop thats a mix of German noble hop qualities as well as big American hop flavors). This hop blend is an interesting mix of fruity, piney and spicy flavors and aromas.

I recently got the chance to try Weyerbacher’s IPA and it did not disappoint. My bartender poured the amber brew into a goblet and the IPA had moderate carbonation with a moderate head. With all those hop oils and 6.7% abv the beer definitely had good lacing. I had some trouble gathering notes on the aroma coming from this beer because it was so intense and complex. The smell was obviously dominated by hops, mostly pungent floral aromas, intense pine and a mix of tropical fruits and grapefruit. The intensity of the aromas was matched by the intensity of the flavors. The initial taste had some tropical fruit, pineapple, grapefruit, citrus and caramel and was a bit sweet. The sweetness then settled and I noticed huge pungent floral and piney hop flavors. This IPA finished drier and had flavors of biscuit, rye, slight grassy notes and spicy hops. The mouthfeel of this beer was also amazing. It was extremely resinous and stuck to your tongue.

Overall this beer was amazing! Definitely the best IPA Weyerbacher has made. This is a true West Coast IPA that is a total hop bomb. It is 6.7% abv with 77 IBUs, but it definitely seems like there is more alcohol and way more IBUs. The malt is also well balanced. It creates a great backbone to balance the hops and adds some flavor, but is mainly just a backdrop to the hop show. This beer will probably not be on tap for much longer so keep your eyes open next time you go out!

You can find out more about the Ales for ALS program here. Follow Weyerbacher on Facebook and Twitter. You can make a donation toward curing ALS here.