Name: Hop Stoopid
Brewer: Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, Calif.
By the numbers: 8 percent alcohol by volume; 102 IBUs (!!!); around 430 calories per 22-ounce bottle.
Notes: This novelty brew is the fourth from Lagunitas in the YIB, and I split it with Mike, who bought us the 22-ounce bomber at Friar Tuck’s for $4. I call it a “novelty” brew because it’s nothing you’d drink with any regularity. The heavy alcohol content notwithstanding, the 102 IBUs (International Bittering Units) are the eye-popping selling point here; by comparison, casual beer-goers, Sam’s Boston Lager is about 30 IBUs. Still, this Stoopid IPA brew pulls it off. The grapefruit-like aroma is potent, but the taste isn’t out of line, and it’s held in check by a rich malt taste. (I had half, and Mike had the other, so our caloric intake wasn’t out of this world.) It’s sort of like the Mojo IPA I loved earlier this year, but just a tad more intense and even boozier. Mike has really dug the previous three YIB candidates from this California brewery, and this one will join that list. Plus, this one’s got a dynamite catch phrase attached to it: “For those mornings when you have to cut right to the chase, this is the one.”
Try with: a big year. Mike made an interesting point today: 2010 is going to be a big year for me. (For him, it was 2001, thanks to a new house and his twin girls being born.) Therese and I will have gotten engaged, been married, got a new job and more income, and then (fingers crossed) bought a home. It got me thinking: How would I define the last five years, in terms of their big personal events?
- 2009: Therese goes back to school, Florida/Vegas, start new job (biz reporting) at Pantagraph.
- 2008: Therese moves in, sunburn in Florida, begin new job at Pantagraph.
- 2007: Started reporting, got new job at Pantagraph, move into IAA Dr. apartment.
- 2006: Move to and back from D.C., start dating Therese, start/leave the Illinois House job, start at Pantagraph.
- 2005: The Great American Job Search, graduate from college, editor at the Sundial.
— Posted by Ryan Denham
