06 Nov This Week On Tap: 18th Street’s Under Crown DIPA
I do not do things in moderation. I never have, and I don’t see myself calming down anytime soon. I’m a loud talker, and I laugh with the whole of my self. I (maybe) drink too much, I eat big hearty meals regularly, I stay up too late all the time and I listen to music too loudly, usually accompanied by just-as-loud singing. You can regularly find me on my balcony at 1:00 AM drinking some Cardinal Spirits vodka and playing my guitar to any night owl listening. Excess is kind of my thing. What’s the point of doing anything in this garbage world if you’re not going to wring every ounce of pleasure from whatever you do?
My favorite beer style reflects this lifestyle: when it comes to my drink of choice, I love big, boozy, chock-full-of-flavor imperial IPAs. The more hops and notes of citrus and grapefruit, the better. So maybe they’re not the most “refined” craft beers? “Well anybody who is anybody knows that Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stouts are the best and most sophisticated type of craft beers.” To hell with that. Give me an angry, hoppy, 8% or above IPA any day of the week.
What kind of beer do you want to drink when you’re listening to Pantera with a flannel shirt tied around your waist and throwing rocks at passing train cars? You want a beer to match that mood, not one that makes you want to curl under a blanket in front of a fire place.
18th Street Brewery’s Under Crown DIPA is just that beer. The description alone invokes extremism: “Under Crown, our bone-shatteringly juicy 8% Double IPA brewed with Simcoe, Mosaic and Crystal Rye Malt.” BONE-SHATTERINGLY. And the label? What’s crazier than a pile of skulls and bones?
Under Crown is, simply put, an awesome beer. It’s fitting that I popped it open at the end of a night where I cooked a hearty stew, drank a bottle of wine, and was watching the NBA while listening to heavy metal. Again: excess is my thing. The juicy citrus flavors are as pronounced as in any beer I’ve tried recently, and they come from that great blend of hops and malt as opposed to just over-hopping a standard IPA with tons of Citra hops, what some brewers consider to be a cop out. It pours a magnificent and deep rusty orange, with little head and slightly less carbonation than expected, a welcome touch that lets the citrus shine more.
Next time you’re feeling excessive and find yourself near a bottle of Under Crown, go ahead and pop that bottle. You’ll be happy (if not a little hazy the next morning) you did.
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