Lazy Boy IPA

I know, in the header to this blog I claim to be the Pied Piper of Washington beers, and so far no local beer reviews. I'm not ignoring my local beers, I just got a little distracted. When I saw the Lazy Boy IPA on the shelf, I saw my opportunity to get this blog back to its intent. Surprisingly, the first thing I noticed about this beer was the hints of caramel on the nose, and the dark copper color. Both of these characteristics would point towards a Pale Ale, not an IPA. It is a little maltier than most Washington IPA's, but there are loads of Cascade, Chinook and Amarillo hops in this 75 IBU gem from Everett, WA. I am not one of those guys who thinks the more hops the better in an IPA. I want an assertive pine and fir tree hop flavor, some malt balance, and I don't want the hops to wear out their welcome on my tongue. Shawn Loring's Lazy Boy IPA delivers on all of those counts. It's boldly hopped, but has still maintains a soft texture. Easy to pair with food, it stood up beautifully to a Bison burger with smoked Gouda, and fries with a smokey, fiery Sambal ketchup.

Tripel Karmeliet

I have gladly sipped this beer in the middle of winter, but this soft golden/orange hued Abbey style Tripel cries out to be enjoyed during the summer. Clover honey and Meyer lemon are the initial flavors that stand out, followed by a subtle hoppiness. Tripel Karmeliet is made with a combination of wheat, barley, and oats. I don't think I would have picked out all three of these grains on my own, but it makes for a nice blend of dough, cereal, spice, effevescent carbonation, but remains accessible to the Belgian novice, and the hardcore beer geek. My wife used a little bit to steam a Maine lobster, with grilled zucchini, and rosemary roasted potatoes for my Father's Day dinner. It was perfect!