Dinner @ Chris’

Posted April 29th, 2009 by Chris

T-bone steaks and Hop-15

So this is how I roll on a Wednesday evening. After a hard days work and a kick-ass workout at the gym I think I deserve a little something special for dinner. Today, it’s T-bone steaks with Port Brewing’s Hop-15. While this is not a food site I’d like to share my food and beer couplings as they are common amongst most.

My wife, Vanessa, took care of the food while I hit the always accommodating BevMo! in Mira Mesa. I knew that I wanted a Double IPA, as I had recently (silently) professed that this was indeed my favorite style of beer, but Port’s Hop-15 wasn’t even on the list of brews to choose (rhyming was unintentional. Ok, maybe it was). Some how it slipped into my hands and here I am, about to complement this steak with something I’ve never tried.

BOOM! It’s just like the label pictured, little hop bombs being dropped from bombers to explode on my taste buds. Over and over again this bombardment was relentless and it was getting suprisingly better. Hop-15 is intense right out of the bottle with a pour that is beautifully copper in color, zero clarity and topped with an egg shell head. Instant aromas of hops, orange and grapefruit rush out of the glass like a love spell coaxing me to indulge in this forbidden spirit. And I did. I was instantly met with a punch of hops, quickly followed by strong grapefruits and hints of orange and apple, all very lovely. At first I though, “Maybe Port over did it a bit with the hops” but as the dinner went on and that brew got a bit warmer things rapidly changed. More and more grapefruit bites mellowed by sweet malt and finished with a much appreciated alcohol flavor that rounded this brew out perfectly.

It’s amazing that I can enjoy a great evening with my wife while enjoying a delicious dinner and a fabulous local brew!