IPA IPA all day

I headed out to the Bistro yesterday for their Summer IPA Festival, where they had more than 50 IPAs on tap. IPA (short for India Pale Ale or Imperial Pale Ale) is one of my favorite liquids in the whole world, so I was in hops heaven. As an added bonus, the Bistro is walking distance from where I live, so I could sample the wares without worrying about driving home.

I've never met an IPA I didn't like, or at least hadn't until yesterday, so I tried to sample the ones I wasn't familiar with. I discovered that I'd already had more than half of the 50 selections, and tried most of the smaller ones I hadn't. I liked E.J. Phair (the one with the highest IBU) and Bear Republic APEX, but didn't like care for the two Oregon IPAs I tried, who's names I won't mention.

To finish up, I had a Deschutes Inversion (an Oregon IPA I do like) and a 21st. Century (the best IPA in the world from San Francisco). At the end, 21st Century ended up winning the gold medal, and Bear Republic ended up with the people's choice, so my views were in line with the public and the voters.

After the IPA festival, the Dead Guise (a Grateful Dead tribute band) played a set at the Bistro. That kind of music sounds a lot better when you're hopped up on IPA!