Brew Love: 10 Barrel Brewing Joe IPA

May 12

Thanks to a friend who works in the craft beer division at Anheuser Busch, we were excited to get our hands on some 10 Barrel Brewing a few days before it's released on the masses here in Colorado. Having only previously heard great things about this small brewery out of Bend, Oregon, it was a little sad to see them caught up in macro giant ABInbev's spending spree last fall, but in all fairness, we had to at least give their beer a shot. Consider us fans now.This week we're featuring 10 Barrel Brewing's Joe IPA. As the story goes, they originally wanted to name it Sam, after the first initials of the hops they used, but they didn't want to wage war with a Boston brewery using a similar name.Joe is quite simply put, a monster of an IPA, and while a good majority of the time it's lurking in the shadows of Apocalypse IPA, 10 Barrel's flagship brew, it has the hops and the taste to finish. 10 Barrel brews Joe with Simcoe, Amarillo and Mosaic hops, so right off the bat you know this beer never lacks in the hop category. It's aggressive from the get go, but finishes clean and balanced like a good IPA should. Flavors of tangerine, tropical fruit and grapefruit fill your senses and linger long after the last drop. For those of you with a knee-jerk reaction to avoid anything grapefruit, don't worry about Joe IPA, as this beer will definitely surprise you with its drinkability.Some detractors may write 10 Barrel off as just another crafty beverage from Anheuser Busch, but from what we've heard, AB has been playing things relatively hands-off. It sure shows in the quality of their beer. There's nothing beechwood aged or brewed the hard way about this plain and simple yet incredibly flavorful IPA, so if you're in your local liquor store in the coming weeks and you see some 10 Barrel stuff on the shelf, go ahead and give it a try, you're in for a treat.

Press Release:

10 BARREL BREWING ROLLS INTO COLORADO

May 11, 2015 (Bend, Oregon) – Colorado! You may not have heard of 10 Barrel Brewing just yet, but we’re headed your way. Bend, Oregon-based 10 Barrel Brewing is expanding distribution to Colorado this May to offer year-round and limited release beers on tap and in retail. Colorado is our fourth state for distribution.“We are excited to now be able to offer our beers to everyone in Colorado,” said Jeremy Cox, co-founding partner of 10 Barrel. “Colorado is a beer-savvy state and we look forward to becoming a part of the craft community here. We sent our crew to visit Denver last month and learned that few Denverites know much about 10 Barrel. We plan to change that and will be hosting a variety of events across Denver throughout the year.”Beers that will be available on tap and in retail:

Apocalypse IPA: This West Coast style IPA is our flagship beer. We can talk about IPAs and hops all day but you better just give it a run for yourself (IBU’s: 70; ABV: 6.8%).
Joe IPA: This IPA was formerly known as Sam after its hops: Simcoe, Amarillo and Mosaic, but we were told this might be a trademark issue with a large craft brewery out of the Northeast, so we had to change it. We cycled through a bunch of generic names – Bob, Tom, Dick, Dan, Carl, Frank – until we arrived on the perfect name for this IPA … Joe (IBU’s: 70; ABV: 6.9%).
Cucumber Crush: Our brewer Tonya Cornett got fresh with her award winning Berliner Weisse and added loads of cucumber. The aroma is undeniably cucumber and it’s the perfectly crushable summer beer. On tap only (IBU’s: 17; ABV: 4%).
DUB: Hops, hops and more hops. Our double IPA will blow your taste buds away. With nearly 10 pounds of Simcoe, Chinook and Magnum hops per barrel, this is absolutely not for someone looking for a balanced beer. Seriously, if you don’t like hops, this beer might ruin your day (IBU’s: off the charts; ABV: 9.8%).
Swill: You might be asking yourself, what is an American radler? Well let me tell you... it is the perfect blend of American sour and multiple layers of citrus. The ultimate summer crusher. Coming soon.

About 10 Barrel Brewing Co:10 Barrel Brewing Co. is a Bend, Oregon based brewery with one simple mindset… brew beer, drink beer and have fun doing it. 10 Barrel’s year-round and limited release beers can be found in retail throughout Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington and at its pubs in Bend, Boise and Portland. For more information check out www.10barrel.com or get social at fb.com/10barrelbrewingco and @10barrelbrewing on Instagram and Twitter.