Today started with an hour for me, the 60 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head.  From what I remember from the initial round (as well as the several times before my first round tasting), this beer is a quality IPA.  The visual appearance was exactly as I remembered it – clear, copper colored with a red hue, with a rather large, bright-white head that slowly recedes.  The aroma is packed full of hops, both citrus and pine, and invites you in with the full expectation that this beer will be a straight shot stylistic definition of an IPA.  The taste verifies that claim, with delicious hops notes packing a punch from start to finish.  Speaking of the finish, it’s neither overly dry nor overly bitter – simply a well-rounded conclusion, which makes for a very memorable IPA.

The SweetWater IPA comes into this match as somewhat of an underdog in my mind.  After all, this is only my second ever tasting of this beer, and I am well experienced with the competitor.  But, that’s the point of this competition isn’t it? To objectively review brand new brews in hopes of finding the ultimate beer?  I love the visual appearance of this IPA.  It displays very similar to the beer above, except with the increased level of carbonation which I mentioned last time.  I’m a huge fan of the sweetness in this beer, as it works very well to balance out the expectedly high dosing of hops.  Speaking of hops, the complexity of hops in the aroma is incredibly inviting, adding a new dimension to the typical IPA style.

This match isn’t easy, but I think I have my mind made up.  Stay tuned for Brad’s thoughts a little later, and remember that you can vote until 3PM!

UPDATE: Click Here for Match Results!