Better in KeyWest

Everything is better in Key West… or so it would seem.

When we awoke on Friday morning, getting ready for a few drinks and some breakfast, it became clear that I packed in quite a hurry and forgot some necessities. Fortunately, there is a Walgreens just a block and a half down Duval!

I took out in a hurry to gather our needed toiletries and some Coke for Kahuna’s Chick. Walking up to the store, I was greeted with the most glorious advertisement I’ve ever seen on a drug store.  

The Walgreens has CRAFT BEER! I know… no big deal for most of the world I’m sure, but for a guy from Colorado, where our liquor laws are as crazy as a crack house rat, where it’s easier to find a dime bag of weed than a decent beer outside of specialty liquor stores, I’m damn excited!

They, no shit, had a better craft beer selection than about 60% of the liquor stores I visit in Colorado! Everything from the just better than BMC all the way to 5 facings of Brooklyn Brewing beer.

I selected a 6 pack of Terrapin Hopsecutioner to get me through the morning. Nothing like a big IPA to get you through the morning I always say!

Weighing in at 7.3% and only 71 IBU, this isn’t an enamel stripping IPA, but rather a drinkable and tasty barley pop that helps cut through some of the oppressive heat and humidity of the southern Florida sultry morning haze.

Brewed with Munic, Crystal 24 and Victory malts, there is a solid background for the Warrior, Chinook, Simcoe and Cascade hops.

The initial aroma is very strong with the Cascade hops, but you can certainly tell that it’s a pretty complex hop aroma that doesn’t come from the over use of a single variety.

I wouldn’t, in this day and age, call this thing an aggressive IPA, but it’s certainly capable of holding its own against all the major players in this classification.

The deep golden / amber color looks beautiful in a well washed hotel glass, and looks even better sparkling in the mid morning sunshine.

The malt holds up well to all of those hops. There is a well balanced quality to this beer that makes it quite drinkable, and the mildly high alcohol content makes that a dangerous thing. This beer could pretty easily get ahead of me if I had a bunch of them cold and a bag of chips.

The finish is a bit dry and the bitterness really lingers at the back of the palate and leaves you a touch thirsty… inviting another drink.

I wouldn’t call this the best IPA I’ve ever had, nor would I place it in my  top 10, but thanks to its time and location, it will always hold a special place in my heart and I will drink it every chance I can get!

On a Kahuna scale of 1-10, Terrapin Hopsecutioner scores a solid “Try it if you see it!”

Key West… Scores a total “Hell Yes!” I think any beer tastes just a little better on the rocken’est rock in the United States, when drank with good friends in the sunshine… You just can’t beat it!

~Cheers!