Breckenridge Brewery- 471 IPA: A Can’t Miss Crafted Brew

It is no secret that I thoroughly enjoy the highly crafted brews from the Breckenridge Brewery.  Colorado is where it’s at when it comes to craft brew quality west of the Mississippi River.  It’s gotta be something in the water or air out there or that the beer is brewed that much closer to heaven than the rest of the non-Colorado breweries.  This isn’t my first dance with 471 IPA.  There has been many an occasion that I have spent an evening staring at the bottom of a glass of Breckenridge Brewery’s 471 IPA.  Each time has been an experience not soon forgotten.  Breckenridge Brewery’s 471 IPA is now.

Breckenridge Brewery classifies this brew as a Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) and their website describes 471 IPA as, “Hoppy? Brother, 471 IPA redefines hoppy. 471 is a small batch, limited edition ale that was created by our Brewmaster to separate the weak from the strong. 471 is a double IPA, that combines Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils and Torrified Wheat malts, with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and Fuggles hops. It has a big sweet mouthfeel, followed by more hoppiness than you've ever had at one time. Enjoy.”

471 IPA pours a hazy caramelish orange with a small ¼” khaki head and an initially sweet malty aroma that gets citrusy & hoppy in the end and 471 IPA is 9.2% ABV.

471 IPA is a part of Breckenridge Brewery’s Small Batch series.  According to the bottle they are “special ales that originate in our brewmaster’s head and then become reality”.  Reality is that 471 IPA is one bad-ass brew.  It is easily one of the top double/imperial IPAs out there and is by far one of the most drinkable.  There is no hint that 471 IPA is even close to 9.2% ABV.  471 has a brilliant sweet malt start that then splashes your senses with a citrusy middle and then to a hoppy bite finish.  The only down side is that 471 goes down so easy that you’ll be hard pressed to remember your own name but you’ll never forget the awesomeness of 471 IPA.  Get it or you’re sure to miss one of the best double IPAs out there.

ABV: 9.2%

Consumed: New Belgium Globe Glass

Verdict: Buy A Case

Breckenridge Brewery- Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA: Another Salvo fired from Colorado

Friday night was poker night. Jason, Chris, myself and a bunch of friends got together to play cards and talk beer. Jason burst through the front door like Kramer from Seinfeld with a grin from ear-to-ear. He held a sixer of Breckinridge Brewery’s Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA. “I have been looking for this forever and I finally found it,” he quipped!  I tried to act nonchalant, but my excitement was mutual.

Breckenridge describes this beer as follows, “Hoppy? Brother, 471 IPA redefines hoppy. 471 is a small batch, limited edition ale that was created by our Brewmaster to separate the weak from the strong. 471 is a double IPA, that combines Pale, Munich, Caramel-30, Carapils and Torrified Wheat malts, with Chinook, Centennial, Simcoe and Fuggles hops. It has a big sweet mouthfeel, followed by more hoppiness than you've ever had at one time. Enjoy.”

471 pours a hazy orange-amber with thick but small head. It boasts a sweet, floral, hop smell that reminds me of many other strong IPAs. Aesthetically this is a beautiful beer with a tiny bubbles or carbonation that were still dancing 20 minutes after pouring. The flavor of this brew is something from a whole new planet I like to call beertopia. It features a quick shot of sweet frontloading that subverts into a tongue twisting hop smash. There is also a crisp, almost piney finish. This is truly a very unique and rewarding beer that needs to be savored by anyone on a quest to conquer hop mountain.

Sometimes in life, things just workout as planned. I popped in the new Jimi Hendrix Valleys of Neptune disc and was blown away, while I got to sample a beer that blew me away as well. A CD that can take you to another planet coupled with a beer that can do the same might be the only cure for a freaking Monday. At 9.2% ABV you can forget your shitty Monday really quickly. Cheers to Jimi, this 471 is for you…  

ABV: 9.2%

Consumed: Globe Glass

Verdict: Buy a case (while you can!)