Ska Brewing Company- Local Series Hoperation Ivy #17: A Rare Experience Indeed

Ahh, another rare grab I made while in Colorado for GABF.  This was another of the fine brews we grabbed at the liquor store after spending a few hours at Left Hand Brewing Company.  I have to admit, I am a huge fan of Ska Brewing Company.  I love everything about them, the brews, image, tradition, passion, style, website…I could go on forever.  So when my eyes fell upon the bottle of their Local Series Hoperation Ivy #17, I knew that I had to grab this one without hesitation.  When I see “local” on the bottle I know that this isn’t your average everyday brew that can be found anywhere.  I knew I had something special but it would not be until after contacting Dave at Ska Brewing Company that I learned my rare find was extra special.  I consider myself extremely lucky and fortunate to have found this brew and now you are going to find out why.

Typically here is where you find information that I pull from the brewery website but in this case I had to go the extra mile.  There is no information in regards to the Hoperation Ivy #17 on the Ska website.  I have been fortunate to have established a line of communication with Dave from Ska very early in the history of this website.  He has always been extremely helpful with providing information and images/labels/logos for use in our reviews.  He is one of the very few people in the industry that I can count on to not only respond but respond quickly and with great info.  So I shot Dave and email in regards to getting some info on their Local Series Hoperation Ivy #17 and this is what he responded with, “The Hoperation Ivy is a one-off wet-hop beer we brew every August with the hop harvest. San Juan Hop Farms is located in Montrose, about 2 hours north of us—we go up there the night before the harvest and camp out on the farm, eat a nice feast, drink a fair amount of Ska beer, and gear up for the next day.  We hand pick fresh Cascade and Ruby (a true Colorado native hop) hops and then drive back to the brewery and add them immediately to the kettle. The beer is only sold in the Durango area, although a few cases might have made their way toward Denver. You’ll notice the label says Local Series, Hoperation Ivy #17—we do a lot of one-off beers that we only sell in Durango, and because the harvest, and therefore the beer, varies each year on this beer we include it in that lineup. Obviously our 17th Local Series beer—oh, that’s Ska Co-founder, Bill Graham, front and center in the photo.” 

Damn, only available in Durango with only a few cases making their way to Denver…I found mine in Longmont.  A rare find indeed!! 

Hoperation Ivy #17 pours a dynamic crystal clear copper color head with a 1 ¼” beige head.  The aroma is an in-your-face resinous hop punch with compliments of citrus and caramel malts.

Wow, this is a superbly balanced and terrific IPA.  You will usually hear me saying that I love over the top brews but Hoperation Ivy #17 is not, it is just right.  The fresh hop flavor really stands out as Hoperation Ivy #17 has a characteristic that is unique and enjoyable enough that if available it would easily become my daily drinker.  Not too big and not too small, just right.  The carbonation is dead on perfect as this is a refreshing and enjoyable example of an IPA.  It’s symbiotic balance between the malty sweetness and hop bite is making me wish I had another bottle but unfortunately I don’t.  Thanks Ska Brewing Company for this great consumption experience and damn you for only enhancing my desire to move to Colorado.  I have 7 years left before my last child leaves the nest, then it’s off to Colorado I go!!

ABV: 6.6%

Consumed: Dogfish Head Signature Glass

Verdict: Buy A Case