Skip to main content

If You Like Hops, You’ll Love Schlafly Double IPA

Schlafly Beer in St. Louis, Missouri, has been around since 1991. While 26 may seem young, that’s very, very old in craft brewery years. With that pedigree, it would be easy for Schlafly to sit back and coast at this stage of existence, letting its core line of beers carry the brand forward. But the world of beer is anything but stagnant, and Schlafly isn’t afraid to move and change with the times.

One of the best examples of Schlafly’s ability to reinvent itself is its 2017 Hop Allocation Series. Throughout the year, the St. Louis institution has been releasing a new India Pale Ale every six weeks highlighting 12 very different hop varieties. One of the standouts in the series is the succinctly named Schlafly Double IPA. As you might expect with the style, this beer packs a whopping 10 percent ABV and a welcome 80 IBU (international bitterness units). Double IPA is effectively double the brand’s core IPA with twice the amount of hops as the flagship brew.

Recommended Videos

Other Hop Allocation Series beers include the Rye IPA, Farmhouse IPA, Caraway IPA, and the initial release Black IPA. Schlafly’s ambassador brewer Stephen Hale explained the basis of the series and how Double IPA fares in comparison.

“The Hop Allocation series showcases the depth of flavors and distinct characteristics of different hops,” Hale says. “Some of the beers in the line-up are an introduction to hoppy beers, but this one is for the true hop lover.”

Like the standard Schlafly IPA, big brother Double IPA utilizes chinook, mosaic and simcoe hops. From chinook, you should anticipate grapefruit, spice, and piney notes. Mosaic lends itself to earthy, floral, and citrus-like fruity flavors. Simcoe hops bring along sensations similar to passion fruit, pine, and berries.

Schlafly Double IPA is available now for purchase throughout Schlafly’s distribution area in bottled six-packs, as well as by the glass and growler at select draft locations. If you’re in the St. Louis region, you can buy Double IPA from the mothership directly at the Schlafly Tap Room or Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood.

Feature image courtesy of Schlafly Beer/Instagram

Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
Can you microwave coffee? What you should know about proper reheating
Don't dump cold coffee just yet
Man drinking a cup of coffee

Imagine this: You've managed to make it out of bed, head downstairs, and patiently await a freshly brewed cup of coffee as you turn on your coffee maker. You take the first deliciously warm sip and place your mug down. Soon, your attention is quickly on the next thing on your to-do list, whether getting ready for work or unloading the dishwasher. Before you know it, an hour has passed, and you realize your warm cup of coffee is still sitting there, mostly full and cold. This common occurrence may leave you wondering: "Can you microwave coffee?"
Can you microwave coffee?

Instead of wasting a cup of cold coffee, you can reheat your room-temperature coffee in the microwave. However, if you've ever done this, you may notice that the coffee tastes different once reheated. Microwaving your coffee causes it to become more bitter, thanks to the natural acids within coffee. Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and quinic acid are all present when you initially brew your coffee. Yet, these compounds are released even more when you reheat your cup. In turn, you may be left with more bitter coffee than the original cup. If you can get past the slight changes in taste, your coffee is still safe to consume even after reheating.
How to reheat coffee in the microwave

Read more
Discover Rome’s best-kept secret with the Negroni Formidabile
A shot of Roman amaro adds an anise kick to the classic cocktail
Amaro Formidabile

On a recent trip to Rome, I discovered something wonderful. Not the stunning architecture or the beautiful art, or the incredible history of the Roman Forum -- though those are pretty great too -- but a new to me amaro called Amaro Formidabile. The amaro is handmade in Rome, using a long list of botanicals including cinchona, wormwood, gentian, kola nut, star anise, and more, and it has all the fruity sweetness of something like Montenegro, but with a solid bitter backbone more reminiscent of Fernet.

What I like best about it though is the strong punch of anise that rushes to the front, making it almost reminiscent of Ouzo, but without the harshness and with more fruity, floral flavors supporting in the background. The Romans love to drink this amaro simply: just chilled, or perhaps over ice, but sipped alone after a meal as a tasty digestif. It's a great way to see off a delicious, indulgent Roman meal of artichokes with pecorino romano, stuffed courgette flowers or fiori di zucca, then a big hearty bowl of cacio e pepe.

Read more
How to mix Mexico’s other spirit, Sotol, into fall cocktails
Learn how to use this Mexican spirit in fall-themed cocktails
sotol fall cocktails ez2a6539 scaled jpg

You know tequila, and in recent years if you're into drinks then you've likely come across mezcal too. But Mexico has more spirits to offer than just these two -- like Sotol, a distilled spirit made from succulent plants. Brands like Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol are small family-owned operations which promote sustainability and biodiversity as part of the spirits-making process.

While Sotol is traditionally drunk neat, especially after a meal, it can also be used in cocktails and mixed drinks. While it is often used as an alternative to tequila in drinks like a margarita or as an alternative to white rum in drinks like a mojito, there are also cocktails designed to specifically complement its flavor profile.

Read more