When thinking of après ski games, Hopscotch doesn't really jump out at you. Come to think of it, I know for a fact that I have never played Hopscotch at any point in my illustrious 28 year après skiing career. That being said, it is a timeless classic. A game that we all, at some point or another, enjoyed as kids. Now, as we age like whiskey, it's time to give this game an upgrade maybe by adding the bourbon from Mad River Distillers that bares the same name. Throw in a 14th Star Brewing's Tribute Double IPA that is is distilled with and that will certainly make it more adult like. Cheers!
Double Fisting Double IPA's and Bourbon
Hello everybody. I'm Rich Stoner and welcome to the All About Apres Report. Remember, it's our goal to give you the best places to play both on and off the mountain plus all the food, beer, gear and more to help make it epic. Today we're actually tasting Hopscotch from Mad River Distillers. That's right you heard me correctly, this stuff is called Hopscotch. I wonder if this is the apres-ski version the game that we used to play when we were kids?
Either way Mad River distillers has helped us solve one of life's biggest problems, how do you choose between beer and whiskey? Simple, Hopscotch is actually made with the wash from 14 Star Brewing’s Tribute double IPA. So today we're actually gonna give them both a taste and see how they play off each other and see how well the tribute works in creating this whiskey.
Since the Hopscotch is actually made with the 14th Star Tribute, let's give this one a try first. Let’s crack this open. 14 Star Brewing if you don’t know anything about them actually has a really interesting story. They are two veterans who basically conceived the idea of this brewery on a notepad while serving over in Afghanistan and since then they've produced some really great, well recognized well-received beers, the Tribute being one of them. This is a double IPA it's 8%. Let's give it a shot.
Right off the bat you get this serious hop presence. That really comes through in in a taste of it too. It's not overpowering. It's got a little bit of a citrus flavor to it and it's actually, for a double IPA that's 8%, feels a little bit lighter than what you would expect. It's great beer though. Definitely a solid solid beer.
This is actually the third version of the Hopscotch which is produced by Mad River Distillers in Warren, Vermont. In the past they partnered with two other breweries Lawson's Finest Liquids and also Stone Corral and like I said this year they worked with 14 star and used their Tribute to produce this one. So let's give it a shot. They're actually a sponsor of Ski Vermont so I figured I’d go with my Ski Vermont rocks glass.
Oh wow! It’s surprisingly sweet right up front. Almost like a little bit of a butterscotch taste and getting a little bit of tobacco believe it or not. And, actually that hop presence comes through on the end. No surprise though because the Tribute is a fairly hoppy beer. Nonetheless, this tastes really awesome.
I’ll probably throw an ice cube in this, let it open up a little bit before I finish this up over by the fire and in the meantime I'm gonna crush this 14 Star Tribute.
Remember, it's all downhill from here, especially when you're drinking double IPA’s and whiskey. Cheers!
