Mojo, Boulder Beer Company

How bitter is bitter?  What attributes declare a beer deserving of the adjective?  Well, we have International Bitterness Units (IBU) to help us, but those can be a bit deceiving at times.  You see, IBUs are measured by a spectrophotometer, not a human tongue.  If a beer has a lot of malt, the resultant sweetness will drown out many of the IBUs, leaving you with a beer that doesn’t taste quite as bitter.  This is the case with many big stouts and barley wines that have IBUs in the 90s or higher.  Today’s beer is an India Pale Ale (IPA), which is traditionally the bitterest of the classic styles, but often comes with IBUs in the 70s, below the afore mentioned brews.

India pale ale is a derivation of, you guessed it, pale ale.  The style is the product of managing a global empire in a time before air planes and automobiles.  In order to survive the trip from England to (can you guess this one?) India, pale ales were made with a lot more fermentable sugars so the yeast could eat away for a longer period of time.  A massive amount of hops were also added as a preservative.  These two alterations created a beer with a higher alcohol content that tasted quite bitter.

It hurts so good!

The newly minted IPA became a big hit and eventually made its way back to the homeland, despite the fact that its whole story of origin could be, like the cake, a lie (Portal reference?  Anyone?  Anyone?).  There is record of captain Cook enjoying porter in excellent condition after a full year on ship, implying that other styles were aptly suited to make the voyage.  Regardless, the higher ABV and hoppiness surely helped combat the less than sanitary conditions that probably existed, and who wants to drink a dark porter in such a hot country anyway?  That brings me to today’s beer.  Boulder Beer Company’s Mojo IPA.

The color is intriguingly light for its style, piquing my interest. It invites me to take a swig and I think I'll oblige it.  You know what?  I like hops.  I’d say they’re my favorite fruit.  What’s that?  Hops are actually flowers?  But they taste like grapefruits and oranges!  Well then they’re my favorite flower.  To eat.  I mean drink?  This beer’s mojo is its citrus flavors.  I’ll probably glow in the dark for the rest of the day because of the way this brew kicks you up a couple energy levels.  Yeah, that’s right.  I pulled out the particle physics reference (I’m on a roll!).  Mojo would probably make a good breakfast beer, if there is such a  thing.  I feel like frying up some eggs right now just to try it.  Anyway, the grapefruit essence combines with the 70 IBUs to deliver a bitterness that has strength but isn’t a jerk about it.  Perhaps that makes this beer a good gateway IPA. So whether you're looking for some way to ease a friend into the style, or are fed up with all your other breakfast beers, the guys out in Boulder have concocted something worth investigating.

A wise man once told me if you get the butter right up to browning
temperature, the eggs won't stick.  Works every time!