There's been a lot of bad news coming out of the nation's capital over the last few days: The government can't get the whole "running the country" thing together, thousands of workers are wondering when they're going to get their next paycheck AND the freaking panda cam at the National Zoo has been shut down. Things are obviously far worse than any of us could have imagined. DC has gotten a lot wrong lately and has taken a beating (and rightly so). But maybe it's time to mention one of the bright spots of DC- beer.
When I went to DC a few months ago, there was one beer I had to try there- DC Brau's On the Wings of Armageddon. Since its inception, it's been constantly thrown into the "Best IPA in Existence" conversation on beeradvocate. If something starts getting labeled "Pliny Killer," I have to see what it's about. Unfortunately, DC Brau was between batches of OTWOA when we were in the city, so there was none to be found. Luckily, my friend Brian does a good amount of business in DC and was able to get some from a coworker out there. Good guy that he is, he shared some with me this past weekend. At #136, On the Wings of Armageddon.
On the Wings of Armageddon pours a hazed golden color with a one finger cream colored head. The smell was right up my alley, with tons of mango, pine and grapefruit. A slightly bready backbone was evident behind the hops, but didn't detract from the amazing smell at all. On the Wings of Armageddon uses one hop variety- Falconer's Flight. I'm not sure I've ever had this varietal before, but if it tends to smell like this, I'm gonna have to get to know it a lot better.
The taste opens big, with a huge pine resin jolt right away. But it never becomes too bitter as some leafy hops, mint, grapefruit pith and mango soon join the party and level out all the pine. The finish is drawn out, resiny and pretty much the stuff of any hop head's dreams. It's a big beer at just over 9%, but it never starts to feel heavy. I really enjoyed every sip of it. A huge thanks to Brian for snagging this beer and a big high five to DC Brau for this one. You guys definitely have your act together over there, even if the government doesn't.
Final Grade: A
Top 250 Beers Tasted: 128
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