Top 100 Beers of 2021

#13

96
Alpha Abstraction, Vol. 15
Wild Leap Brew Co.

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Chief Brewing Officer Chris Elliott Talks Alpha Abstraction, Vol. 15

Who was responsible for this beer’s recipe?
I developed the base beer for this recipe, and my brewers helped me experiment to find the featured hop.

What sets this beer apart from other examples within the style?
While many NEIPAs follow the template of a drier, softer IPA, we decided we wanted this beer to be as close to fruit juice as possible. The beer is a sweet, tart IPA with aromas and flavors from the featured hop.

What makes this beer truly World Class?
This is the fifteenth volume of this beer series, and we have really dialed in the recipe to allow the featured hops to be very expressive. We want the drinker to get an “abstract” of the aromas and flavors of the main hop.

What is your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, etc.)?
I love the body in this beer. It reminds me of carbonated orange juice!

How popular is this beer among your faithful fans? 
This has become the most-requested beer that we produce.

Where does this beer’s name come from?
Our CEO Anthony Rodriguez came up with this name during a brainstorming session. We wanted to make a series of beers that each featured a different hop, and to give the consumer an “abstract” of the nuances of each hop.

Is this your “desert island beer?”
This is definitely one of my favorite beers.

Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Sweet and tart pure hop juice.

Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
I actually heard the same story a few times about this beer. I have had multiple people in our taproom tell me that they absolutely hated IPAs, and this beer changed their mind and became their favorite. That is always a great story to hear!

Judge's Second Opinion

Since the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth, connoisseurs of fine craft beer have been seeking out world-class IPAs. Well, maybe not that long, but you get the picture. What defines a world-class IPA, or in this case, a double IPA? It takes a very skillful brewer that can create a wellbalanced beer that showcases fresh and bright hop character using hop varieties that create a symphony of aromas and flavors. Although limited during the early days to mostly American-style hops, today’s IPAs now feature nearly any hop variety. Hop bitterness is also a key feature, which may be high to absurdly high, but should also remain smooth throughout. It also requires complementary background notes of base and/or specialty malts and alcohol and may have light fermentation esters to create even more intrigue, although these can be difficult to develop behind the hops. Although hops are the focus of this style, these other characteristics are needed as you don’t just want a glass of hop juice.

As you can see, one of the more difficult accomplishments in the brewing world is to create a delectable double IPA, as making all of this come together can be a little challenging because the hops must wrangle with a larger malt bill to be focused and present. With this in mind, Wild Leap’s Alpha Abstraction, Vol. 15 hits on all cylinders. It features that symphony of hops, combining an intense resiny, pungent hop aroma and flavor that pleases the drinker as it transitions more into mixed tropical fruit and light stone fruit. The hops are fresh and bright throughout. The bready malt, light alcohol and high yet smooth hop bitterness provide excellent balance to create an extremely pintable and enjoyable beer.

Wild Leap Brew Co. is a relative newcomer to the brewing scene, having only been in operation since 2017 in LaGrange, Georgia. During their first four years they have developed an impressive lineup and wide variety of beer styles that includes sour ales, barrel-aged beer, fruit and spice beer and several different types of IPA. My only regret is that their beer is not available in my part of the country, so please excuse me while I go book my trip to Georgia. In other words, if you can find it, grab it. – Randy Scorby