The selection for DIPA of the Year (DOY) 2019, chosen from the 4PAX “Must Try Before You Die” category of superior tasting double IPA beers, is:
KABOOM. This terrific Double IPA was crafted by Vanish Farmwoods Brewery located just outside of Lucketts, Virginia. This DIPA weighed-in at 8.6% ABV, but all additional background information such as IBUs or what hops were used in the mix apparently are one of those originating secrets that Vanish wishes to keep. Regardless, if Vanish continues to produce this jewel, the 4PAX consider KABOOM a serious heavyweight that must be sampled sooner rather than later!
When Jonathan Staples launched Black Hops Farm in 2014 the goal was to provide local hops to Virginia’s thriving alcohol industry. With an emphasis on hops it was a no brainer that a brewery belonged on the farm. Unfortunately, someone else had plans to turn the property into a housing community. Fortunately, the housing community plans were scrubbed so it made sense to name this brewery Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, since all the farmland and surrounding nature could have vanished.
Vanish resides on 53 acres on the Black Hops Farm in Lucketts, Va. With the use of local ingredients, Vanish Brewery focuses on brews that run from plant to pint and seed to sip. They offer up to 20 beers on tap at a time in a massive Taproom. This brewery strives to cater to the masses. They have plenty of outdoor space with scenic views as well as options for private events both big and small and are known for good beer and a laid-back vibe. If visiting with a group for a casual day of eating, drinking and enjoying each other’s company, there is no need for a party room, they have a large tasting room and outdoor grounds with plenty of space for all to spread out and enjoy the day. They even allow dogs because they have an indoor temperature-controlled dog-friendly area with its own bar.
TASTE QUALITY ANALYSIS
To illustrate the difference in the overall taste quality between the selected DIPA of the Year (DOY) and that of the other samples in the 4PAX data base, we generated the following figure. It shows the average grades (solid dots) for each of the four taste parameters for the selected DIPA of the Year versus the dispersion in the average grades for the remaining 4PAX data samples.
LEGEND:
- RED Dot ( Solid ) – average APPEARANCE;
- GREEN Dot ( Solid ) – average AROMA;
- BLUE Dot ( Solid ) – average MOUTHFEEL;
- BLACK Dot ( Solid ) – average FLAVOR;
- ‘X—X’ – measured spread, [ MEAN, +/- 1 SIGMA ].
TAKEAWAY
In terms of which taste characteristics influenced our selection of KABOOM as the 2019 DIPA of the Year (DOY), measurements show that Appearance, and then Flavor, (mouthfeel and aroma) produced the superb taste quality characteristic of this year’s DOY.