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Last week, we tasted 115 IPAs to pick Portland's best. But even with that many beers, there was a glaring absence. Fat Head's Brewing won first and second place in 2016, on the strength of the hop skills of its former brewer Mike Hunsaker (pictured above at Fat Head's).
But Hunsaker left for the northern suburbs last year, and Fat Head's Portland is about to morph into a new brewery called Von Ebert. But as of this week, Hunsaker's back, baby! Alongside a terrific Pilsner called Luger, his brand-new Camas, Wash., brewery, Grains of Wrath, is already pouring three of the best IPAs in the area, including Hunsaker's first hazy brewed on his own system.
That Pandemic hazy is a pleasant piece of tropicalia, and his Eagle, Globe & Anchor IPA is a nouveau burst of melony hop. But it's the Mötörhead-themed Overkill IPA that hit my sweet spot. Like Hunsaker's previous Built for Speed IPA, it's a seriously crushable showcase for tropical and dank hops, with light malt balance and just a hint of pine in the back. You could drink this stuff till you slide off your chair. The first sip was a bit like hearing a song I'd almost forgotten existed—a little bit peachy, a little bit rock 'n' roll.
Recommended.