Sometimes the day job makes it hard to look at the bright side, so needless to say, I was looking forward to splitting out of the office and heading straight to my local for a nice brew. While I was on my way there, I knew I needed to have some content to write about and with my recent case of writer’s block, I figured a nice respite would be this Gutter Palette Pairing.
One of the things I love most about Galveston Island Brewing is the selection of new brews seemingly every time I visit. Pair that with some delicious snack foods and it makes any problems from work fade away. This time around, I decided to go with the pretzel for some filling carbs and a nice Single Hop #6 IPA.
Part of the Single Hop series is experimenting with different hops to provide a different flavor profile for each brew. This IPA was brewed with the New Zealand variety of Kohatu hops. The flavor was unlike any IPA Galveston Island Brewing has ever made with incredibly strong characteristics of pine needles with a bit of pineapple notes mixed in.
I’m not going to pretend like I chose this beer specifically to pair with the pretzel. Both sounded delicious and both were. I found that the pine notes were actually subdued a bit with each bite of the pretzel bringing out more of the fruit flavor. Personally, I didn’t mind this since this hop variety was new to me and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted.
Next time I pop in, I think I’ll have to go with this Single Hop series and pair it with some cajun mixed nuts from Maceo’s. I’d love to see how the spicy flavor brings out more taste of the brew.