Beer of the Week: Port Brewing Hop 15

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Here’s my confession: I’m a hop head, hopelessly addicted to Humulus lupulus, the flowering bine whose cones provide beer its piney, floral and even marijuana-like aromas and flavors.

To sate my jones, I turn to the West Coast, where brewers engage in an arms race to craft ever-bigger, burlier India pale ales. Oh, how I dream of Russian River’s wondrous Pliny the Elder, Stone’s Ruination and, now, Port Brewing’s Hop-15 Ale. Based in San Marcos, Calfiornia, Port Brewing is helmed by beer magician Tomme Arthur. Though his funky Belgian ales are fabulous (brewed under his Lost Abbey imprint), I’m happiest when he’s hoppiest. Like with the Hop-15.

Originally brewed in 2002, the 10 percent ABV treat incorporates 15 hop varietals (“don’t ask, don’t tell,” is the brewery’s motto) added to the beer in 15-minutes intervals. The highly calibrated result is resinous bliss. Arthur’s elixir spills out the color of cloudy oranges, with sticky lacing that clings to the glass like a spiderweb. The bright bouquet is floral and citric—sliced grapefruits and lemons, anyone?—while the sharp, tangy taste is rounded out by a smidgen of sturdy caramel sweetness that lingers on my tongue, daring me to take another sip.

I always do. What double IPAs drive you crazy?