IPA Challenge preps Traverse City for Beer Week

TRAVERSE CITY — Sure, beer festivals are great to attend and specialty releases are exciting, but what about a showdown for the best IPA?

The Traverse City Ale Trail IPA Challenge, held Thursday night at The Little Fleet, brought the first ever showdown of its kind to the area. Done as a blind tasting, the event gave attendees the chance to judge beer without knowing who was behind it. And for someone like myself who prefers a stout, it put my beer tasting skills to the test.

Upon entering, I was given a tasting glass and an official ballot sheet. Going in a logical order, I tore off the “1” on my ballot sheet and handed it to the bartender. Not knowing what I was getting was tough and made me drink my beer a bit slower, taking time to consider the variety of flavors.

There was a place on the ballot to take notes for each IPA. As I worked my way through each tasting, I took note of a large array of flavor profiles: bitter, earthy, floral, hints of pineapple and perhaps a bit of coffee.

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