The Squeakquel

When it comes to the hierarchy of the best beer cities in California there’s San Francisco, San Diego and everybody else. In the everybody else category is the Golden State’s capital city Sacramento. Since its founding 22 years ago in midtown Sacramento, Rubicon Brewery has played a vital role in California’s financial meltdown. The more I learn about this state’s fiscal crisis and the politicians who helped create it I can think of no explanation other than drunkenness. The beer at Rubicon must be so good that even the smallest window between votes is seen as an opportunity by legislators to jump into a brewery-bound cab (only a one short mile away from the Capitol building), down 4 or 5 pints, then back to the Capitol for some critical decision making. In fact it's rumored that one politician got so drunk on Rubicon’s ales that he thought Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor.

Before I get to the actual beer review I have to say that I really like the name of this brewery (once I figured out what it meant.) I consider myself somewhat astute on historical matters, I have a degree in history and still read the occasional book, but sadly I had to summon the Google Gods to find out where the word Rubicon comes from. For those of you who are as unworldly as I, Rubicon refers to the small river in northern Italy that Caesar and his army crossed to attack Pompeii thus shattering the Roman Republic and setting Rome on a course of dynastic rule. However, if not for Caesar crossing the Rubicon we may have never experienced Bob Guccione’s monumental “Caligula.” Rubicon’s most common usage, according to Dictionary.com, means “to take a decisive, irrevocable step.” Let me use it in a sentence in case you’re drunk: Heidi Montag’s decision to get triple D breast implants made her cross the Rubicon, ensuring she will team-up with Tila Tequila for a new reality show. (I will try to keep the celeb references to a minimum, but my wife has a subscription to Us Weekly magazine and I can only stare at the bathroom tile for so long.)

I picked up a bomber of Rubicon’s IPA for $3.99 at my local bottle shop. The bottle was dated 2/16/10 so not the freshest but within the range of acceptability. As I said, I love the name but their logo needs an update. A fedora wearing silhouetted figure holding a beer mug seems more fitting for the Godfather’s Pizza chain than a northern California microbrewery. Why not a rendition of Caesar’s fateful crossing or Heidi’s Vesuvius like behemoths? But label aside the possibility of discovering a go-to IPA that doesn’t break the bank is always too tempting to pass up.

The beer pours a light, semi-translucent amber with an active white head. In the looks department I’d give it a solid 7 out of 10. The nose is surprisingly malt forward with caramel sweetness taking the lead and citrus orange hops playing underneath. The nose reminded me more of a barley wine than an IPA. For the most part the taste follows the nose. There’s some mild caramel sweetness and citrus initially that picks up steam and spreads its wings over the middle. The sweetness transitions smoothly to a strong lingering hoppy bitterness that makes for a solid finale. It seemed to pack a little more of a punch than the stated 6.5% abv. The mouthfeel is a little sugar heavy with some noticeable slickness and like the nose seems more reminiscent of a barley wine.

This leads me to a question I often toil with when evaluating beer. If a beer fails to live up to your preconceived notions of style does that mean it’s a failure? I think most reasonable people would say no, however a beer that departs too heavily from our taste expectations can cause a disappointing experience. If you think you ordered “Girls Gone Wild: Sexy Spinners” on pay per view but get “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel” instead you’re going to be disappointed or in my case destroy your hotel room in a fit of rage that would make Keith Moon proud. But let’s say you decide to watch The Squeakquel and it cracks you up, shouldn’t that be more important than whether you got the right movie or not? Yes, I know this analogy breaks down in all kinds of ways and I should have never started it in the first place but the point is if something is good but not in the way you expected it to be good it’s still good, right?

I know adherence of style is an important component of judging beer but I also believe our preconceptions of what a style should be are often too narrow when you consider the wide diversity within certain styles (i.e. IPA, Stouts, etc.). While I think it’s important to be vigilant of style, it shouldn’t be the overriding factor in evaluating a beer. One additional thought, "The Squeakquel" is a really horrible movie. The fact it made millions of dollars is further evidence that humanity needs a savior more than ever.

Initially, this beer threw me off with its strong malt profile but ultimately it won me over. If you’re expecting a traditional west coast IPA with strong piney grapefruit flavors then look elsewhere. However, if you want an IPA that isn’t afraid to let its malts shine with a solid flavor progression then pick one up. With tax and deposit it will only cost you around $4.50. I didn’t find my new go-to IPA but I did broaden my perception of what an IPA can be and caught a decent buzz in the process. Beer is great.

Rubicon IPA
American IPA
6.5% abv
$3.99 for a bomber
$:) $:)

(Caesar photo courtesy of karenswhimsy.com)
(Heidi Montag photo courtesy of Funnyordie.com via Huffingtonpost.com)
(Rubicon Beer photo courtesy beerandmicrobrews.com)