The Corruption

The can reads, "[i]n 1824, Speaker of the House Henry Clay forged a coalition that secured the White House for John Quincy Adams.  In return, Adams named Clay as his Secretary of State in what has become known as 'The Corrupt Bargain.'" The bargain is what provides the name for D.C. Brau's India Pale Ale. 

D.C. Brau describes this beer as being brewed just at the line of an India Pale Ale and an Imperial IPA.  Each batch of the Corruption India Pale Ale is brewed with Pale 2-Row, C-10, Honey and Munich Malts, along with 40 pounds of Columbus Hops.  The beer has an ABV of 6.5% and 80 IBUs.  The ABV places this beer squarely on the side of an India Pale Ale, while the IBUs are what nudge it toward an Imperial IPA.  (I have tried some Imperial IPAs that have an ABV as high as 10% and as much as 100 IBUs).

The Corruption pours a hazy orange or copper color, suggesting that that the beer is unfiltered.  Although the brewer does not say whether the beer is filtered or unfiltered, my guess is that it is filtered.  In any event, the aroma of the beer presents the classic India Pale Ale scents of pine and citrus.  The pine aromas are clearly more prominent than the citrus.  The pine is also a principal flavor of the beer.  The pine is coated resin flavors, which sets this beer apart from some of the other India Pale Ales that I have tried.  

As with any India Pale Ale, the Corruption is best paired with meats such as beef, lamb, or bison. The citrus and pine flavors of the beer work well with a steak, as the astringency of those flavors cut through the fat of a cut such as a ribeye, sirloin or or a cowboy steak.   I paired this beer with the Cowboy Steak that I made using a recipe from The Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.  

The beer is available in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.  It sells for about $10.99 or $11.99 a six pack.  

ENJOY!