BBG: BrewFC #4 - Attacka the Azacca

BrewFC is back with another epic fight between two beers! This week it's the Attacka the Azacca!

Azacca is the name of the Haitian god of agriculture. It's also the name of the hops used in these new IPAs from Founder's and Maplewood.

Since I am the only judge, I will be doing scoring the fight a little different that we have in the past. Unlike our last fights, I will be judging each beer on a scale of 1-10 and then adding up the five totals to get a composite score out of 50. The beer with the higher score wins.

The five categories will be: Aroma, Taste, Presentation 1 (the look of the beer), Presentation 2 (the look of the bottle), and Value.

As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of Maplewood so I'm going to do my best to not have a bias in this fight. To eliminate any bias I might have, I will blind taste-testing both of them, write my reviews, and only then find out which is which.

The Aroma, Taste, and Presentation 1 will be judged blindly but there are two categories that cannot be judged without already knowing them - Presentation 2 and the Value. The bottle art and cost I've already judged and will be added to the scores AFTER I find out which beer is which.

So without further ado, here are the specs of the fighters.

Beer:	Founder's Azacca IPA	Maplewood's Azacca Morris IPA
From:	Grand Rapids, MI	Chicago, IL
ABV:	7.0%	7.3%
IBU:	70	63
Cost:	$8.99 (6-pack)	$7.99 (22oz bomber)

BEER #1:

Aroma: On the nose there is a huge juicy tropical fruit aroma as well plenty of malts and a strong hop presence backing the beer. I can pick up on pineapple, mango, some grapefruit, and a hint of melon. It got a nice smell to it. 8/10

Taste: I was surprised by this beer. The caramel malts, which were hidden behind all the fruit in the aroma, came out swinging in the taste. They hit you first and then the citrus and hops take over in the middle of the sip before fading back to a malty finish.

The grapefruit and mango are the most prevalent fruit flavors, but somehow it's still the caramel taste that lingers. It's not bad, just not what I was expecting...a tad bit too malty for me though. 7.5/10

Presentation 1 (the beer): The beer looks solid. This version of the Azacca IPA pours a golden amber color with about a fingers worth of thick white head topping the beer.

After drinking half the glass I noticed that the beer laced my glass really well. 8.5/10

Presentation 2 (the bottle): The bottle is average at best. It's supposed to be an homage to the Haitian god but, to me, the label seems busy and uses colors that don't to flow well. Not their best work. 7/10

Value: At $8.99 for a six-pack, the value is definitely there. It's a tasty, boozy beer that's not expensive. That's a great value. 10/10

Overall: 41/50.

BEER #2:

Aroma: Much like the first beer there is a lot of fruit in this aroma. It's got a TON of citrus to it and reminds me of Fruity Pebbles...which is just fantastic. There is lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, mango, and some pine in there that I can pick up on. 9/10

Taste: The taste is spot on with the smell. It's literally all those fruit flavors and then finishes with some piney hops to cut down on the citrus. And, like the smell, it tastes like Fruity Pebbles...but, unlike the cereal, I can get drunk by consuming it!

The hops are a bit more prevalent in this beer, making it slightly more bitter to me, but not taking anything away from the awesome flavors. This is seriously a great tasting beer. 9/10

Presentation 1 (the beer): It pours a clear golden straw color with a decent amount of head. There is under a finger of foam that dispersed quickly into just a dusting. However, it still laces the glass really. I wish there was a tad bit more head topping it but, otherwise, it's a pretty solid looking brew. 8/10

Presentation 2 (the bottle): This bottle kicks ass. A "Saved by the Bell" themed beer?! Yes, please! This is a beer Zack Morris would be proud of (if he could legally drink it). And even Mr. Belding would get behind this label! 10/10

Value: It cost $7.99 for just 22 ounces, so it isn't cheap. Is it overpriced? Slightly...but we'll see once I try it. 7/10 *Added after I tried the beer*: Is it worth it? Yes. To me, abso-freaking-lutely. This beer was awesome.

Overall: 43/50

So Beer #2 wins it in a close battle (43-41)! But which was which?

WINNER: MAPLEWOOD'S AZACCA MORRIS!

When I found out that Maplewood was the tastier beer of the two...I have to be honest, I wasn't that surprised. I've come to expect that kind of flavor and quality from them. They have continued to do one hell of a job making great beers.

Not that the Founder's Azacca was bad by any means. It was a great beer in and of itself BUT it just couldn't edge out Azacca Morris.