I forgot to mention the beer I’d received from Deschutes Brewery last (New Year’s) weekend: the 2012 edition of Hop Henge. It came on Friday, New Year’s Eve eve, and ironically that same day I had seen it newly released in the store and had bought a bottle as well.

This is Deschutes’ Imperial IPA, ostensibly called their “Experimental IPA” that clocks in at 8.5% alcohol by volume and 95 IBUs. It’s “experimental” because Deschutes usually plays with the hop formulation in order to squeeze every last bit of hoppiness (not just bitterness) into this beer (previous years have seen such efforts as adding hops to the grain mill while crushing the grains for the mash).

And I already drank one of the bottles, split with friends on New Year’s Eve. Remembered impressions: “danker” than previous years—or, for those that dislike the adjective “dank”—more of a wet cannabis aroma to it. And it tastes pretty darn good.