Apollo 11 DIPA by Celestial Beerworks is a juicy hazy DIPA that highlights El Dorado, Mosaic and Vic Secret hops. Tangerine, pineapple and mango juice dominate this DIPA, ending with a sweet strawberry candy finish. This article covers a review and movie reference to Gary Sinise.
Technical Details for Apollo 11 DIPA
- Beer Name: Apollo 11
- Beer Style: DIPA
- Brewery: Celestial Beerworks (Dallas, TX )
- Brewery website: https://www.celestialbeerworks.com/home
- Purchased: Beer Geeks (Rockwall, TX)
- Tasted: 2/14/22
- Glass Used: Rastal Teku Stemmed Beer Glass 14.2 ounces
Apollo 11 DIPA Scoring Categories
Beer Review Celestial Beerworks Apollo 11 IPA Scoring Categories:
- Can Design: what is the difference between a waxing and waning gibbous
- Appearance: very thick yellow haze 5/6
- Aroma: tropical fruit salad up front, cantaloupe middle, subtle pine and herbs on the backend 21/24
- Flavor: waves of fresh tangerine and pineapple up front, creamy middle transitions smoothly to apricot and mango notes, sweet watermelon finish with a hint of strawberry candy 37/40
- Mouthfeel: chewy, sticky, tangy, smooth, thick coating that lingers 9/10
- Overall Impression: great use of three hops (El Dorado, Mosaic, Vic Secret) that can stand on their own. El Dorado hops really highlight this beer on the backend with a sweet strawberry candy belt flavor. Mosaic hops mask the medicinal harshness of the Vic Secret hops, which is a good thing in this blogger’s opinion. 18/20
- Total Score: 90/100
- Solid hazy DIPA from a solid brewery
Brewery Background
Celestial Beerworks (CB) is located in northwest Dallas, Texas and opened in October 2018. Matt and Molly Reynolds opened a tap room in Dallas’ Medical District at 2530 Butler Street, Dallas, Texas 75235. I was fortunate to stop by in early October 2021 and was greeted by an upbeat and knowledgeable staff. Layout focuses on CB’s core business principles of art, science and delicious fresh beers. Several local beer geeks were in attendance, and wanted to talk about the 2021 Red River Showdown between Oklahoma and Texas that was to be played that weekend. Sooners ended up winning an epic game 55-48.
CB’s mantra is “haze for days,” and they definitely walk the talk with the consistent quality of their hazy IPAs. Beer portfolio includes thirty-three hazy IPAs, eighty-four hazy DIPAs and thirty-five hazy TIPAs. Hazy beers equate to 38% of their beer portfolio as of 2023. CB makes tasty sours, stouts and pilsners. Very active on Instagram and CB’s creative advertising is at a level most breweries can only dream about.
Distribution Across Texas
CB’s beers are currently available at forty-three locations in Texas. Beers are available via online pre-order and can be picked up or delivered curbside. Their taproom space hosts these weekly recurring events:
- Crispy Bois Monday with $3 Lagers
- 2SDAY Roll a 2 and your beer is on us!
- $12 Mission Control Beer Flights on Wednesdays
- Trivia Night on Thursdays
- Annual Space Camp membership for special releases
CB is hip and definitely cool. CB is the best brewery in Dallas and showing no signs of slowing down or stagnating. Jump on this space ship tomorrow and enjoy the ride to beer geek nirvana.
Apollo 11 DIPA Background
CB has brewed the following hazy DIPAs with a “space travel theme”:
- Lunar – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.13
- Apollo 11 – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.15
- Andromeda – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.21
- Your Place in Space – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.14
- One Giant Leap – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.17
- Symbols In the Sky – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.12
- Concept of Space – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.14
- Orion’s Belt Buckle – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.04
- Little Dipper – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 3.81
- Galaxy Lounge – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 3.98
- The Death Star – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 3.83
- Mango On the Moon – 8.0% ABV, Untappd Rating 4.27
CB has the “space travel” beers figured out with an average Untappd rating of 4.08/5.00 for the above listed beers. Based on how tasty Apollo 11 ended up being, I’m focused on trying Andromeda and Mango On the Moon in 2023. It’ll be interesting to see if the new DIPA batches are comparable to Apollo 11. Time will tell and the journey will be memorable.
Movie Comparison for this Libation
Ken Mattingly role in Apollo 13
Gary Sinise, actor who portrayed astronaut Ken Mattingly, in the movie “Apollo 13.” All heck breaks out in the Apollo 13 Odyssey space module, due to a defective electrical short that causes significant damage. Thanks to some quick thinking by Commander Jim Lovell (played by Tom Hanks), Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise (played by Bill Paxton), and Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert (played by Kevin Bacon), the Apollo 13 mission becomes a space journey to bring the astronauts safely back to Earth. Ken Mattingly gets recruited to develop a procedure to power up the Command Module without drawing too much power. Having ice water in his veins and the training voice of a reliable teacher, Mattingly guides Swigert through the procedure to give the crew a statistical chance of safely returning home.
Director and Supporting Actor in Apollo 13
Director Ron Howard was blessed with an all-star cast for Apollo 13 in 1985, and they all brought their A games. Apollo 13 won two Oscars for Best Sound and Best Film Editing. Tom Hanks proved he could carry a film as a lead actor, no matter how deep and talented the supporting cast was. Flight Director Gene Kranz (played by Ed Harris), ended up being the glue that held the Mission Control team together during this epic space journey. “Failure is not an option,” became a trendy and motivational quote used in schools, offices and locker rooms.
Would Have, Could Have, Should Have
Fiction can be fun but this blogger prefers the reference section. What would have happened in Hollywood, if Gary Sinise wasn’t able to channel Ken Mattingly’s aerospace engineering knowledge for a rapt movie audience? Tom Hanks wouldn’t have stared in Toy Story 1-4, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Cast Away, Captain Phillips, and Sully. Bill Paxton would have been passed over for Twister, Titanic, U-571, and the underrated Edge of Tomorrow. Kevin Bacon couldn’t have shown his star power in Wild Things, X-Men: First Class, Crazy, Stupid, Love and Patriots Day. More importantly, the game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon wouldn’t be played at family gatherings and cocktail parties.
Quality Acting Career
Gary Sinise continued his acting career after Apollo 13, due to starring in Ransom, Snake Eyes, The Green Mile, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and on the television series CSI: New York. Has done significant humanitarian work for numerous veterans organizations during the past fifteen years. Hosted the inauguration ceremony of the World War I memorial in Washington, DC in April 2021. With his top notch acting skills on the movie set of Apollo 13, a pint or two of Apollo 11 DIPA beers would probably get Sinise to tell some funny stories about his cast mates and crew. Drinking beer has a tendency to open up the memory banks.
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Cheers and keep it classy everyday!
