I Wanna Talk About Strata (2021 with Mosaic) IPA by American Solera is a fruit forward hazy IPA utilizing Strata and Mosaic hops. Mango aroma compliments an orange juice smoothie middle, melon and fresh blueberries ending produce a memorable beer. This article covers a review and relation to Philip Rivers as a sports reference.
Technical Details for I Wanna Talk About Strata IPA
- Beer Name: I Wanna Talk About Strata
- Beer Style: New England IPA
- Brewery: American Solera (Tulsa, OK)
- Brewery website: https://www.americansolera.com
- Purchased: The Cellar in Norman, OK
- Tasted: 3/9/22
- Glass Used: 16.75 ounce stemless
I Wanna Talk About Strata IPA Scoring Categories
I Wanna Talk About Strata IPA Scoring Categories:
- Can Design: bolo ties have been stylish since the early 1980s
- Appearance: medium thickness orange haze 4/6
- Aroma: mango and citrus up front, grapefruit in the middle, rolls out in a wagon full of fresh berries 20/24
- Flavor: melon and mango talk to each other at the beginning, orange juice smoothie middle, blueberry medley finish, piney and subtle herbal aftertaste 36/40
- Mouthfeel: lite, creaminess, refreshing, full coating, minimal bitterness 8/10
- Overall Impression: Strata hops are the star of the show at the beginning, and a much needed helping of Mosaic hops finish with a flurry. Berry medley tasting notes elevate this beer. 18/20
- Total Score: 86/100
- Good aroma, creamy and smooth middle produce a top level mouthfeel, and a solid IPA finish with the woody and herbal notes. Mosaic hops really compliment the Strata hops in this batch of beer.
Brewery Background
American Solera is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and opened in 2016. Founded by the husband and wife team of Chase and Erica Healy. Brewery is located in a 100 year old historically refurbished warehouse at 1702 East 6th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 74104. Miller-Tippens Construction did an excellent job remodeling and it includes a stylish open fermentation room.
Didn’t take long for American Solera to get industry recognition by being named best new brewery in the United States by Rate Beer in 2016. Produced one of the top twenty beers for 2020 chosen by Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, Coolship Roadtrip. Highly rated lambic ale that was a collaboration with Jester King Brewery (Austin, Texas).
American Solera focuses on brewing foeder aged ales, hazy pales ales and hazy IPAs. Psychedelic can art is used to advertise juicy hazy IPAs that are trending in the southwest USA states. Their double dry hopped (DDH) IPAs are deceptively smooth for beers with 8.0%+ ABV. This brewery’s flagship beers are Slap IPA, Pals Pale Ale and Terpy IPA. Most batches are distributed using four packs of twelve ounce cans or sixteen ounce cans. Current taplist includes pilsner, kolsch, imperial gose, English pale ale, pale ale, IPA, DIPA, amber ale, porter, imperial milk stout and hard seltzer.
Tulsa is now a must vacation stop in May 2022, to attend the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club and sample tasty beers downtown at American Solera.
I Wanna Talk About Strata IPA Background
American Solera has brewed this beer twice:
- I Wanna Talk About Strata IPA – 7.4% ABV, Untappd rating 4.06
- I Wanna Talk About Strata IPA (2021 with Mosaic) – 7.0% ABV, Untappd rating 4.10
Chase Healey does a great job describing new beer releases and tasting notes with several YouTube clips produced by What the Ale.
Sports Comparison for this Libation
Philip Rivers, retired QB who played for the San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts. Was chosen with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, subsequently traded to the San Diego Chargers for the first overall player chosen, QB Eli Manning. Was the backup to the starting QB, Drew Brees, in San Diego for the 2004 and 2005 NFL seasons. Brees suffered a bad shoulder injury in the final game of the 2005 season and signed a free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints. Rivers took the starting QB job in 2006 and didn’t look back for fourteen seasons.
Early NFL Career
Led the Chargers to an NFL best record of 14-2 in 2006, before losing to the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. Took an undermanned team to an 11-5 record in 2007, then found deep playoff success with victories over the Titans and Colts to reach the AFC Championship Game. Rivers played that entire game with a torn ACL against the undefeated Patriots. Despite losing 21-12, Rivers had developed into a true team leader and forged a unique bond with all of his teammates due to playing with a severe injury.
Late NFL Career
Rivers won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award at the end of the 2013 season, due to throwing significantly less interceptions and taking what the defense would give him. Became a free agent in early 2020 and signed a one year contract with the Indianapolis Colts. Announced his NFL retirement on 1/20/21 by stating that “it’s just time, it’s just right.” Career resume includes playing in eight Pro Bowls, winning four AFC West Division titles, six postseason appearances, and currently fifth all time in NFL passing yards and touchdowns.
What Type of Tie is That?
Rivers is one the last “throwback” players to excel at the NFL level, due to playing four college football seasons at NC State prior to being drafted in 2004. Keep in mind that Rivers has been a busy guy since 2003, when his first child was born and he now has nine children. Not only is he a football leader, he’s got the busiest household in the country. That might be one reason why Rivers preferred to wear a bolo tie during post game interviews and just wanna talk football. Throwbacks are extremely rare to find these days and they like to drink a few cold frosty barley pops.
Want to find this beer near you? Check out this article that tells you how to locate great beer near you.
Cheers and keep it classy everyday!
