The wondrous hoppy world of India Pale Ale.

A few days ago, while trolling the beer aisle at Trader Joe’s for a Budget IPA, I noticed a 22 oz bottle of Boatswain Double IPA for $1.99. Just the upswing my economy needed! The few dollars I’d save could put a few extra lumps of coal in my teenager’s stocking. So, I grabbed a bottle.

From the home of Two-Buck-Chuck, I had high hopes for TJ’s IPA bargain, and it didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t the most sophisticated or hoppy Double that’s graced my palette. It was maybe a touch flat, and relatively thin. The head moderately creamy, yet short-lived. But it went down easy, had a the slight just-about-right amount of bitterness that I enjoy. In my humble opinion, it’s just hoppy and tasty enough, and well-worth the price. My mouth would give it a tie to slight edge over a recent purchase at a third the price.

Boatswain hails from the Rhinelander Brewery out of Monroe, Wisconsin. I couldn’t find it on their beer list online. Either they’re not proud of it, or they have a deal with TJ’s to keep it exclusive. Or could it be a Trader Joes labeling of their Imperial Jack Double IPA? Either way, a few bottles of Boatswain is a tasty way to get half in the bag, while leaving a few bucks in your account for recession repression necessities, like Fruit Ninja, or Angry Birds Seasons.